Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Ohio?
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 Ohio 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 70 cities in the Buckeye State with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Ohio
What city has the highest murder rate in Ohio? The city with the highest murder rate in Ohio is Mount Healthy with 44.1 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Ohio with highest number of murders? The city in Ohio with the highest number of murders is Columbus with 112 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Ohio ranked. There were ‘only’ 70 cities in Ohio where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 185 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Buckeye State check out:
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Ohio For 2026
/10
Population: 6,809
Murders: 3 (16th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 44.1 (Most)
More on Mount Healthy: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 13,336
Murders: 5 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 37.5 (2nd Most)
More on East Cleveland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 362,762
Murders: 109 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 30.0 (3rd Most)
More on Cleveland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 134,857
Murders: 40 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 29.7 (4th Most)
More on Dayton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 22,895
Murders: 6 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 26.2 (5th Most)
More on Trotwood: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 311,599
Murders: 68 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 21.8 (6th Most)
More on Cincinnati: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 5,122
Murders: 1 (5Most)
Murders Per 100k: 19.5 (7th Most)
More on Uhrichsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 58,850
Murders: 11 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 18.7 (8th Most)
More on Youngstown: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 34,552
Murders: 6 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 17.4 (9th Most)
More on Lima: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 17,343
Murders: 3 (16th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 17.3 (10th Most)
More on Portsmouth: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Ohio
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 Ohio for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 70 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 Mount Healthy. It is our eleventh time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Ohio. We updated the list for 2026.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Ohio For 2026
If you’re looking at the places in Ohio 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 Ohio are Mount Healthy, East Cleveland, Cleveland, Dayton, Trotwood, Cincinnati, Uhrichsville, Youngstown, Lima, and Portsmouth.
For more Ohio reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Ohio
- Fastest Growing Cities In Ohio
- Safest Places In Ohio
- Best Cities For Singles In Ohio
- Worst Places To Live In Ohio
Murder Rates By City In Ohio
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Healthy, OH | 6809 | 3 | 44.06 |
| 2 | East Cleveland, OH | 13336 | 5 | 37.49 |
| 3 | Cleveland, OH | 362762 | 109 | 30.05 |
| 4 | Dayton, OH | 134857 | 40 | 29.66 |
| 5 | Trotwood, OH | 22895 | 6 | 26.21 |
| 6 | Cincinnati, OH | 311599 | 68 | 21.82 |
| 7 | Uhrichsville, OH | 5122 | 1 | 19.52 |
| 8 | Youngstown, OH | 58850 | 11 | 18.69 |
| 9 | Lima, OH | 34552 | 6 | 17.37 |
| 10 | Portsmouth, OH | 17343 | 3 | 17.3 |
| 11 | Martins Ferry, OH | 6024 | 1 | 16.6 |
| 12 | Upper Sandusky, OH | 6632 | 1 | 15.08 |
| 13 | Euclid, OH | 48176 | 7 | 14.53 |
| 14 | South Euclid, OH | 21255 | 3 | 14.11 |
| 15 | Independence, OH | 7510 | 1 | 13.32 |
| 16 | Obetz, OH | 7542 | 1 | 13.26 |
| 17 | Akron, OH | 188223 | 24 | 12.75 |
| 18 | Sandusky, OH | 23981 | 3 | 12.51 |
| 19 | Columbus, OH | 915447 | 112 | 12.23 |
| 20 | Butler Township, OH | 8195 | 1 | 12.2 |
| 21 | Toledo, OH | 263668 | 32 | 12.14 |
| 22 | Goshen Township, Clermont County, OH | 16502 | 2 | 12.12 |
| 23 | Lancaster, OH | 41687 | 5 | 11.99 |
| 24 | North College Hill, OH | 9401 | 1 | 10.64 |
| 25 | Madison Township, Franklin County, OH | 19179 | 2 | 10.43 |
| 26 | Richmond Heights, OH | 10509 | 1 | 9.52 |
| 27 | London, OH | 10623 | 1 | 9.41 |
| 28 | Bedford Heights, OH | 10723 | 1 | 9.33 |
| 29 | Lebanon, OH | 21985 | 2 | 9.1 |
| 30 | Springdale, OH | 11096 | 1 | 9.01 |
| 31 | Reading, OH | 11118 | 1 | 8.99 |
| 32 | Blue Ash, OH | 13410 | 1 | 7.46 |
| 33 | Springfield Township, Summit County, OH | 14090 | 1 | 7.1 |
| 34 | Garfield Heights, OH | 28876 | 2 | 6.93 |
| 35 | Springfield, OH | 57911 | 4 | 6.91 |
| 36 | Olmsted Township, OH | 14535 | 1 | 6.88 |
| 37 | Cleveland Heights, OH | 43853 | 3 | 6.84 |
| 38 | Circleville, OH | 14623 | 1 | 6.84 |
| 39 | Fremont, OH | 15782 | 1 | 6.34 |
| 40 | Bay Village, OH | 15838 | 1 | 6.31 |
| 41 | Massillon, OH | 32569 | 2 | 6.14 |
| 42 | Stow, OH | 33791 | 2 | 5.92 |
| 43 | Steubenville, OH | 18037 | 1 | 5.54 |
| 44 | Niles, OH | 18202 | 1 | 5.49 |
| 45 | Springboro, OH | 19591 | 1 | 5.1 |
| 46 | Whitehall, OH | 19603 | 1 | 5.1 |
| 47 | Oregon, OH | 19639 | 1 | 5.09 |
| 48 | Forest Park, OH | 19730 | 1 | 5.07 |
| 49 | Findlay, OH | 40089 | 2 | 4.99 |
| 50 | Sidney, OH | 20230 | 1 | 4.94 |
| 51 | Painesville, OH | 20713 | 1 | 4.83 |
| 52 | Miami Township, Clermont County, OH | 44929 | 2 | 4.45 |
| 53 | Fairfield Township, OH | 22989 | 1 | 4.35 |
| 54 | Newark, OH | 51394 | 2 | 3.89 |
| 55 | Elyria, OH | 53263 | 2 | 3.75 |
| 56 | Miami Township, Montgomery County, OH | 30666 | 1 | 3.26 |
| 57 | Hamilton, OH | 62860 | 2 | 3.18 |
| 58 | North Olmsted, OH | 31532 | 1 | 3.17 |
| 59 | Lorain, OH | 65374 | 2 | 3.06 |
| 60 | Canton, OH | 68725 | 2 | 2.91 |
| 61 | Gahanna, OH | 34979 | 1 | 2.86 |
| 62 | Springfield Township, Hamilton County, OH | 35232 | 1 | 2.84 |
| 63 | Austintown, OH | 35491 | 1 | 2.82 |
| 64 | Boardman, OH | 39587 | 1 | 2.53 |
| 65 | Reynoldsburg, OH | 41277 | 1 | 2.42 |
| 66 | Delaware, OH | 46369 | 1 | 2.16 |
| 67 | Beavercreek, OH | 47389 | 1 | 2.11 |
| 68 | Colerain Township, OH | 58402 | 1 | 1.71 |
| 69 | Green Township, OH | 59412 | 1 | 1.68 |
| 70 | West Chester Township, OH | 63335 | 1 | 1.58 |