Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Utah?
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 Utah 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 19 cities in the Beehive State with over 11,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Utah
What city has the highest murder rate in Utah? The city with the highest murder rate in Utah is South Salt Lake with 11.8 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Utah with highest number of murders? The city in Utah with the highest number of murders is Salt Lake City with 13 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Utah ranked. There were ‘only’ 19 cities in Utah where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 50 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Beehive State check out:
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Utah For 2024
/10
Population: 25,422
Murders: 3 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.8 (Most)
More on South Salt Lake: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 11,922
Murders: 1 (16th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 8.4 (2nd Most)
More on Lindon: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 36,907
Murders: 3 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 8.1 (3rd Most)
More on Springville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 38,318
Murders: 3 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 7.8 (4th Most)
More on Tooele: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 14,431
Murders: 1 (16th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 6.9 (5th Most)
More on Grantsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 201,373
Murders: 13 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 6.5 (6th Most)
More on Salt Lake City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 97,430
Murders: 6 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 6.2 (7th Most)
More on Orem: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 32,586
Murders: 2 (11th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 6.1 (8th Most)
More on Clearfield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
9. West Valley
Population: 138,020
Murders: 8 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 5.8 (9th Most)
More on West Valley:
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Population: 17,659
Murders: 1 (16th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 5.7 (10th Most)
More on Heber: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Utah
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 Utah for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 19 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 South Salt Lake. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Utah. We updated the list for 2024.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Utah For 2024
If you’re looking at the places in Utah 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 Utah are South Salt Lake, Lindon, Springville, Tooele, Grantsville, Salt Lake City, Orem, Clearfield, West Valley, and Heber.
For more Utah reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Utah
- Fastest Growing Cities In Utah
- Safest Places In Utah
- Best Cities For Singles In Utah
- Worst Places To Live In Utah
Murder Rates By City In Utah
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Salt Lake, UT | 25422 | 3 | 11.8 |
| 2 | Lindon, UT | 11922 | 1 | 8.39 |
| 3 | Springville, UT | 36907 | 3 | 8.13 |
| 4 | Tooele, UT | 38318 | 3 | 7.83 |
| 5 | Grantsville, UT | 14431 | 1 | 6.93 |
| 6 | Salt Lake City, UT | 201373 | 13 | 6.46 |
| 7 | Orem, UT | 97430 | 6 | 6.16 |
| 8 | Clearfield, UT | 32586 | 2 | 6.14 |
| 9 | West Valley, UT | 138020 | 8 | 5.8 |
| 10 | Heber, UT | 17659 | 1 | 5.66 |
| 11 | Santa Clara/Ivins, UT | 18948 | 1 | 5.28 |
| 12 | Spanish Fork, UT | 45005 | 2 | 4.44 |
| 13 | West Jordan, UT | 115900 | 5 | 4.31 |
| 14 | Ogden, UT | 86870 | 3 | 3.45 |
| 15 | Taylorsville City, UT | 58059 | 2 | 3.44 |
| 16 | St. George, UT | 104158 | 3 | 2.88 |
| 17 | Pleasant Grove, UT | 38095 | 1 | 2.63 |
| 18 | Sandy, UT | 97091 | 2 | 2.06 |
| 19 | Murray, UT | 48884 | 1 | 2.05 |
It is sad that your reporting doesn’t include the numbers within Indian country for the State of Utah. I hope that with the awareness out now that it will change. Native communities are not “District 9”.