Crime in America has been slowly but steadily dropping for the past several decades.
And despite a small, recent uptick, it’s basically as safe as it’s ever been.
However, much like how some parts of a city are more dangerous than others, there are parts of America that still haven’t got the memo that were in a more peaceful time. These are the cities in America were murder is relatively common — yet, we must stress, still very uncommon.
In an effort to you make you better aware of these potential danger zones, we dug into the most recent FBI data to determine where the murder rates are the highest amongst America’s largest cities.
In a surprise to no one that’s looked at the data before, Chicago isn’t in the top ten — it’s such a huge city that even high absolute numbers don’t translate into actually high murder rates.
These are the 10 cities in America with the highest murder rates per capita:
The city with the highest murder rate according to the most recent FBI Data? That would be St. Louis with 0.0006 murders per capita — or about 1 for every 1,549 people, which is relatively low compared to historical norms and isn’t THAT dangerous.
So while murder might be a problem in these cities, we have a feeling that the top offenders will get their murder rates under control in the comming years.
Read on for more information on how we calculated these numbers, or feel free to check out something a little less dreary:
- Most Dangerous Cities
- Worst Places To Live In America
- Safest States In America
- Safest Cities In America
- Cheapest Cities To Live In America
The 10 Cities With The Highest Murder Rate In America For 2021
/10
Population: 300,521
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Murders: 194 (8th worst)
Murders Per Capita: 0.0006 (worst)
More on St. Louis: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 597,239
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Murders: 348 (2nd worst)
Murders Per Capita: 0.0006 (2nd worst)
More on Baltimore: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 663,502
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 2)
Murders: 275 (4th worst)
Murders Per Capita: 0.0004 (3rd worst)
More on Detroit: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 140,427
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 7)
Murders: 48 (29th worst)
Murders Per Capita: 0.0003 (4th worst)
More on Dayton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 220,648
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 2)
Murders: 70 (2worst)
Murders Per Capita: 0.0003 (5th worst)
More on Baton Rouge: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 394,498
Rank Last Year: 6 (No Change)
Murders: 121 (14th worst)
Murders Per Capita: 0.0003 (6th worst)
More on New Orleans: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 495,964
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 2)
Murders: 150 (11th worst)
Murders Per Capita: 0.0003 (7th worst)
More on Kansas City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 650,410
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Murders: 190 (9th worst)
Murders Per Capita: 0.0003 (8th worst)
More on Memphis: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 381,829
Rank Last Year: 17 (Up 8)
Murders: 92 (17th worst)
Murders Per Capita: 0.0002 (9th worst)
More on Cleveland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 230,721
Rank Last Year: 15 (Up 5)
Murders: 55 (26th worst)
Murders Per Capita: 0.0002 (10th worst)
More on Richmond: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
How We Determined The Murder Capitals Of America For 2021
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 happen in each city per year.
We only looked at cities in America with over 100,000 people — that left us with 277 cities in America to analyze.
We then calculated the number of murders per capita for these cities to make everything an apples to apples comparison along with the raw number of murders — because more absolute murder is more murder.
We then averaged the two rankings together to create a Murder Index.
The cities with a higher Murder Index were deemed the “Murder Capitals of America For 2021”. You can download the data here.
We must note that this report is not an analysis of the effectiveness of local police departments. It simply states where murders occurred.
Locking Up Murders Row For 2021
There you have it — a look at the cities with the highhest murder rates in America for 2019 with St. Louis at the top of the list.
If you’re looking for the safest cities in America when it comes to murder, check out Thousand Oaks and Bend.
For more reading around America:
The 100 Cities In America With The Most Murders For 2021
| Rank | City | Population | Murders |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis, MO | 300,521 | 194 |
| 2 | Baltimore, MD | 597,239 | 348 |
| 3 | Detroit, MI | 663,502 | 275 |
| 4 | Dayton, OH | 140,427 | 48 |
| 5 | Baton Rouge, LA | 220,648 | 70 |
| 6 | New Orleans, LA | 394,498 | 121 |
| 7 | Kansas City, MO | 495,964 | 150 |
| 8 | Memphis, TN | 650,410 | 190 |
| 9 | Cleveland, OH | 381,829 | 92 |
| 10 | Richmond, VA | 230,721 | 55 |
| 11 | Washington, DC | 705,749 | 166 |
| 12 | Miami Gardens, FL | 113,786 | 26 |
| 13 | North Charleston, SC | 115,312 | 26 |
| 14 | Peoria, IL | 110,955 | 25 |
| 15 | Columbia, SC | 133,790 | 29 |
| 16 | San Bernardino, CA | 216,715 | 46 |
| 17 | Cincinnati, OH | 303,335 | 64 |
| 18 | Newark, NJ | 281,422 | 57 |
| 19 | Little Rock, AR | 198,382 | 38 |
| 20 | Shreveport, LA | 187,556 | 35 |
| 21 | Buffalo, NY | 255,686 | 47 |
| 22 | Chicago, IL | 2,707,064 | 492 |
| 23 | Chattanooga, TN | 181,848 | 33 |
| 24 | Oakland, CA | 434,036 | 78 |
| 25 | Hartford, CT | 122,245 | 21 |
| 26 | High Point, NC | 113,307 | 19 |
| 27 | Milwaukee, WI | 590,923 | 97 |
| 28 | Rochester, NY | 205,769 | 33 |
| 29 | Beaumont, TX | 118,562 | 19 |
| 30 | West Palm Beach, FL | 112,798 | 17 |
| 31 | Norfolk, VA | 242,813 | 36 |
| 32 | Dallas, TX | 1,363,295 | 198 |
| 33 | Greensboro, NC | 298,025 | 43 |
| 34 | Richmond, CA | 110,988 | 16 |
| 35 | Jacksonville, FL | 909,142 | 129 |
| 36 | South Bend, IN | 101,944 | 14 |
| 37 | Tulsa, OK | 401,700 | 55 |
| 38 | Akron, OH | 197,882 | 27 |
| 39 | Newport News, VA | 177,319 | 24 |
| 40 | Syracuse, NY | 142,438 | 19 |
| 41 | Durham, NC | 280,282 | 37 |
| 42 | Paterson, NJ | 144,866 | 19 |
| 43 | Springfield, MA | 154,306 | 20 |
| 44 | Toledo, OH | 273,505 | 34 |
| 45 | Joliet, IL | 148,155 | 18 |
| 46 | Bridgeport, CT | 144,908 | 17 |
| 47 | Houston, TX | 2,355,606 | 275 |
| 48 | Knoxville, TN | 188,666 | 22 |
| 49 | Fayetteville, NC | 209,614 | 24 |
| 50 | Oklahoma City, OK | 657,890 | 75 |
| 51 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 184,765 | 21 |
| 52 | Hampton, VA | 133,173 | 15 |
| 53 | Anchorage, AK | 287,731 | 32 |
| 54 | Lafayette, LA | 126,694 | 14 |
| 55 | Stockton, CA | 313,604 | 34 |
| 56 | Minneapolis, MN | 431,016 | 46 |
| 57 | Antioch, CA | 112,641 | 12 |
| 58 | Odessa, TX | 123,468 | 13 |
| 59 | Topeka, KS | 125,655 | 13 |
| 60 | Tallahassee, FL | 195,104 | 20 |
| 61 | Lansing, MI | 118,953 | 12 |
| 62 | New Haven, CT | 130,494 | 13 |
| 63 | Vallejo, CA | 122,657 | 12 |
| 64 | Las Cruces, NM | 103,520 | 10 |
| 65 | Fort Wayne, IN | 269,366 | 26 |
| 66 | Rockford, IL | 145,719 | 14 |
| 67 | Corpus Christi, TX | 329,320 | 31 |
| 68 | Evansville, IN | 117,700 | 11 |
| 69 | Killeen, TX | 151,832 | 14 |
| 70 | Denver, CO | 728,941 | 67 |
| 71 | St. Paul, MN | 310,263 | 28 |
| 72 | Wichita, KS | 390,080 | 35 |
| 73 | Miami, FL | 480,505 | 43 |
| 74 | Columbus, OH | 906,120 | 81 |
| 75 | Columbia, MO | 125,017 | 11 |
| 76 | Bakersfield, CA | 388,080 | 34 |
| 77 | Clarksville, TN | 159,996 | 14 |
| 78 | Orlando, FL | 292,120 | 25 |
| 79 | Lexington, KY | 326,070 | 26 |
| 80 | Springfield, IL | 114,393 | 9 |
| 81 | Pomona, CA | 152,776 | 12 |
| 82 | Phoenix, AZ | 1,688,722 | 131 |
| 83 | Tampa, FL | 400,501 | 31 |
| 84 | Rialto, CA | 103,965 | 8 |
| 85 | Fort Worth, TX | 915,237 | 69 |
| 86 | Amarillo, TX | 201,036 | 15 |
| 87 | Aurora, CO | 380,600 | 28 |
| 88 | Tacoma, WA | 218,650 | 16 |
| 89 | Tucson, AZ | 548,374 | 40 |
| 90 | Long Beach, CA | 467,974 | 34 |
| 91 | Providence, RI | 179,762 | 13 |
| 92 | North Las Vegas, NV | 249,854 | 18 |
| 93 | Waco, TX | 139,870 | 10 |
| 94 | Moreno Valley, CA | 210,979 | 15 |
| 95 | Pompano Beach, FL | 113,536 | 8 |
| 96 | Worcester, MA | 184,945 | 13 |
| 97 | Palm Bay, FL | 115,520 | 8 |
| 98 | San Antonio, TX | 1,559,166 | 105 |
| 99 | Glendale, AZ | 253,951 | 17 |
| 100 | Virginia Beach, VA | 449,038 | 30 |
Murder Places By State
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