Get A FREE Consultation!
We run out of free consultations every month. Sign up to make sure you get your free consultation. (Free $350 value.)
Menu
How many people are murdered in the US every day?
In this article, you’ll learn about:
Let’s dig in.
Murder is when one person kills another without a legal excuse.
Examples include shooting, stabbing, suffocating, or poisoning.
Laws related to murder include:
The US views murder as a serious crime.
The most common penalty for murder is life imprisonment.
There are currently 28 states that have the death sentence for murder.
Read More: Gun Violence Statistics
There are 16.1 murders per day in the US.
This information comes from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program.
This data gets collected from police departments and reported yearly.
Last year, 5,890 murders got reported.
This equates to 16.1 murders a day.
Read More: How Many People Die From Guns Each Year?
Here is the:
| State | Murder Rate (per 100,000 people) | Murders per Year | Murders per Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 5.6 | 781 | 2.13 |
| Alaska | 4.6 | 58 | 0.16 |
| Arizona | 4.1 | 575 | 1.58 |
| Arkansas | 6 | 309 | 0.84 |
| California | 6 | 2,741 | 7.5 |
| Colorado | 3.2 | 277 | 0.76 |
| Connecticut | 2.3 | 88 | 0.24 |
| Delaware | 7.5 | 86 | 0.23 |
| Florida | 5.3 | 1,892 | 5.19 |
| Georgia | 5.4 | 1,219 | 3.34 |
| Hawaii | 2.2 | 65 | 0.18 |
| Idaho | 2.2 | 60 | 0.16 |
| Illinois | 6.5 | 1,364 | 3.74 |
| Indiana | 4.9 | 517 | 1.41 |
| Iowa | 1.8 | 58 | 0.16 |
| Kansas | 3.8 | 144 | 0.39 |
| Kentucky | 5.1 | 391 | 1.07 |
| Louisiana | 10.2 | 794 | 2.18 |
| Maine | 1.5 | 22 | 0.06 |
| Maryland | 8.3 | 521 | 1.42 |
| Massachusetts | 2.3 | 207 | 0.57 |
| Michigan | 4.3 | 863 | 2.37 |
| Minnesota | 2.2 | 78 | 0.21 |
| Mississippi | 6.7 | 439 | 1.2 |
| Missouri | 6.4 | 617 | 1.69 |
| Montana | 1.5 | 40 | 0.11 |
| Nebraska | 2.6 | 57 | 0.16 |
| Nevada | 5.7 | 279 | 0.77 |
| New Hampshire | 1.4 | 25 | 0.07 |
| New Jersey | 3.5 | 439 | 1.2 |
| New Mexico | 6.2 | 253 | 0.69 |
| New York | 3.3 | 745 | 2.04 |
| North Carolina | 4 | 935 | 2.56 |
| North Dakota | 2.2 | 9 | 0.02 |
| Ohio | 4.1 | 895 | 2.45 |
| Oklahoma | 5.2 | 315 | 0.86 |
| Oregon | 2.8 | 135 | 0.37 |
| Pennsylvania | 4.8 | 1,227 | 3.36 |
| Rhode Island | 2.9 | 39 | 0.11 |
| South Carolina | 6.4 | 551 | 1.5 |
| South Dakota | 3.3 | 33 | 0.09 |
| Tennessee | 6.4 | 736 | 2.01 |
| Texas | 4.7 | 1,878 | 5.14 |
| Utah | 2.2 | 56 | 0.15 |
| Vermont | 1.5 | 10 | 0.03 |
| Virginia | 3.5 | 597 | 1.63 |
| Washington | 2.7 | 227 | 0.62 |
| West Virginia | 4.3 | 78 | 0.21 |
| Wisconsin | 2.8 | 159 | 0.44 |
| Wyoming | 2.8 | 17 | 0.05 |
Here is the:
This shows the top 25 cities with the most murders.
| City | Murder Rate (per 100,000 people) | Murders per Year | Murders per Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | 60.9 | 205 | 0.56 |
| Baltimore | 51.6 | 348 | 0.95 |
| Detroit | 44.8 | 267 | 0.73 |
| New Orleans | 41.2 | 165 | 0.45 |
| Cleveland | 39.3 | 86 | 0.24 |
| Kansas City | 38.3 | 145 | 0.4 |
| Memphis | 36.5 | 223 | 0.61 |
| Chicago | 28.5 | 783 | 2.15 |
| Birmingham | 26.9 | 70 | 0.19 |
| Indianapolis | 25.3 | 159 | 0.44 |
| Pittsburgh | 24.9 | 66 | 0.18 |
| Philadelphia | 24.2 | 352 | 0.96 |
| Milwaukee | 23.6 | 145 | 0.4 |
| Oakland | 23.1 | 79 | 0.22 |
| Newark | 22.2 | 92 | 0.25 |
| Washington | 21.3 | 162 | 0.44 |
| Buffalo | 20.2 | 37 | 0.1 |
| Rochester | 18.8 | 33 | 0.09 |
| Richmond | 18.7 | 50 | 0.14 |
| Houston | 18.2 | 273 | 0.75 |
| Louisville | 17.8 | 80 | 0.22 |
| Stockton | 17.4 | 55 | 0.15 |
| Birmingham | 16.3 | 70 | 0.19 |
| Los Angeles | 16.2 | 334 | 0.91 |
| Atlanta | 15.1 | 103 | 0.28 |
Here is the:
| Race | Murder Rate (per 100,000 people) | Murders per Year | Murders per Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 2.6 | 4,312 | 11.83 |
| Black | 18.2 | 8,958 | 24.64 |
| Native American | 5.8 | 811 | 2.22 |
| Asian | 0.8 | 120 | 0.33 |
| Hispanic | 6.1 | 2,711 | 7.4 |
Here are the leading causes of people getting murdered every day in the US.
Socioeconomic inequality can impact the murder rate in the US.
Low socioeconomic status leads to:
People in these areas also face higher crime rates.
Other things that contribute to higher murder rates in the US are:
Gang violence causes many murders in the US.
Last year, 16% of US murders were gang-related, says the FBI.
Gangs cause high murder rates in many big cities like Chicago and Los Angeles.
Last year, Chicago reported 650 gang-related homicides.
This was 50% of all homicides in Chicago.
In Los Angeles, 33% of all homicides were gang-related.
Gangs can easily get firearms, making violence more efficient.
They also often take part in the illegal drug trade, leading to violent disputes.
Read More: How Many People Go Missing Every Year?
Domestic abuse is linked to half of all homicides in the US.
(According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.)
On average, 20 people per minute are physically abused by a partner.
Domestic violence also impacts children.
5.8 million got exposed to it last year, according to the CDC.
The problem is especially severe for women.
93% of murders of women by partners were committed by men.
Drugs drive U.S. murders.
The FBI reports that 18,000 homicides happened last year
35% of those murders were drug-related.
The BoJ Statistics found 60% of homicides involved drugs or alcohol.
Drug-related crime creates a violent environment.
Drug use and distribution lead to:
This can result in more homicides.
Drug crime gets linked to:
And both increase violence.
Drug crime also:
Last year, 5.2 million firearms got recovered from drug-related crimes.
Most of these guns got used in homicides.
Racial discrimination affects African Americans in the US.
And it leads to:
This can increase the risk of violent crime.
Data from the FBI shows African Americans face more homicides.
Last year, they were nearly half of all homicide victims.
They are also more likely to get killed by other African Americans.
This shows discrimination contributes to violence.
Racial bias in policing can also increase violence in Black communities.
They are more likely to get:
(Even if they haven’t committed a crime.)
This causes anger, frustration, and mistrust of law enforcement.
Discrimination is a big reason for higher homicide rates in the US.
It causes unequal access to:
All of this leads to a higher risk of violence.
Mental illness raises the risk of violent behavior, including murder.
The NIMH says 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness in a year.
Around 60% of suicides involve mental illness.
4% of US homicides get committed by people with serious mental illness.
Studies link mental illness and homicide in the US, showing that:
Mental illness also increases the risk of being a homicide victim.
Let’s consider a study from JAMA Psychiatry.
It found that people with serious mental illness are 11x more likely to get murdered.
So, mental illness raises the risk of violence, including murder.
People with mental illness are:
The FBI’s report shows 20.5% of US murders were revenge or retaliation killings.
In many communities, people feel they can take justice into their own hands.
To reduce these killings, we need to focus on:
This includes actions like:
Law enforcement affects murder rates in the US.
Limited resources lead to higher crime rates.
(As shown in a study of Chicago neighborhoods.)
Areas with fewer police had higher homicide rates.
Cities with fewer police had higher murder rates.
A lack of police presence can lead to lawlessness and encourage crime.
A study found that decreased police presence increased the homicide rate.
Investing in more police resources can:
Poor education and job opportunities drive up daily murder rates.
The BoJ Statistics reports that areas with the highest daily murder rates have:
RAND Corporation found homicides are 2x as likely in jobless neighborhoods.
In Baltimore:
This likely contributes to the city’s high murder rate of 50 per 100,000.
Unemployment led to a 44% increase in homicides during the 2008 recession.
But, areas with a decrease in unemployment saw a 19% drop in homicides.
Here are the most common questions we found in our research.
California has the highest number of murders per day with 7.5 per day.
Read More: Which States Have The Highest Murder Rate?
On average, there are 16.1 people murdered in the US every day.
Approximately 65% of murders in the US are solved by police.
The most common causes of murder in the US are:
The states with the highest murder rates are (per 100,000 people):
We run out of free consultations every month. Sign up to make sure you get your free consultation. (Free $350 value.)
Need to keep your money and property safe? We help make sure your hard-earned assets are protected. Our team knows how to create plans that guard against lawsuits and creditors. We work to keep your wealth safe for you and your family’s future.
This website is for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Consult an attorney if you are seeking legal advice. Check out our privacy policy.