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The County With the Highest Murder Rate in Every U.S. State

The County With the Highest Murder Rate in Every U.S. State

The County With the Highest Murder Rate in Every U.S. State

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Alabama: Lowndes County

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Alaska: Kusilvak Census Area

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Arizona: Apache County

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Arkansas: Phillips County

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California: Kern County

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Colorado: Alamosa County

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Connecticut: Greater Bridgeport Planning Region

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Delaware: New Castle County

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Florida: Hamilton County

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Georgia: Warren County

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Hawaii: Hawaii County

2021-10-10 09 30 36 View northwest along Hawaii State Route 250 (Kohala Mountain Road) at Hawaii State Route 19 (Kawaihae Road) in Waimea, Hawaii County, Hawaii by Famartin / BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Idaho: Bingham County

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Illinois: Alexander County

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Indiana: Marion County

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Iowa: Des Moines County

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Kansas: Wyandotte County

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Kentucky: Jefferson County

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Louisiana: Orleans Parish

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Maine: Washington County

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Maryland: Baltimore (independent city)

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Massachusetts: Suffolk County

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Michigan: Wayne County

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Minnesota: Beltrami County

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Mississippi: Leflore County

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Missouri: St. Louis (independent city)

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Montana: Big Horn County

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Nebraska: Douglas County

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Nevada: Clark County

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New Hampshire: Cheshire County

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New Jersey: Essex County

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New Mexico: McKinley County

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New York: Bronx County

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North Carolina: Robeson County

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North Dakota: Williams County

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Ohio: Cuyahoga County

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Oklahoma: Choctaw County

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Oregon: Josephine County

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Pennsylvania: Philadelphia County

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Rhode Island: Providence County

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South Carolina: Dillon County

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South Dakota: Oglala Lakota County

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Tennessee: Shelby County

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Texas: Uvalde County

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Utah: Uintah County

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Vermont: Rutland County

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Virginia: Petersburg (independent city)

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Washington: Yakima County

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West Virginia: McDowell County

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Wisconsin: Milwaukee County

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Wyoming: Fremont County

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The County With the Highest Murder Rate in Every U.S. State
Alabama: Lowndes County
Alaska: Kusilvak Census Area
Arizona: Apache County
Arkansas: Phillips County
California: Kern County
Colorado: Alamosa County
Connecticut: Greater Bridgeport Planning Region
Delaware: New Castle County
Florida: Hamilton County
Georgia: Warren County
Hawaii: Hawaii County
Idaho: Bingham County
Illinois: Alexander County
Indiana: Marion County
Iowa: Des Moines County
Kansas: Wyandotte County
Kentucky: Jefferson County
Louisiana: Orleans Parish
Maine: Washington County
Maryland: Baltimore (independent city)
Massachusetts: Suffolk County
Michigan: Wayne County
Minnesota: Beltrami County
Mississippi: Leflore County
Missouri: St. Louis (independent city)
Montana: Big Horn County
Nebraska: Douglas County
Nevada: Clark County
New Hampshire: Cheshire County
New Jersey: Essex County
New Mexico: McKinley County
New York: Bronx County
North Carolina: Robeson County
North Dakota: Williams County
Ohio: Cuyahoga County
Oklahoma: Choctaw County
Oregon: Josephine County
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia County
Rhode Island: Providence County
South Carolina: Dillon County
South Dakota: Oglala Lakota County
Tennessee: Shelby County
Texas: Uvalde County
Utah: Uintah County
Vermont: Rutland County
Virginia: Petersburg (independent city)
Washington: Yakima County
West Virginia: McDowell County
Wisconsin: Milwaukee County
Wyoming: Fremont County

The County With the Highest Murder Rate in Every U.S. State

Violent crime can vary dramatically from one community to another, even within the same state. Murder rates are often shaped by local conditions like poverty, population density, housing instability, firearm access, and economic opportunity, which is why the counties at the top of each state’s list are not always the largest or most obvious places.

In some counties, high homicide rates reflect long-running economic and social challenges. In others, especially smaller communities, even a limited number of homicides can raise the rate because the population is much lower. That means a county can rank highest in its state while still being relatively safe by national standards.

To identify the county with the highest murder rate in every state, 24/7 Tempo reviewed homicide-rate data from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, with supplemental poverty data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey.

These are the counties with the highest murder rates in every U.S. state.

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