The 30 cities with the highest murder rates in the US
- Updated
Despite a 20-year downward trend for violent crime in the U.S., murder rates have gone up in the past two years. Here's a look at the cities that currently have the highest murder rates in the country.
Murder rates in America
UpdatedCrime rates in America have dropped steadily in the last 20 years. According to the Pew Research Center, violent crime rates fell over 50 percent from 1993 to 2015. Despite this overall trend, murder rates in the U.S. have gone up in the past two years. In some cities, murder rates increased at alarming speeds. For example, there were 496 murders in Chicago in 2015, compared with 762 in 2016.
Which American cities experienced the highest murder rates in 2015? Using data collected by the 2015 FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, the following is a ranking of cities by their murder rate per 100,000 people. Only cities that had populations over 100,000 and murder rates over 10 were included. The FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program defines murder and non-negligent manslaughter as the willful killing of one human being by another.
It's important to note that although these cities reflect a high murder rate in 2015, rates for the country overall are still historically low. Murder rates in the U.S. are down significantly from the 1980s and 1990s. Cities with higher murder rates range from large metropolises to smaller cities. Tackling crime and the murder rate in particular is a complex challenge for each city.
Note: Some cities, including Cleveland, Ohio and Newark, New Jersey, have had higher than average murder rates in the past, but are not reported on by the 2015 FBI UCR.
Note: The data published here is meant solely to illustrate the relative rates of crime, and not to make assertions about the effectiveness of law enforcement. There are many factors that affect the rate and nature of crime -- such as the degree of urbanization, composition of age groups, economic climate and modes of transportation within an area â which are not considered here. For more information on how to interpret FBI crime data, click here.
#30. Waco, Texas
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 16.74
Number of reported murders (2015): 22
Population: 131,413
#29. South Bend, Indiana
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 16.79
Number of reported murders (2015): 17
Population: 101,240
#28. Indianapolis, Indiana
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 17.12
Number of reported murders (2015): 148
Population: 863,675
#27. Miami, Florida
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 17.14
Number of reported murders (2015): 75
Population: 437,969
#26. North Charleston, South Carolina
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 17.42
Number of reported murders (2015): 19
Population: 109,051
#25. Chicago, Illinois
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 17.52
Number of reported murders (2015): 478
Population: 2,728,695
#24. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 17.86
Number of reported murders (2015): 280
Population: 1,567,810
#23. Dayton, Ohio
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 18.48
Number of reported murders (2015): 26
Population: 140,683
#22. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 18.57
Number of reported murders (2015): 57
Population: 306,870
#21. Kansas City, Kansas
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 18.62
Number of reported murders (2015): 28
Population: 150,370
#20. Richmond, Virginia
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 19.47
Number of reported murders (2015): 43
Population: 220,802
#19. Atlanta, Georgia
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 20.23
Number of reported murders (2015): 94
Population: 464,710
#18. San Bernardino, California
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 20.26
Number of reported murders (2015): 44
Population: 216,477
#17. Oakland, California
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 20.33
Number of reported murders (2015): 85
Population: 419,481
#16. Memphis, Tennessee
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 20.52
Number of reported murders (2015): 135
Population: 657,936
#15. West Palm Beach, Florida
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 20.97
Number of reported murders (2015): 22
Population: 104,919
#14. Cincinnati, Ohio
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 22.11
Number of reported murders (2015): 66
Population: 298,478
#13. Savannah, Georgia
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 22.48
Number of reported murders (2015): 54
Population: 240,178
#12. Kansas City, Missouri
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 23.03
Number of reported murders (2015): 109
Population: 473,373
#11. Washington, District Of Columbia
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 24.10
Number of reported murders (2015): 162
Population: 672,228
#10. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 24.15
Number of reported murders (2015): 145
Population: 600,400
#9. Salinas, California
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 25.29
Number of reported murders (2015): 40
Population: 158,185
#8. Hartford, Connecticut
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 25.69
Number of reported murders (2015): 32
Population: 124,553
#7. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 26.23
Number of reported murders (2015): 60
Population: 228,727
#6. Jackson, Mississippi
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 31.08
Number of reported murders (2015): 53
Population: 170,508
#5. Birmingham, Alabama
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 37.21
Number of reported murders (2015): 79
Population: 212,291
#4. New Orleans, Louisiana
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 41.68
Number of reported murders (2015): 164
Population: 393,447
#3. Detroit, Michigan
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 43.82
Number of reported murders (2015): 295
Population: 673,225
#2. Baltimore, Maryland
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 55.37
Number of reported murders (2015): 344
Population: 621,252
#1. St. Louis, Missouri
UpdatedMurder rate per 100k people: 59.29
Number of reported murders (2015): 188
Population: 317,095
What caused the dramatic spike in 2020 homicide rate?
Updated
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