Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Michigan?
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 Michigan.
The result is the Murder Capitals of the Wolverine State for 2020:
- Detroit (Photos)
- Flint (Photos)
- Inkster (Photos)
- Pontiac (Photos)
- Muskegon Heights (Photos)
- Saginaw (Photos)
- Highland Park (Photos)
- Muskegon (Photos)
- Jackson (Photos)
- Benton Harbor (Photos)
The city with highest murder rate in Michigan? That would be Muskegon Heights with 46.6 murders per 100,000 people.
While the city with highest number of murders period? Detroit with 261.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. There were ‘only’ 69 cities in Michigan where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 151 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Wolverine State check out:
- 10 Best Places To Live In Michigan
- 10 Cheapest Places To Live In Michigan
- 10 Most Dangerous Places in Michigan
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Michigan For 2020
Detroit is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan, the largest city on the United States-Canada border, and the seat of Wayne County. The municipality of Detroit had a 2016 estimated population of 672,795, making it the 23rd-most populous city in the United States. The metropolitan area, known as Metro Detroit, is home to 4.3 million people, making it the second-largest in the Midwest after Chicago.
Flint is the largest city and county seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, 66 miles northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. According to the 2010 census, Flint has a population of 102,434, making it the seventh largest city in Michigan. The Flint metropolitan area is located entirely within Genesee County. It is the fourth largest metropolitan area in Michigan with a population of 425,790 in 2010. The city was incorporated in 1855.
Inkster is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, United States. At the 2010 census, the city population was 25,369. It is one of the few Metro Detroit suburbs whose population is majority African American.
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, located near Metro Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County, and about 12 miles north and slightly west of the Detroit city limits.
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both located in the area known as Mid-Michigan or Central Michigan. The city of Saginaw is located adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and is considered part of the Tri-City area, along with neighboring Bay City and Midland. The Saginaw County MSA had a population of 196,542 in 2013. The city is also the largest municipality within the Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City Metropolitan Area.
Highland Park is a city in Wayne County in the State of Michigan, within Metro Detroit. The population was 11,776 at the 2010 census. The city is completely surrounded by Detroit except for a small portion that touches the city of Hamtramck, which is also surrounded by Detroit.
Muskegon is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is the largest populated city on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan. At the 2010 census the city population was 38,401. The city is the county seat of Muskegon County. It is located at the southwest corner of Muskegon Township, but is administratively autonomous.
Jackson is a city in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about 40 miles west of Ann Arbor and 35 miles south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534, down from 36,316 at the 2000 census. Served by Interstate 94, it is the principal city of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Jackson County and has a population of 160,248.
Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan which is located west of Kalamazoo, and northwest of South Bend, Indiana. In 2010, the population was 10,038 according to the census. It is the smaller, by population, of the two principal cities in the Niles-Benton Harbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, an area with 156,813 people.
How we calculated the murder capitals of Michigan
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 Michigan for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 69 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. 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 most frequently on an absolute and rate basis.
There You Have It – The Places With The Most Murders In Michigan For 2020
If you’re looking at the places in Michigan 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 michigan reading, check out:
- 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Michigan
- These Are The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Michigan
- 10 Safest Places In Michigan
- 10 Best Cities For Singles In Michigan
- 10 Worst Places To Live In Michigan
Detailed List Of The Places With The Most Murder In Michigan For 2020
| Rank | City | Murders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit, MI | 261.0 |
| 2 | Flint, MI | 32.0 |
| 3 | Inkster, MI | 9.0 |
| 4 | Pontiac, MI | 14.0 |
| 5 | Muskegon Heights, MI | 5.0 |
| 6 | Saginaw, MI | 11.0 |
| 7 | Highland Park, MI | 5.0 |
| 8 | Muskegon, MI | 7.0 |
| 9 | Jackson, MI | 6.0 |
| 10 | Benton Harbor, MI | 3.0 |
| 11 | Mount Morris Township, MI | 4.0 |
| 12 | Ypsilanti, MI | 4.0 |
| 13 | Hastings, MI | 2.0 |
| 14 | Spring Arbor Township, MI | 2.0 |
| 15 | Kalamazoo, MI | 7.0 |
| 16 | Battle Creek, MI | 6.0 |
| 17 | Flat Rock, MI | 2.0 |
| 18 | Lansing, MI | 8.0 |
| 19 | Hazel Park, MI | 2.0 |
| 20 | Waterford Township, MI | 3.0 |
| 21 | Wyoming, MI | 3.0 |
| 22 | Redford Township, MI | 2.0 |
| 23 | Forsyth Township, MI | 1.0 |
| 24 | Warren, MI | 4.0 |
| 25 | Walled Lake, MI | 1.0 |
| 26 | River Rouge, MI | 1.0 |
| 27 | Grand Rapids, MI | 5.0 |
| 28 | Clinton Township, MI | 3.0 |
| 29 | Lansing Township, MI | 1.0 |
| 30 | Tecumseh, MI | 1.0 |
| 31 | Novi, MI | 2.0 |
| 32 | Lapeer, MI | 1.0 |
| 33 | Ecorse, MI | 1.0 |
| 34 | Sumpter Township, MI | 1.0 |
| 35 | Hampton Township, MI | 1.0 |
| 36 | Melvindale, MI | 1.0 |
| 37 | Southfield, MI | 2.0 |
| 38 | Grand Haven, MI | 1.0 |
| 39 | Woodhaven, MI | 1.0 |
| 40 | Benton Township, MI | 1.0 |
| 41 | Wayne, MI | 1.0 |
| 42 | Metro Police Authority of Genesee County, MI | 1.0 |
| 43 | Hamtramck, MI | 1.0 |
| 44 | Norton Shores, MI | 1.0 |
| 45 | Ann Arbor, MI | 2.0 |
| 46 | Kalamazoo Township, MI | 1.0 |
| 47 | Sterling Heights, MI | 2.0 |
| 48 | Walker, MI | 1.0 |
| 49 | Burton, MI | 1.0 |
| 50 | Port Huron, MI | 1.0 |
| 51 | Oak Park, MI | 1.0 |
| 52 | Madison Heights, MI | 1.0 |
| 53 | Brownstown Township, MI | 1.0 |
| 54 | Eastpointe, MI | 1.0 |
| 55 | Holland, MI | 1.0 |
| 56 | Independence Township, MI | 1.0 |
| 57 | Saginaw Township, MI | 1.0 |
| 58 | Pittsfield Township, MI | 1.0 |
| 59 | Midland, MI | 1.0 |
| 60 | Meridian Township, MI | 1.0 |
| 61 | Roseville, MI | 1.0 |
| 62 | East Lansing, MI | 1.0 |
| 63 | St. Clair Shores, MI | 1.0 |
| 64 | Taylor, MI | 1.0 |
| 65 | Rochester Hills, MI | 1.0 |
| 66 | Shelby Township, MI | 1.0 |
| 67 | Farmington Hills, MI | 1.0 |
| 68 | Troy, MI | 1.0 |
| 69 | Dearborn, MI | 1.0 |
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