Cities With the Most Murders so Far This Year

By Sam Stebbins Published Aug 21, 8:31AM EDT

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Cities With the Most Murders so Far This Year — © Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images

Over halfway through the year, preliminary data from police departments in major cities around the country is beginning to trickle in. Across over 90 large or historically high-crime U.S. cities with available data, a total of 5,371 homicides have been reported so far in 2022 – down slightly from 5,564 over the same period last year. (Here is a look at the states where the most people are killed by guns.)

While the apparent trend is encouraging, it will be months before a complete picture emerges. In the meantime, the preliminary data reveals that several cities stand out for having especially high homicide rates.

Using a compilation of 2022 homicide data and population data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 American Community Survey, 24/7 Wall St. identified the U.S. cities with the most murders so far this year. Cities are ranked by the number of murders year to date for every 100,000 people.

We considered all U.S. cities with populations of at least 250,000 as well as cities with smaller populations and an average of at least 10 homicides a year between 2015 and 2019. Only cities with publicly available homicide data were considered.

In every city on this list, the homicide rate so far in 2022 stands at least at 7 murders for every 100,000 people. For context, according to the FBI, the national homicide rate stood at 6.5 murders per 100,000 in 2020, the most recent year of annual data.

Many of the cities on this list, such as Baltimore, Detroit, and St. Louis regularly rank among the U.S. cities with highest violent crime rates. (Here is a look at America’s most dangerous cities.)

These figures are calculated approximations and not official annual homicide rates. Additionally, reporting dates vary by city, and as a result, some cities may have a higher murder rate because their data has been updated more recently. Reporting dates are noted in each case.

Click here to see the cities with the most murders so far this year.

45. Syracuse, NY
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 7.0
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 8, 2022: 10
> Population: 142,553

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44. Columbus, OH
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 7.1
> Total murders Jan. 1 – June 30, 2022: 63
> Population: 889,079

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43. Stockton, CA
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 7.4
> Total murders Jan. 1 – June 30, 2022: 23
> Population: 311,103

42. Denver, CO
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 7.4
> Total murders Jan. 1 – June 30, 2022: 53
> Population: 715,878

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41. Jacksonville, FL
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 7.9
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 3, 2022: 71
> Population: 902,488

40. Greensboro, NC
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 8.5
> Total murders Jan. 1 – July 31, 2022: 25
> Population: 294,395

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39. Durham, NC
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 8.7
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 6, 2022: 24
> Population: 276,341

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38. South Bend, IN
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 8.8
> Total murders Jan. 1 – May 31, 2022: 9
> Population: 102,686

37. Lexington, KY
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 9.0
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 13, 2022: 29
> Population: 322,200

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36. Houston, TX
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 9.8
> Total murders Jan. 1 – June 30, 2022: 226
> Population: 2,313,238

35. Tulsa, OK
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 10.2
> Total murders Jan. 1 – June 30, 2022: 41
> Population: 402,441

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34. Nashville, TN
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 10.5
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 6, 2022: 70
> Population: 667,070

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33. Newark, NJ
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 10.6
> Total murders Jan. 1 – July 31, 2022: 30
> Population: 281,917

32. Toledo, OH
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 10.9
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 2, 2022: 30
> Population: 275,116

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31. Dallas, TX
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 11.0
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 15, 2022: 147
> Population: 1,338,846

30. Wilmington, DE
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 11.3
> Total murders Jan. 1 – July 31, 2022: 8
> Population: 70,655

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29. Las Vegas, NV
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 12.3
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 5, 2022: 79
> Population: 644,594

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28. Pittsburgh, PA
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 12.3
> Total murders Jan. 1 – June 30, 2022: 37
> Population: 301,286

27. Shreveport, LA
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 13.2
> Total murders Jan. 1 – May 31, 2022: 25
> Population: 189,890

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26. Minneapolis, MN
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 13.7
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 15, 2022: 58
> Population: 424,536

25. Albuquerque, NM
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 13.9
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 12, 2022: 78
> Population: 560,447

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24. Indianapolis, IN
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 14.1
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 1, 2022: 123
> Population: 869,387

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23. Savannah, GA
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 14.4
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 6, 2022: 21
> Population: 145,492

22. Chicago, IL
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 14.7
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 7, 2022: 396
> Population: 2,699,347

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21. Cincinnati, OH
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 14.9
> Total murders Jan. 1 – July 16, 2022: 45
> Population: 302,687

20. Akron, OH
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 15.2
> Total murders Jan. 1 – July 31, 2022: 30
> Population: 197,375

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19. Buffalo, NY
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 15.6
> Total murders Jan. 1 – June 30, 2022: 40
> Population: 255,805

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18. Richmond, VA
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 15.7
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 14, 2022: 36
> Population: 229,233

17. Louisville, KY
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 16.3
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 5, 2022: 101
> Population: 618,733

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16. Oakland, CA
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 17.5
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 14, 2022: 74
> Population: 422,575

15. Memphis, TN
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 18.6
> Total murders Jan. 1 – June 30, 2022: 121
> Population: 650,910

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14. Washington, DC
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 19.1
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 15, 2022: 134
> Population: 701,974

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13. Atlanta, GA
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 19.1
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 6, 2022: 95
> Population: 497,642

12. Detroit, MI
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 19.8
> Total murders Jan. 1 – June 30, 2022: 133
> Population: 672,351

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Kansas City Photos (CC BY-SA 2.0) by Pam Broviak

11. Kansas City, MO
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 20.6
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 15, 2022: 101
> Population: 491,158

10. Philadelphia, PA
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 21.1
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 14, 2022: 334
> Population: 1,581,531

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9. Rochester, NY
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 22.8
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 9, 2022: 47
> Population: 206,357

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8. Cleveland, OH
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 23.5
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 6, 2022: 90
> Population: 383,331

7. Little Rock, AR
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 24.7
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 8, 2022: 49
> Population: 198,067

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6. Milwaukee, WI
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 25.0
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 9, 2022: 148
> Population: 592,649

5. Flint, MI
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 25.0
> Total murders Jan. 1 – July 31, 2022: 24
> Population: 95,999

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4. St Louis, MO
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 33.1
> Total murders Jan. 1 – July 31, 2022: 101
> Population: 304,709

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3. Baltimore, MD
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 36.2
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 6, 2022: 218
> Population: 602,274

2. Birmingham, AL
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 37.5
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 7, 2022: 79
> Population: 210,928

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1. New Orleans, LA
> Murders YTD per 100,000 people: 44.0
> Total murders Jan. 1 – Aug. 14, 2022: 172
> Population: 391,249

About the Author Sam Stebbins →

Sam Stebbins is a writer at a673b.bigscoots-temp.com where his primary focus is on government policy, politics, companies, and broad social and economic trends. Sam has been writing in the money and news verticals for over 8 years and holds a bachelor's degree from Hobart College, which he earned in 2010. Sam resides in upstate New York and enjoys hiking, biking, canoeing, and skiing in the Adirondack Mountains and across the Northeast.