Do you live in one of the murder capitals of South Dakota?
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.
So we wanted to get the facts straight and dug into the FBI crime data in order to identify the places with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita in South Dakota.
The result is the Murder Capitals of the Mount Rushmore State for 2023:
What city has the highest murder rate in South Dakota? The city with the highest murder rate in South Dakota is Rapid City with 12.5 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in South Dakota with highest number of murders? The city in South Dakota with the highest number of murders is Rapid City with 10 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in South Dakota ranked. There were ‘only’ 4 cities in South Dakota where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 25 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Mount Rushmore State check out:
- Best Places To Live In South Dakota
- Cheapest Places To Live In South Dakota
- Most Dangerous Cities In South Dakota
Article Table Of Contents
The 10 Murder Capitals Of South Dakota For 2023
/10
Population: 79,910
Rank Last Year: 1
Murders: 10 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 12.5 (Most)
More on Rapid City: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 10,876
Rank Last Year: 4
Murders: 1 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 9.2 (2nd Most)
More on Box Elder: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 191,508
Rank Last Year: 3
Murders: 3 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 1.6 (4th Most)
More on Sioux Falls: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
/10
Population: 28,494
Rank Last Year: 7
Murders: 1 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 3.5 (3rd Most)
More on Aberdeen: Data | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of South Dakota
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at 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 that may happen in each city per year.
We only looked every single city in South Dakota for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 4 cities to rank.
Finally, we averaged the two scores into an index:
- The raw number of murders in each city
- The murders per person
We felt as if a small place with 2,500 people and two murders makes it a lot more dangerous than a city of 25,000 people with three murders. Any ties went to the larger city.
This article is an opinion based on facts. It is our tenth time ranking the most places with the most murders per capita in South Dakota and is updated for 2023.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In South Dakota For 2023
If you’re looking at the places in South Dakota 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.
For more South Dakota reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In South Dakota
- Fastest Growing Cities In South Dakota
- Safest Places In South Dakota
- Best Cities For Singles In South Dakota
- Worst Places To Live In South Dakota
Detailed List Of The Places With The Most Murder In South Dakota For 2023
| Rank | City | Murders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rapid City, SD | 10 |
| 2 | Box Elder, SD | 1 |
| 3 | Sioux Falls, SD | 3 |
| 4 | Aberdeen, SD | 1 |
