Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Rhode Island?
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 Rhode Island 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 12 cities in the Ocean State with over 11,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Rhode Island
- Warren
- Central Falls
- Johnston
- Pawtucket
- Providence
- Portsmouth
- South Kingstown
- North Providence
- Coventry
- Cumberland
What city has the highest murder rate in Rhode Island? The city with the highest murder rate in Rhode Island is Warren with 9.0 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Rhode Island with highest number of murders? The city in Rhode Island with the highest number of murders is Providence with 11 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Rhode Island ranked. There were ‘only’ 12 cities in Rhode Island where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 23 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Ocean State check out:
- Best Places To Live In Rhode Island
- Cheapest Places To Live In Rhode Island
- Most Dangerous Cities In Rhode Island
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Rhode Island For 2025
1. Warren
Population: 11,143
Murders: 1 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 9.0 (Most)
More on Warren:
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Population: 22,534
Murders: 2 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 8.9 (2nd Most)
More on Central Falls: Data
3. Johnston
Population: 29,584
Murders: 2 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 6.8 (3rd Most)
More on Johnston:
/10
Population: 75,100
Murders: 5 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 6.7 (4th Most)
More on Pawtucket: Data
/10
Population: 189,590
Murders: 11 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 5.8 (5th Most)
More on Providence: Data
6. Portsmouth
Population: 17,625
Murders: 1 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 5.7 (6th Most)
More on Portsmouth:
7. South Kingstown
Population: 32,225
Murders: 1 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 3.1 (7th Most)
More on South Kingstown:
8. North Providence
Population: 33,880
Murders: 1 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 3.0 (8th Most)
More on North Providence:
9. Coventry
Population: 36,100
Murders: 1 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 2.8 (9th Most)
More on Coventry:
10. Cumberland
Population: 36,502
Murders: 1 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 2.7 (10th Most)
More on Cumberland:
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Rhode Island
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 Rhode Island for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 12 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 Warren. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Rhode Island. We updated the list for 2025.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Rhode Island For 2025
If you’re looking at the places in Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island are Warren, Central Falls, Johnston, Pawtucket, Providence, Portsmouth, South Kingstown, North Providence, Coventry, and Cumberland.
For more Rhode Island reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Rhode Island
- Safest Places In Rhode Island
- Best Cities For Singles In Rhode Island
- Worst Places To Live In Rhode Island
Murder Rates By City In Rhode Island
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warren, RI | 11143 | 1 | 8.97 |
| 2 | Central Falls, RI | 22534 | 2 | 8.88 |
| 3 | Johnston, RI | 29584 | 2 | 6.76 |
| 4 | Pawtucket, RI | 75100 | 5 | 6.66 |
| 5 | Providence, RI | 189590 | 11 | 5.8 |
| 6 | Portsmouth, RI | 17625 | 1 | 5.67 |
| 7 | South Kingstown, RI | 32225 | 1 | 3.1 |
| 8 | North Providence, RI | 33880 | 1 | 2.95 |
| 9 | Coventry, RI | 36100 | 1 | 2.77 |
| 10 | Cumberland, RI | 36502 | 1 | 2.74 |
| 11 | Woonsocket, RI | 42973 | 1 | 2.33 |
| 12 | East Providence, RI | 46663 | 1 | 2.14 |