Countdown of the top 30 cities in the U.S. with the highest murder rates – 2016
Our crime research reveals 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 1) the number of murders reported to the FBI to have occurred in each city, and 2) the population of each city.
See our FAQ on how we rank the cities with the highest murder rates.
The countdown for the Top 30 Murder Capitals of America:
| Rank | City |
| 30 | Chicago Heights, IL |
| 29 | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 28 | Buffalo, NY |
| 27 | Hattiesburg, MS |
| 26 | East Chicago, IN |
| 25 | Birmingham, AL |
| 24 | Desert Hot Springs, CA |
| 23 | Compton, CA |
| 22 | Myrtle Beach, SC |
| 21 | Fort Pierce, FL |
| 20 | Harvey, IL |
| 19 | Bridgeton, NJ |
| 18 | Flint, MI |
| 17 | Rocky Mount, NC |
| 16 | Pine Bluff, AR |
| 15 | Petersburg, VA |
| 14 | Newark, NJ |
| 13 | Baltimore, MD |
| 12 | Harrisburg, PA |
| 11 | Jackson, MS |
| 10 | Wilmington, DE |
| 9 | Trenton, NJ |
| 8 | Riviera Beach, FL |
| 7 | New Orleans, LA |
| 6 | Camden, NJ |
| 5 | Detroit, MI |
| 4 | Gary, IN |
| 3 | St. Louis, MO |
| 2 | Chester, PA |
| 1 | East St. Louis, IL |
- See this year’s Top 30 Murder Capitals of America
- See 2021’s Top 30 Murder Capitals of America
- See 2020’s Top 30 Murder Capitals of America
- See 2019’s Top 30 Murder Capitals of America
- See 2018’s Top 30 Murder Capitals of America
- See 2017’s Top 30 Murder Capitals of America
- See 2015’s Top 30 Murder Capitals of America
- See 2014’s Top 30 Murder Capitals of America