Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Nevada?
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 Nevada 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 6 cities in the Silver State with over 20,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Nevada
- Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
- North Las Vegas
- Reno
- Elko
- Sparks
- Henderson
What city has the highest murder rate in Nevada? The city with the highest murder rate in Nevada is Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department with 8.0 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Nevada with highest number of murders? The city in Nevada with the highest number of murders is Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department with 134 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Nevada ranked. There were ‘only’ 6 cities in Nevada where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 5 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Silver State check out:
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Nevada For 2025
1. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Population: 1,670,226
Murders: 134 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 8.0 (Most)
More on Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department:
/10
Population: 290,751
Murders: 21 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 7.2 (2nd Most)
More on North Las Vegas: Data
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Population: 277,792
Murders: 19 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 6.8 (3rd Most)
More on Reno: Data
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Population: 20,854
Murders: 1 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 4.8 (4th Most)
More on Elko: Data
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Population: 109,403
Murders: 4 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 3.7 (5th Most)
More on Sparks: Data
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Population: 337,794
Murders: 10 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 3.0 (6th Most)
More on Henderson: Data
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Nevada
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 Nevada for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 6 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 Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Nevada. We updated the list for 2025.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Nevada For 2025
If you’re looking at the places in Nevada 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 Nevada are Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, North Las Vegas, Reno, Elko, Sparks, and Henderson.
For more Nevada reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Nevada
- Fastest Growing Cities In Nevada
- Safest Places In Nevada
- Best Cities For Singles In Nevada
- Worst Places To Live In Nevada
Murder Rates By City In Nevada
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, NV | 1670226 | 134 | 8.02 |
| 2 | North Las Vegas, NV | 290751 | 21 | 7.22 |
| 3 | Reno, NV | 277792 | 19 | 6.84 |
| 4 | Elko, NV | 20854 | 1 | 4.8 |
| 5 | Sparks, NV | 109403 | 4 | 3.66 |
| 6 | Henderson, NV | 337794 | 10 | 2.96 |