Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Michigan?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
To find the cities in Michigan with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the FBI crime data on murders for the 77 cities in the Wolverine State with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Michigan
- Detroit
- Saginaw
- Benton Harbor
- Ecorse
- Inkster
- Benton Township
- Harper Woods
- Carrollton Township
- Highland Park
- Buena Vista Township
What city has the highest murder rate in Michigan? The city with the highest murder rate in Michigan is Detroit with 49.1 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Michigan with highest number of murders? The city in Michigan with the highest number of murders is Detroit with 308 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Michigan ranked. There were ‘only’ 77 cities in Michigan where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 147 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Wolverine State check out:
- Best Places To Live In Michigan
- Cheapest Places To Live In Michigan
- Most Dangerous Places in Michigan
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Michigan For 2024
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Population: 626,757
Murders: 308 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 49.1 (Most)
More on Detroit: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 43,651
Murders: 20 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 45.8 (2nd Most)
More on Saginaw: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 8,896
Murders: 4 (20th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 45.0 (3rd Most)
More on Benton Harbor: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 9,113
Murders: 4 (20th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 43.9 (4th Most)
More on Ecorse: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 25,447
Murders: 11 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 43.2 (5th Most)
More on Inkster: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
6. Benton Township
Population: 14,081
Murders: 6 (15th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 42.6 (6th Most)
More on Benton Township:
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Population: 15,100
Murders: 6 (15th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 39.7 (7th Most)
More on Harper Woods: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
8. Carrollton Township
Population: 5,669
Murders: 2 (39th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 35.3 (8th Most)
More on Carrollton Township:
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Population: 8,802
Murders: 3 (26th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 34.1 (9th Most)
More on Highland Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
10. Buena Vista Township
Population: 7,588
Murders: 2 (39th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 26.4 (10th Most)
More on Buena Vista Township:
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Michigan
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of murders in each city annually.
We only looked at every single city in Michigan for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 77 cities to rank.
We took the number of murders per capita as the ranking factor. The place with the most murders per capita based on the most recent data is Detroit. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Michigan. We updated the list for 2024.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Michigan For 2024
If you’re looking at the places in Michigan with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
The cities with the highest murder per capita in Michigan are Detroit, Saginaw, Benton Harbor, Ecorse, Inkster, Benton Township, Harper Woods, Carrollton Township, Highland Park, and Buena Vista Township.
For more Michigan reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Michigan
- Fastest Growing Cities In Michigan
- Safest Places In Michigan
- Best Cities For Singles In Michigan
- Worst Places To Live In Michigan
Murder Rates By City In Michigan
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit, MI | 626757 | 308 | 49.14 |
| 2 | Saginaw, MI | 43651 | 20 | 45.82 |
| 3 | Benton Harbor, MI | 8896 | 4 | 44.96 |
| 4 | Ecorse, MI | 9113 | 4 | 43.89 |
| 5 | Inkster, MI | 25447 | 11 | 43.23 |
| 6 | Benton Township, MI | 14081 | 6 | 42.61 |
| 7 | Harper Woods, MI | 15100 | 6 | 39.74 |
| 8 | Carrollton Township, MI | 5669 | 2 | 35.28 |
| 9 | Highland Park, MI | 8802 | 3 | 34.08 |
| 10 | Buena Vista Township, MI | 7588 | 2 | 26.36 |
| 11 | Flint Township, MI | 31097 | 8 | 25.73 |
| 12 | Lansing Township, MI | 8037 | 2 | 24.88 |
| 13 | Pontiac, MI | 60581 | 13 | 21.46 |
| 14 | Hazel Park, MI | 14849 | 3 | 20.2 |
| 15 | Davison, MI | 5058 | 1 | 19.77 |
| 16 | Eaton Rapids, MI | 5184 | 1 | 19.29 |
| 17 | Muskegon, MI | 37615 | 7 | 18.61 |
| 18 | Eastpointe, MI | 33829 | 6 | 17.74 |
| 19 | Portage, MI | 48811 | 8 | 16.39 |
| 20 | Battle Creek, MI | 61347 | 10 | 16.3 |
| 21 | Flint, MI | 80059 | 13 | 16.24 |
| 22 | Manistee, MI | 6335 | 1 | 15.79 |
| 23 | Mount Morris Township, MI | 19713 | 3 | 15.22 |
| 24 | Ontwa Township-Edwardsburg, MI | 6812 | 1 | 14.68 |
| 25 | Wyoming, MI | 76726 | 11 | 14.34 |
| 26 | Fraser, MI | 14458 | 2 | 13.83 |
| 27 | Kalamazoo, MI | 72810 | 10 | 13.73 |
| 28 | Burton, MI | 29373 | 4 | 13.62 |
| 29 | Lansing, MI | 112567 | 15 | 13.33 |
| 30 | Houghton, MI | 7644 | 1 | 13.08 |
| 31 | Montrose Township, MI | 7662 | 1 | 13.05 |
| 32 | Jackson, MI | 31206 | 4 | 12.82 |
| 33 | Raisin Township, MI | 7953 | 1 | 12.57 |
| 34 | Kalamazoo Township, MI | 24309 | 3 | 12.34 |
| 35 | Center Line, MI | 8357 | 1 | 11.97 |
| 36 | Huron Township, MI | 16837 | 2 | 11.88 |
| 37 | Wayne, MI | 17284 | 2 | 11.57 |
| 38 | Lapeer, MI | 8924 | 1 | 11.21 |
| 39 | Oak Park, MI | 29115 | 3 | 10.3 |
| 40 | Southgate, MI | 29769 | 3 | 10.08 |
| 41 | Ypsilanti, MI | 19872 | 2 | 10.06 |
| 42 | Muskegon Heights, MI | 9944 | 1 | 10.06 |
| 43 | Bridgeport Township, MI | 9975 | 1 | 10.03 |
| 44 | Grand Rapids, MI | 196662 | 19 | 9.66 |
| 45 | Sturgis, MI | 10961 | 1 | 9.12 |
| 46 | Roseville, MI | 46719 | 4 | 8.56 |
| 47 | Niles, MI | 11756 | 1 | 8.51 |
| 48 | Riverview, MI | 12274 | 1 | 8.15 |
| 49 | Romulus, MI | 25071 | 2 | 7.98 |
| 50 | Norton Shores, MI | 25226 | 2 | 7.93 |
| 51 | Hamtramck, MI | 27669 | 2 | 7.23 |
| 52 | White Lake Township, MI | 31001 | 2 | 6.45 |
| 53 | Holland, MI | 33838 | 2 | 5.91 |
| 54 | Wixom, MI | 17186 | 1 | 5.82 |
| 55 | Muskegon Township, MI | 17812 | 1 | 5.61 |
| 56 | Independence Township, MI | 36584 | 2 | 5.47 |
| 57 | Oxford Township, MI | 18870 | 1 | 5.3 |
| 58 | Blackman Township, MI | 38656 | 2 | 5.17 |
| 59 | Genesee Township, MI | 20336 | 1 | 4.92 |
| 60 | Davison Township, MI | 20452 | 1 | 4.89 |
| 61 | Westland, MI | 83763 | 4 | 4.78 |
| 62 | Midland, MI | 42426 | 2 | 4.71 |
| 63 | Kentwood, MI | 53977 | 2 | 3.71 |
| 64 | Warren, MI | 137138 | 5 | 3.65 |
| 65 | Port Huron, MI | 28675 | 1 | 3.49 |
| 66 | Orion Township, MI | 35516 | 1 | 2.82 |
| 67 | Southfield, MI | 75432 | 2 | 2.65 |
| 68 | Troy, MI | 86548 | 2 | 2.31 |
| 69 | Redford Township, MI | 48267 | 1 | 2.07 |
| 70 | Dearborn, MI | 107197 | 2 | 1.87 |
| 71 | Sterling Heights, MI | 132393 | 2 | 1.51 |
| 72 | Waterford Township, MI | 69851 | 1 | 1.43 |
| 73 | Rochester Hills, MI | 75921 | 1 | 1.32 |
| 74 | Shelby Township, MI | 79391 | 1 | 1.26 |
| 75 | Canton Township, MI | 98582 | 1 | 1.01 |
| 76 | Clinton Township, MI | 99274 | 1 | 1.01 |
| 77 | Ann Arbor, MI | 120549 | 1 | 0.83 |
