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NeighborhoodScout’s Murder Capitals of America – 2022

Jan 3, 2022 | by: The NeighborhoodScout Team | Crime
NeighborhoodScout’s Murder Capitals of America – 2022

2022 Top 30 Cities in the U.S. with the Highest Murder Rates, Ranked

Big cities and small, our crime research reveal the 30 cities in America with the highest number of murders per 1,000 residents.  Murder is the willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being by another.  We limited our research to cities with 25,000 or more people.  Data used for this research are the number of murders reported to have occurred in each city, and the population of each city.

From 2015 through 2021 our research revealed that East St. Louis, IL was the number one murder capital in the United States.  This year however, you may notice East St. Louis is absent from our list.  Although crime was unreported in East St, Louis, the population has plummeted over time.  There was a 32% decrease in population since the 2010 Census was conducted.  Currently, the population of East St. Louis is 18,469, not qualifying the city for this year’s list.

The number one murder capital this year is St. Louis, MO, up from the number three spot on last year’s list.  St. Louis, MO reported 263 murders, which is an increase of 36% compared to last year with a murder rate of .87 per 1,000 population.

There are fourteen new cities making the list this year.  The newcomer on this list with the highest murder rate is Saginaw, MI.  The number of murders in Saginaw more than doubled from the previous year.  Another newcomer, Milwaukee, WI, had the highest number of murders at 193, a 97% increase compared to last year’s murder count.

Crime data we use are the most recent data the FBI classifies as ‘Final, non-preliminary.’  It is the most up-to-date and fully vetted data with complete national coverage that is available.  We insist on using Final, Non-Preliminary data for our analyses and analytics, rather than basing our research on preliminary data that may need to be updated or have errors in it.  Based on the latest national data available at the time of publication, representing calendar year 2020 and released in September 2021, this report reveals interesting patterns about crime and murder in America.

Click on any city in the list below to see a full crime report and neighborhood crime map.

For more information, see our FAQ on how we rank the cities with the highest murder rates in America .

Countdown for the Top 30 Murder Capitals of America:

30. Richmond, VA

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .29
  • 4.5X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 66

29. Washington, DC

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .29
  • 4.5X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 201

28. Cincinnati, OH

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .30
  • 4.6X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 92

27. Florence, SC

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .30
  • 4.6X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 12

26. San Bernardino, CA

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .31
  • 4.7X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 68

25. North Little Rock, AR

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .31
  • 4.8X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 20

24. Camden, NJ

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .32
  • 4.9X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 23

23. North Charleston, SC

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .33
  • 5.1X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 38

22. Dayton, OH

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .33
  • 5.1X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 46

21. Milwaukee, WI

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .33
  • 5.1X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 193

20. Kansas City, MO

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .35
  • 5.3X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 176

19. Portsmouth, VA

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .35
  • 5.3X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 34

18. Shreveport, LA

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .37
  • 5.7X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 69

17. Inkster, MI

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .38
  • 5.9X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 10

16. Monroe, LA

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .40
  • 6.1X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 19

15. Alexandria, LA

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .42
  • 6.5X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 19

14. Riviera Beach, FL

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .43
  • 6.5X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 16

13. Cleveland, OH

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .43
  • 6.6X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 160

12. Trenton, NJ

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .44
  • 6.8X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 40

11. Baton Rouge, LA

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .45
  • 6.9X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 102

10. Wilmington, DE

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .45
  • 6.9X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 32

9. Memphis, TN

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .46
  • 7.0X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 289

8. Harrisburg, PA

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .46
  • 7.1X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 23

7. Detroit, MI

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .52
  • 7.9X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 330

6. New Orleans, LA

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .52
  • 8.1X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 201

5. Pine Bluff, AR

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .56
  • 8.6X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 23

4. Saginaw, MI

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .57
  • 8.7X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 25

3. Flint, MI

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .58
  • 8.9X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 47

2. Petersburg, VA

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .72
  • 11.0X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 24

1. St. Louis, MO

  • Murder Rate (per 1,000 residents): .87
  • 13.4X U.S. Average
  • No. of Murders: 263