This post was updated with 2020 data from the FBIReport on crimes in the United States.
The US homicide rate is often seen as one of our country's vital signs: are Americans more or less confident than they were last year about their chances of a violent end?
But there is a lot of misinformation out there. Is the homicide rate real?“The highest level in 45 years”as claimed by the then presidential candidate Donald Trump? (no) Is Chicago America's Murder Capital? (Also no.)
Because the vast majority of America's homicides are committed with guns, both the national homicide rate and the more relevant city and neighborhood homicide rates—more on which below—appear frequently in our coverage at The Trace. In this guide, we've collected the most up-to-date statistics on homicides in America, along with critical context that is often overlooked.
A surge in violence during the pandemic reversed decades of progress
The long-term trend is clear: America is a far less murderous place than it used to be. But in 2020, when a wave of gun violence erupted along with the coronavirus pandemic, it didn't seem so. Cities in the United States reported aincrease in homicidesLast year and newly released FBI data cleared up the national picture: The homicide rate rose 29 percent in 2020biggestrelative increase since national data collection began in 1960. It is now 6.4 homicides per 100,000 people, the highest rate since 1998. In cities with more than 250,000 people, the rate rose 33 percent to 12.8 - a level not reached since 2006. The data also show that weapons were used77 percentof murders, the highest percentage ever.
In many cities, the increase in 2020 was even more dramatic. The homicide rate rose 98 percent in Milwaukee, 75 percent in Cleveland, and 52 percent in Memphis, with each city recording its highest level since at least 1990.
Despite this acute and sustained increase, long-term data shows that the number of homicides is still well below the peak levels of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. But the rise in pandemic violence marks an alarming reversal of 25 years of relatively steady improvement in the country's homicide rate.
How US cities are performing
There is no city in the United States more synonymous with violence than Chicago. Reverend Michael Pfleger, a prominent anti-violence activist and pastor on the south side of town, hasdescribed his cityDubbed the "poster child of violence in America" by reporters.
Of course, Chicago has a high homicide count: the city often records the highest absolute total of homicides each year. But as The Tracehat written down, the data tells us that Chicago's murdervaluationis far from the worst in the nation. On a per capita basis -- homicides per 100,000 people -- the city regularly experiences fewer homicides than places whose homicide rates receive far less national attention, such as Kansas City, Missouri, or Cleveland.
"Because Chicago has so many people, a homicide can happen any day and that gets people's attention," John Pfaff, a law professor at Fordham Law School, told The Trace. "If you focus on numbers and not prices, Chicago ends up looking worse because you forget how big a city is."
If some forensic scientists had their way, discussions of homicide rates would focus not on cities but on the few neighborhoods that struggle with wildly different homicide rates: travel a few blocks and violence rates can vary dramatically.
The phenomenon is summed up by the term "murder inequality", coined by the young urbanologist Daniel Kay Hertz.Writing for The Trace, Hertz emphasized that looking at smaller geographic areas paints a more accurate picture of the relative threat of violence faced by individual Americans and can make prevention strategies more effective.
In 2016, five police districts that policed just 8 percent of Chicago's population recorded all-around32 percenthis murders. Two Chicago boroughs, Burnside and Fuller Park, had rates of more than 100 homicides per 100,000 people. People who lived in them were nine times more likely to be shot in their neighborhoods than in the safest neighborhoods in the city.
“Like income, education, and other metrics of social benefit, gun crime varies even moreinsideAmerican cities asin betweenher,” Hertz wrote.
The problem of homicide inequality is not limited to Chicago. In St. Louis, most killings are concentrated in neighborhoods like Greater Ville and adjacent JeffVanderLou, which are just a few miles from downtown. The same differences exist for gun violence overall. According to the study, 40 percent of non-fatal shootings in 2017 occurred in just 10 of St. Louis' 88 boroughspolice data.
The effects of urban geography
A city's borders can have a dramatic impact on homicide rates. St. Louis, which has led the homicide rate rankings in major cities since 2014, consists of only a narrow inner city with around 300,000 inhabitants. As crime analyst Jeff AsherRemarksAccording to the New York Times, only 11 percent of the total population of the St. Louis metropolitan area lives within the city limits, giving a population-adjusted homicide rate that is higher than if the city limits encompassed more of the surrounding suburbs. In contrast, many other American cities include portions of the less densely populated and less violent areas outside their centers, lowering their homicide rates.
When you compare 2018 homicide rates in major metropolitan areas rather than cities, St. Louis drops from first to fifth behind Memphis, New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Baltimore. This is an important caveat to keep in mind when looking at the data in this article, which only ranks the cities themselves.
An ignored crime metric: homicide disparity
If some forensic scientists had their way, discussions of homicide rates would focus not on cities but on the few neighborhoods that struggle with wildly different homicide rates: travel a few blocks and violence rates can vary dramatically.
The phenomenon is summed up by the term "murder inequality", coined by the young urbanologist Daniel Kay Hertz.Writing for The Trace, Hertz emphasized that looking at smaller geographic areas paints a more accurate picture of the relative threat of violence faced by individual Americans and can make prevention strategies more effective.
In 2016, five police districts that policed just 8 percent of Chicago's population recorded all-around32 percenthis murders. Two Chicago boroughs, Burnside and Fuller Park, had rates of more than 100 homicides per 100,000 people. People who lived in them were nine times more likely to be shot in their neighborhoods than in the safest neighborhoods in the city.
“Like income, education, and other metrics of social benefit, gun crime varies even moreinsideAmerican cities asin betweenher,” Hertz wrote.
The problem of homicide inequality is not limited to Chicago. Last year in St. Louis, most homicides were concentrated in neighborhoods like Greater Ville and adjacent JeffVanderLou, which are just a few miles from downtown, each recording a homicide rate of 162. The same disparities exist for gun violence overall. According to the study, 40 percent of non-fatal shootings in 2017 occurred in just 10 of St. Louis' 88 boroughspolice data.
See how your city is performing
Below we have compiled historical homicide rates for major American cities using numbersprovided to the FBI. You can sort the rankings by year and search for your own city to see where it ranks.
Homicide rates in major US cities
Homicide rates — and particularly the neighborhood-level rates that yield homicide inequality — are a metric for understanding America's gun violence crisis. However, since homicides account for only about a third of all firearm deaths, it is important to be aware of themDatagun suicides, which account for the other two-thirds of gun deaths, and risingin 20 states. It is also valuable to look at how gun violence harms certain population groups, e.gvictims of domestic violenceandKinder. For a single overview of key gun violence statistics - and possible interventions - seethis guide.
FAQs
What city has the highest homicide rate in the US? ›
| Ranking | City | Homicides for Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jackson | 133 |
| 2 | New Orleans | 280 |
| 3 | Birmingham | 144 |
| 4 | St. Louis | 200 |
- 10 Most Dangerous Cities in America 2022. Memphis, Tennessee. ...
- Memphis, Tennessee. The most dangerous city in the US is Memphis, Tennessee. ...
- St. Louis, Missouri. ...
- Detroit, Michigan. ...
- Lubbock, Texas. ...
- Baltimore, Maryland. ...
- Chicago, Illinois. ...
- Oakland, California.
- St. Louis, MO (69.4)
- Baltimore, MD (51.1)
- New Orleans, LA (40.6)
- Detroit, MI (39.7)
- Cleveland, OH (33.7)
- Las Vegas, NV (31.4)
- Kansas City, MO (31.2)
- Memphis, TN (27.1)
The age-adjusted death rate in urban areas declined from 865 deaths per 100,000 to 693. In rural areas, it dropped from 924 to 834. In 1999 the death rate in rural areas was 7 percent higher than that in urban areas. By 2019, it was 20 percent higher.
What are the 10 highest crime cities in the United States? ›The latest dangerous list by 2023, The top 10 most dangerous cities in the US are Memphis, Detroit, Little Rock, Tacoma, Pueblo, St. Louis, Kansas City, Cleveland, Springfield and Rockford. As per FBI Crime data, Most dangerous cities in US List Updated in Jan, 2023.
What city in US has most crime? ›- Detroit, Michigan. Detroit is one of Time Magazine's World's Greatest Places in 2022 under the Newfound Glory category. ...
- Monroe, Louisiana. ...
- Memphis, Tennessee. ...
- St Louis, Missouri. ...
- Albuquerque, New Mexico. ...
- Anchorage, Alaska. ...
- Baltimore, Maryland. ...
- Little Rock, Arkansas.
- Population: 124,339.
- Violent crime rate: 1.
- Property crime rate: 7.
- Median household income: $50,071.
- Median home price: $211,692.
2022 ends with New Orleans as America's Murder Capital with the most killings per capita. Violent crime in the Crescent City has reached levels not seen in more than 25 years.
What city in the US has the highest crime rate 2022? ›For example, Detroit has the highest rate of murder and rape, while it's second for aggravated assault, and appears in the top 10 for robbery as well. Similarly, Memphis and Milwaukee also appear in the top three for each crime type, while Memphis has the highest aggravated assault rate among large cities.
Which city has the highest violent crime rate? ›- Tijuana, Mexico.
- Acapulco, Mexico.
- Caracas, Venezuela.
- Ciudad Victoria, Mexico.
- Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.
- Irapuato, Mexico.
- Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela.
- Natal, Brazil.
What city has the lowest homicide rate? ›
1. Irvine, CA. Irvine, California, has a murder rate of zero murders per 100,000. Irvine's overall violent crime rate for 2018 was 55.5 per 100,000 people, consisting of 40 rapes, 52 robberies, 67 aggravated assaults, and zero murders.
Is it healthier to live in the city or country? ›For many urban dwellers, the country conjures up images of clean air, fresh food and physical activities. But these days, Americans residing in major cities live longer, healthier lives overall than their country cousins—a reversal from decades past.
Are people happier in cities or rural? ›In line with earlier research, we found that urban populations are, on average, happier than rural populations in that they return higher levels of happiness.
Is life better in small town or city? ›There Is Less Crime in a Small Town
This is one of the most important factors for parents when they are trying to decide about places to live. The crime rate in a small town is significantly lower than that in a big city. Families prefer living in small towns because it is a safe environment for children to grow up in.
The cost of crime per capita in U.S. cities was $1,836 in 2021, up 6% since 2020. The total cost of crime was $194.2 billion. Naperville, Illinois, retained its No. 1 rank as the safest city overall ($156 per capita); St.
What major US city has the lowest crime rate? ›Glen Cove, NY. Glen Cove is in Nassau county just 20 miles outside of New York City on the north shore of Long Island. The crime rate here is much lower than the average U.S. city. It is in the 98th percentile for safety in the United States.
Whats the crime capital of the US? ›...
Farmington, New Mexico.
| City | 2023 Population | State |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | 296,262 | Missouri |
| Little Rock | 205,312 | Arkansas |
| Birmingham | 197,283 | Alabama |
- Vermont.
- Maine.
- New Hampshire.
- Utah.
- Hawaii.
- Massachusetts.
- Connecticut.
- Minnesota.
Augusta, a small city near Georgia's border with South Carolina, is one of the cheapest and safest places to live in the USA. It has a low crime rate and a low cost of living, making it perfect for those looking to live comfortably and save money.
What is the cheapest city to live in 2022? ›Above you'll see that Sioux Falls, SD is the big winner in 2022, with the best total score and the top ranking among all US cities. Reno, NV, Provo, UT, Madison, WI, and Huntsville, AL round out the top five.
Which state in USA is safest? ›
...
The 10 safest states
- New Jersey. ...
- New Hampshire. ...
- Maine. ...
- Massachusetts. ...
- Vermont. ...
- Connecticut. ...
- Rhode Island. ...
- Idaho.
| Location | Property Crime Rate (2020) | Violent Crime Rate (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 1,958.2 | 398.5 |
| Alabama | 2,136.8 | 453.6 |
| Alaska | 2,260.5 | 837.8 |
| Arizona | 2,227.7 | 484.8 |
Research conducted by the University of Maryland shows that a cybersecurity attack occurs every 39 seconds in the United States. The legal definition of most cybercrimes is broad, and many individuals have been wrongfully charged with internet crimes in recent years.
What is the fastest growing crimes? ›Human Trafficking
This is the fastest-growing crime in the world. In simple terms, human trafficking is the forced trade of humans for sexual slavery, labor and commercial sex exploitation. However, human trafficking does happen within the borders but also takes place internationally.
However, Alaska is the most dangerous state in the US, with the highest violent and property crime rate out of any state. Out of a population of 736,081, Alaska's crime rate was 30.89 per 1,000 people in 2022. Aggravated assault is one of the most common types of crime in Alaska, with 4,222 incidents reported.
What is the best city to live in 2022? ›Atlanta, Georgia is the best place to live in the U.S. in 2022 because of its booming jobs market and eye on equality.
What is the safest state in the world 2022? ›According to a report from WalletHub comparing personal, residential, financial, road and workplace safety and emergency preparedness, Vermont tops the charts as the country's safest state.
What is the most violent place to live in the world? ›Tijuana is the most dangerous city in the world with 138 homicides per 100K people. Almost seven people are killed every day in this city. This city is famous for poverty and violent crime like rape, homicides, and kidnapping, etc.
What is the deadliest city in the nation? ›Here's why it ranks first: In Memphis, TN (our most dangerous metro), your risk of being a victim of a property crime is 1 in 27. Your risk of being a victim of violent crime is 1 in 74.
What is the top 10 safest city in the world? ›- Reykjavik, Iceland.
- Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Montreal, Canada.
- Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- Seoul, South Korea.
- Singapore, Singapore.
- Tokyo, Japan.
- Berlin, Germany.
Which city has the best quality of life in the world? ›
Globally, Vienna tops the ranking for the 10th year running, closely followed by Zurich, the runner-up. This year, Mercer provides a separate ranking on personal safety. Western Europe dominates the ranking, with Luxembourg named as the safest city in the world.
Which city has the best quality of living? ›1. Boulder, Colorado. Boulder, Colorado is still America's #1 place to live in 2021-2022 according to U.S. News & World Report.
What city is the healthiest to live? ›- Copenhagen, Denmark. ...
- Frankfurt, Germany. ...
- Amsterdam, The Netherlands. ...
- Helsinki, Finland. ...
- Berlin, Germany. ...
- Stockholm, Sweden. ...
- Fukuoka, Japan. ...
- Geneva, Switzerland.
Happy people don't just enjoy life; they're likely to live longer, too. A new study has found that those in better moods were 35% less likely to die in the next 5 years when taking their life situations into account. The traditional way to measure a person's happiness is to ask them about it.
Do rich people or poor people often feel happier? ›These studies have found that “people at higher income levels are more satisfied with life. Interestingly, even at annual income levels above $120,000, this positive correlation still applied.
What is the happiest and healthiest city? ›| Overall Rank | City | Total Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | 68.54 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | 66.08 |
| 3 | San Diego, CA | 64.94 |
| 4 | Portland, OR | 64.69 |
Unlike older Americans, they tend to be happier in larger, more urban environments. As the charts below show, for most of the period since 1970, people have been much happier in smaller, less urban places.
Why it's better to live in a big city? ›There are plenty of job opportunities awaiting you in the city than there are in the village or the countryside. What's more, is that you'll also find a vast variety of opportunities as well. Anything that you've studied is virtually guaranteed to give you a position that best suits your education.
Why living in a small town is the best? ›After all, city living is expensive; and small-town life allows residents to build up their finances. The cost of living is generally much lower in small towns. Home prices, the cost of rent, groceries and consumer goods and services are a fraction of the cost of what they would be in major metropolitan areas.
What cities have the highest increase in crime? ›| 2022 rank | Metro area | Property crime per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 36.6 |
| 2 | Anchorage, AK | 34.0 |
| 3 | Albuquerque, NM | 36.5 |
| 4 | Lubbock, TX | 36.5 |
What is the safest state in America 2022? ›
Vermont was named the safest state in the U.S. for the second year in a row. Maine, New Hampshire and Utah were also the runners-up in back-to-back years.
What is the number 1 safest state in America? ›1. New Jersey. New Jersey is the safest state in the U.S., according to our results. Data from the crime reporting period we studied showed that the state has the lowest number of rapes per 100,000 people (14.4) and the fourth-lowest number of aggravated assaults.
What states have the worst crime? ›| Location | Property Crime Rate (2020) | Violent Crime Rate (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 1,958.2 | 398.5 |
| Alabama | 2,136.8 | 453.6 |
| Alaska | 2,260.5 | 837.8 |
| Arizona | 2,227.7 | 484.8 |
Massachusetts topped 2022's list, touting a score of 62.65 out of 100. New Jersey came in second, dropping from the top spot last year. New York, Idaho and Virginia fill out the rest of the top five states to live in, in that order.
What city has the highest homicides this year? ›Bottom Line: Saint Paul. One of the twin cities, Saint Paul has the honor of being the safest large city in America.
What city has the lowest violent crime rate? ›- The cost of crime per capita in U.S. cities was $1,836 in 2021, up 6% since 2020. ...
- Naperville, Illinois, retained its No. ...
- Honolulu, Hawaii, was the safest large city.
- Mobile, Alabama, has the highest violent crime rate in the country, while Lakewood Township, New Jersey, has the lowest.
- Mississippi. Coming in as the cheapest state to live in in the United States is Mississippi with a cost of living index score of 83.3. ...
- Kansas. ...
- Alabama. ...
- Oklahoma. ...
- Georgia. ...
- Tennessee. ...
- Missouri. ...
- Iowa.
The Safest Cities In America
Coming in at the top of the list as the safest city in America is Columbia, Maryland.
Vermont is the safest state in the United States, according to a new report from WalletHub. The ranking is based on 53 different indicators ranging from unemployment rates to assaults per capita. Vermont is followed by Maine, New Hampshire, Utah, and Hawaii, respectively.