Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Tennessee?
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 Tennessee 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 49 cities in the Volunteer State with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Tennessee
What city has the highest murder rate in Tennessee? The city with the highest murder rate in Tennessee is Bolivar with 58.5 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Tennessee with highest number of murders? The city in Tennessee with the highest number of murders is Memphis with 269 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Tennessee ranked. There were ‘only’ 49 cities in Tennessee where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 49 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Volunteer State check out:
- Best Places To Live In Tennessee
- Cheapest Places To Live In Tennessee
- Most Dangerous Cities In Tennessee
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Tennessee For 2024
/10
Population: 5,127
Murders: 3 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 58.5 (Most)
More on Bolivar: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 7,772
Murders: 4 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 51.5 (2nd Most)
More on Ripley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 6,942
Murders: 3 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 43.2 (3rd Most)
More on Fayetteville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 624,944
Murders: 269 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 43.0 (4th Most)
More on Memphis: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 15,988
Murders: 4 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 25.0 (5th Most)
More on Dyersburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 8,582
Murders: 2 (20th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 23.3 (6th Most)
More on Covington: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 9,578
Murders: 2 (20th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 20.9 (7th Most)
More on Brownsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 10,004
Murders: 2 (20th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 20.0 (8th Most)
More on Oakland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
9. Smithville
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Population: 5,242
Murders: 1 (38th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 19.1 (9th Most)
More on Smithville: Crime
/10
Population: 194,724
Murders: 32 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 16.4 (10th Most)
More on Knoxville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Tennessee
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 Tennessee for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 49 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 Bolivar. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Tennessee. We updated the list for 2024.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Tennessee For 2024
If you’re looking at the places in Tennessee 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 Tennessee are Bolivar, Ripley, Fayetteville, Memphis, Dyersburg, Covington, Brownsville, Oakland, Smithville, and Knoxville.
For more Tennessee reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Tennessee
- Fastest Growing Cities In Tennessee
- Safest Places In Tennessee
- Best Cities For Singles In Tennessee
- Worst Places To Live In Tennessee
Murder Rates By City In Tennessee
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bolivar, TN | 5127 | 3 | 58.51 |
| 2 | Ripley, TN | 7772 | 4 | 51.47 |
| 3 | Fayetteville, TN | 6942 | 3 | 43.22 |
| 4 | Memphis, TN | 624944 | 269 | 43.04 |
| 5 | Dyersburg, TN | 15988 | 4 | 25.02 |
| 6 | Covington, TN | 8582 | 2 | 23.3 |
| 7 | Brownsville, TN | 9578 | 2 | 20.88 |
| 8 | Oakland, TN | 10004 | 2 | 19.99 |
| 9 | Smithville, TN | 5242 | 1 | 19.08 |
| 10 | Knoxville, TN | 194724 | 32 | 16.43 |
| 11 | Sweetwater, TN | 6345 | 1 | 15.76 |
| 12 | Greenbrier, TN | 6963 | 1 | 14.36 |
| 13 | Jackson, TN | 68059 | 9 | 13.22 |
| 14 | Chattanooga, TN | 182603 | 24 | 13.14 |
| 15 | Greeneville, TN | 15556 | 2 | 12.86 |
| 16 | Lexington, TN | 7944 | 1 | 12.59 |
| 17 | Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, TN | 679562 | 83 | 12.21 |
| 18 | Pulaski, TN | 8240 | 1 | 12.14 |
| 19 | Sevierville, TN | 19021 | 2 | 10.51 |
| 20 | Fairview, TN | 9844 | 1 | 10.16 |
| 21 | Paris, TN | 10371 | 1 | 9.64 |
| 22 | Tullahoma, TN | 20948 | 2 | 9.55 |
| 23 | Martin, TN | 10562 | 1 | 9.47 |
| 24 | Alcoa, TN | 11689 | 1 | 8.56 |
| 25 | Red Bank, TN | 11862 | 1 | 8.43 |
| 26 | Shelbyville, TN | 24160 | 2 | 8.28 |
| 27 | Crossville, TN | 12487 | 1 | 8.01 |
| 28 | Lewisburg, TN | 12659 | 1 | 7.9 |
| 29 | Soddy-Daisy, TN | 13112 | 1 | 7.63 |
| 30 | Elizabethton, TN | 13868 | 1 | 7.21 |
| 31 | Clarksville, TN | 174738 | 11 | 6.3 |
| 32 | Dickson, TN | 16154 | 1 | 6.19 |
| 33 | Cookeville, TN | 35771 | 2 | 5.59 |
| 34 | Murfreesboro, TN | 161810 | 9 | 5.56 |
| 35 | Springfield, TN | 19330 | 1 | 5.17 |
| 36 | Hendersonville, TN | 62475 | 3 | 4.8 |
| 37 | East Ridge, TN | 21790 | 1 | 4.59 |
| 38 | Columbia, TN | 44852 | 2 | 4.46 |
| 39 | Brentwood, TN | 45581 | 2 | 4.39 |
| 40 | Johnson City, TN | 71987 | 3 | 4.17 |
| 41 | Kingsport, TN | 55799 | 2 | 3.58 |
| 42 | Spring Hill, TN | 56232 | 2 | 3.56 |
| 43 | Smyrna, TN | 57595 | 2 | 3.47 |
| 44 | Oak Ridge, TN | 32243 | 1 | 3.1 |
| 45 | Maryville, TN | 32717 | 1 | 3.06 |
| 46 | La Vergne, TN | 39424 | 1 | 2.54 |
| 47 | Lebanon, TN | 43321 | 1 | 2.31 |
| 48 | Cleveland, TN | 48579 | 1 | 2.06 |
| 49 | Bartlett, TN | 56928 | 1 | 1.76 |
