These Are America’s Most-Murderous Cities

This visualization, via Visual Capitalist’s Niccolo Conte, highlights the top 30 U.S. cities with the highest homicide rates per 100,000 residents, offering a population-adjusted view that goes beyond raw totals.

The data for this visualization comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via USAFacts.

New Orleans and Memphis Lead the Nation

New Orleans tops the list with 46 homicides per 100,000 people, followed closely by Memphis at 41. Both cities consistently rank near the top due to long-term structural challenges, including poverty, strained social services, and persistent violent crime.

Rank
Major City
State
Homicides per 100K
Total Homicides
1
New Orleans
LA
46
166
2
Memphis
TN
41
372
3
St. Louis
MO
38
106
4
Baltimore
MD
36
205
5
Washington, DC
 
36
244
6
Birmingham
AL
28
187
7
Philadelphia
PA
26
402
8
Kansas City
MO
25
182
9
Richmond
VA
23
53
10
Indianapolis
IN
22
211
11
Milwaukee
WI
21
190
12
Louisville
KY
19
146
13
Cleveland
OH
18
220
14
Detroit
MI
17
304
15
Norfolk
VA
17
40
16
Atlanta
GA
16
175
17
Chicago
IL
16
805
18
Jacksonville
FL
15
153
19
Nashville
TN
15
103
20
Dallas
TX
12
319
21
Columbus
OH
12
159
22
Houston
TX
11
540
23
Denver
CO
11
77
24
San Antonio
TX
10
218
25
Cincinnati
OH
10
83
26
New York City (The Bronx)
NY
9
128
27
Rochester
NY
9
69
28
Las Vegas
NV
9
207
29
Portland
OR
9
70
30
Oakland
CA
8
136
31
Oklahoma City
OK
8
66
32
Phoenix
AZ
7
337
33
Pittsburgh
PA
8
98
34
Charlotte
NC
8
90
35
Orlando
FL
7
104
36
Minneapolis
MN
7
88
37
Los Angeles
CA
7
659
38
Miami
FL
7
176
39
Newark
NJ
7
56
40
Virginia Beach
VA
6
29
41
Seattle
WA
6
141
42
Saint Paul
MN
6
33
43
Fort Worth
TX
6
134
44
Buffalo
NY
6
57
45
Tampa
FL
6
90
46
Grand Rapids
MI
6
37
47
Sacramento
CA
5
86
48
Austin
TX
5
71
49
New York City (Brooklyn)
NY
5
130
50
San Francisco
CA
5
41

St. Louis and Baltimore also remain among the highest-rate cities. Together, these cities highlight the concentration of elevated homicide levels in portions of the South and Midwest.

Large Cities Show Lower Rates Despite High Total Homicides

Chicago, for example, recorded more than 800 homicides but ranks 16th with a rate of 16 per 100,000.

Houston, Los Angeles, and New York City boroughs show similar patterns. These cases demonstrate why total homicide numbers can be misleading when comparing risk across cities.

Mid-Sized Cities Also Experience Elevated Rates

Cities like Richmond, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee register rates between 20 and 23 per 100,000, placing them among the top 15 nationally. Although smaller in population, these mid-sized cities face similar drivers of violent crime found in larger metropolitan areas.

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Mapped: U.S. Income Inequality by State on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.