State rankings

Murder Rate by State

California has the highest Murders in 2024 (1,782), followed by Texas (1,616) and Florida (900). Wyoming has the lowest (14).

Crime & SafetyPopulation51 states · 1 metricUpdated Mar 14, 2025Original page
2 sources
MurdersBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
51 of 51 states
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Murders, 2024

Green is better, red is worse (lower is better). Click a place to highlight it.

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All 51 ranked

Best first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
224
Middle half 64.5 – 468
Average
332
51 states
Lowest (best)
14
New Hampshire
Highest (worst)
1,782
California

Over time · 1979–2024

The top 5 in 2024, against the median.

  • Median of all states
  • New Hampshire
  • Wyoming
  • North Dakota
  • Vermont
  • Hawaii

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

What correlates with Murders (2024)?

Pearson r against 2,099 other state metrics sharing at least 31 states, 1 near-identical series hidden. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Murders tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Total School Shooting IncidentsSchool Shootings by State
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  2. Infant Mortality DeathsInfant Mortality Rate by State
    r = +0.97 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Subway RestaurantsSubway Restaurants by State
    r = +0.96 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Adult PrisonersPrisons by State
    r = +0.96 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Deaths Due to Car AccidentFatal Car Accidents by State
    r = +0.96 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot
  6. Gasoline Consumption Total (bbl)Gas Consumption by State
    r = +0.96 · very strong · n = 51
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Murders tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. FTE Convictions RankMost Corrupt StatesA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = −0.74 · very strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Off Grid Via Kuhl Safety ScoreOff-Grid Living Legal States
    r = −0.63 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. Heating Degree Days per YearClimate by State (1991–2020 Averages)
    r = −0.58 · strong · n = 48
    Plot
  4. Req. English CreditsHigh School Graduation Requirements by State
    r = −0.52 · strong · n = 48
    Plot
  5. Richest Person AgeRichest Person by State
    r = −0.51 · strong · n = 47
    Plot
  6. White Alone % RegisteredVoters by Race by State
    r = −0.51 · strong · n = 51
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state has the highest Murders?
California has the highest Murders in 2024, at 1,782, followed by Texas (1,616) and Florida (900).
Which state has the lowest Murders?
Wyoming has the lowest Murders in 2024, at 14.
What is the median Murders across US states?
The median is 224 across the 51 US states with data in 2024.
Where does this murder rate by state data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Documents & Downloads - FBI Crime Data Explorer; Homicide Mortality by State, 2024 - CDC National Center for Health Statistics.

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