US Violent Crime Per Capita by City: Top 20

In today’s world where safety increasingly matters in residential decisions, business planning, investment strategy and public policy — understanding how violent crime compares across cities is essential. At Nexlar, we are committed to bringing you authoritative data, clear analysis and strategic insight into crime trends and their implications. In this guide we explore violent crime per capita across the United States, examine the top 20 cities where the crime rate per person is highest, and show how these numbers translate into meaningful patterns and decisions.

Understanding Violent Crime Per Capita and Why It Matters

When we speak of violent crime per capita by city, we’re using a metric that divides the number of violent crimes in a city by its population — providing a normalized “crime rate per person” measure, which allows valid comparisons among cities of vastly different size. This is different from raw crime totals, which can mislead: a large city might have many crimes yet a low crime per capita figure, while a smaller city may have fewer incidents but a higher rate per resident.

When reviewing crime statistics by city, or comparing city crime rates, it is important to focus on metrics such as murder rate by city, murders per capita by city USA, crime per capita by city and city crime rates. These metrics provide insight into how safe a city may be relative to others. For example, looking at murder rates by city USA or murders per capita by city gives a clearer picture of the worst-hit locations.

Because our blog aims to deliver value, we will explore crime rate comparison by city, highlight the key cities by crime rate, and help readers understand how to interpret and use these findings.

Key Trends Across US City Crime Rates

Before jumping into the list of top 20 cities, some overarching trends are worth noting.

First, several cities exhibit dramatically high city crime rates, particularly in their violent crime per capita figures. According to recent reporting, some cities have murder rates by city exceeding 30 or even 40 per 100,000 residents.
Second, while the national violent crime per capita number hovers around 364 incidents per 100,000 residents (per the Council of State Governments Justice Center data), many cities exceed this significantly, particularly when broken out by categories such as homicide or aggravated assault.
Third, the context matters: in many of the highest-crime cities, factors such as economic disadvantage, structural inequality, legacy of disinvestment, and policing / justice-system capacity gaps contribute materially to the high crime per capita.
Finally, for anyone comparing crime rate per capita by city (or murder rate by city USA) it is important also to review trends, not just snapshot data: is the rate rising or falling? What interventions are in motion? What parts of the city are driving the numbers? These are essential to applying the data meaningfully.

The Top 20 Cities by Violent Crime Per Capita

Below is our curated list of twenty U.S. cities with the highest violent crime per capita (or highest murder rates per capita) based on the most current publicly available data, including the number of murders per capita by city and broader violent crime figures. You should consider local definitions and reporting differences when interpreting these numbers.

St. Louis, Missouri – Often cited as having one of the highest violent crime per capita metrics in the U.S. According to one source the city’s murder rate is as high as 64.9 per 100,000 residents.
Birmingham, Alabama – Among medium-sized cities, Birmingham has exceptionally high violent crime per capita, including murder rate by city data at around 58.8 per 100,000.
Jackson, Mississippi – One of the worst in terms of murders per capita by city USA. Some recent reports place its homicide rate near or above 70 per 100,000 residents.
Memphis, Tennessee – Has a violent crime rate among the highest of large U.S. cities, with murder rate by city data around 40.6 per 100,000.
Baltimore, Maryland – Frequently cited when comparing U.S. city crime rates. The violent crime per capita and murder rate by city both show Baltimore among the highest tier.
Detroit, Michigan – High veteran of city crime rates; the murder rate by city and violent crime per capita by city are both elevated.
Cleveland, Ohio – Among medium sized cities has a high violent crime per capita figure and has been used in city crime rate comparisons by analysts.
New Orleans, Louisiana – Known historically for a very high murder rate by city USA and elevated crime per capita by city.
Kansas City, Missouri – A city where violent crime per capita remains high and crime rate comparison by city shows it among the top tier.
Oakland, California – Included often when listing U.S. cities by crime rate; both murder rate by city and broader violent crime per capita by city remain elevated.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – In large city rankings remains higher than many peers in crime per capita by city and we see city crime rates that command attention.
Houston, Texas – A large city with crime-rate-per-capita by city figures above average for major metros; murder rate by city and violent crime per capita matter for business and safety planning.
San Antonio, Texas – Although not at the absolute worst tier, the city crime rates and violent crime per capita by city are still elevated when compared to many U.S. peers.
Portland, Oregon – While property crime often dominates attention, the violent crime per capita by city and crime rate per capita by city remain higher than national averages.
Salt Lake City, Utah – While smaller, Salt Lake City appears on lists of U.S. cities by crime rate showing high violent crime per capita in some data sets.
Springfield, Illinois – As a smaller-sized city, its crime per capita by city ranking is notable; the city crime rate stands out in comparison to many similar municipalities.
Waco, Texas – Features in tables of U.S. cities by crime rate (especially smaller cities) where crime per capita by city remains high.
Alexandria, Louisiana – Another example of a smaller city with a high murder rate by city and elevated crime per capita by city; showing the phenomenon is not restricted to largest metros.
Roanoke, Virginia – Included in lists of U.S. cities by crime rate where the violent crime per capita by city appears among the top tiers in its size category.
Little Rock, Arkansas – While sometimes just outside top lists, the city appears in analyses of murders per capita by city and other crime-per-capita metrics showing elevated risk.

It is worth emphasising: this list is illustrative and based on the most complete public data sets available. Different data sources, definitions, population cut-offs and years can shift rankings. But for anyone doing a crime rate comparison by city, or investigating city crime rates, this is a solid basis for deeper research.

What These Numbers Really Tell Us

When you see a city in the top tier of murder rate by city or violent crime per capita by city, it means that the relative safety environment differs materially from many other cities. For individuals, companies, investors or governments, the implications include:

Real estate investment decisions should factor in city crime rates as part of site selection risk. High city crime rates can meaningfully affect property values, insurance costs, occupancy and operational risk.
Business operations, especially retail, hospitality or logistics, must account for crime per capita by city in security planning, staffing, loss prevention and community relations.
Urban policy, community development and law-enforcement strategy must tailor to the underlying causes behind high city crime rates: concentrated poverty, limited policing resources, gaps, gang activity, drug markets and legacy infrastructure issues.
For household or relocation decisions, understanding the local murder rate by city and broader crime statistics by city gives a clearer picture than headlines alone.
Comparing city crime rates across peers (crime rate comparison by city) helps benchmark what’s “normal” or “extreme” for that size, region or demographic profile.

Why You Should Turn to Nexlar for Insights

At Nexlar, we believe that data-driven decision-making requires not just raw numbers but deep interpretation. When you encounter metrics like “murder rate by city USA” or “us cities crime rate”, you need context, history and actionable implications. Our team delivers:

Rigorous collection and comparison of crime rate per capita by city across dozens of data sources
Clear interpretation of what elevated city crime rates mean for business investment, real estate, corporate risk and urban policy
Strategic insight tailored to each client’s questions whether you are evaluating site selection, operational risk or neighbourhood safety

With Nexlar you get clarity around the numbers, the story behind them and the risk-management mindset to act with confidence.

How to Use This Guide

While you digest this deep dive into city crime rates and murders per capita by city, here are a few strategic actions to consider:

If you are assessing a particular metro or municipality, benchmark its crime statistics by city (violent crime per capita, murder rate by city, overall city crime rates) against national and peer-city averages.
Use trend data (is the city crime rate increasing or decreasing?) rather than just snapshot ranking.
Factor in sub-city geography: many high crime per capita cities have large safe zones and smaller areas of concentrated risk.
Incorporate crime per capita into broader decision-making: economic conditions, fleet security, insurance, staffing, real estate yields.
Use the keyword lens: whenever you dig into “crime statistics by city”, “city crime rates”, “us city crime rates”, “us cities by crime rate”, you’ll gain richer insight by bringing in per capita metrics rather than absolute counts.

FAQs

Q. What is the meaning of murder rate by city?

A. Murder rate by city refers to the number of murders (or homicides) divided by the city’s population, usually expressed per 100,000 residents. It enables comparison of lethal violence across cities of different sizes.

Q. How is crime per capita by city calculated?

A. Crime per capita by city divides the total number of crimes (violent or otherwise) by the city's population, yielding a rate per resident—often scaled to per 100,000 people for consistency.

Q. Why compare crime rate per capita rather than total crimes?

A. Using per capita metrics (crime rate per capita by city) provides a normalized basis of comparison. Two cities may have the same number of incidents, but if one has many more residents the relative risk is lower.

Q. Are smaller cities included in the top crime per capita lists?

A. Yes. Some smaller or mid-sized cities show up in analyses of U.S. cities by crime rate because high rates per resident matter regardless of total population. For example, cities like Alexandria, Roanoke, Little Rock appear in such lists.

Q. How can I apply this information practically?

A. You can use these metrics to evaluate location-based risk for investments, real estate, business expansion, security planning or policy intervention. When you look at “us city crime rates”, “cities by crime rate”, or “murder rates by city”, you’re gaining a tool to compare and plan with greater precision.

Final Thoughts

Understanding violent crime per capita by city is far more than a tabulation of scary statistics. It is a lens through which you can evaluate safety, risk, operational strategy and investment decisions. By focusing on normalized metrics like murders per capita by city and crime per capita by city rather than raw totals, you ensure you’re comparing apples to apples. The twenty cities listed above illustrate the breadth and depth of this issue in the U.S.

If you are looking to dive deeper into how crime statistics by city affect a particular industry, geography, or investment scenario, Nexlar is here to help. We combine analytical depth with strategic clarity.

Why choose us — At Nexlar we bring you not just numbers but actionable insight tailored to your needs. Our expertise in crime data analysis, risk assessment and strategic intelligence enables you to convert city crime rates from a statistic into a strategic decision-making tool.

REQUEST A FREE CONSULTATION

Follow Us