Where Violence Concentrates
Murder in America is not evenly distributed. It concentrates in a remarkably small number of cities — and within those cities, in a handful of neighborhoods. Understanding this concentration is essential for effective policy.
21.4%
of murders in just 10 cities
11%
of population in those 10 cities
48.2%
of murders in 50 cities
13,069
total murders tracked (2024)
Top 10 Murder Cities (2024)
| # | City | Murders | Cumulative % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago, Illinois | 461 | 3.5% |
| 2 | New York, New York | 325 | 6% |
| 3 | Los Angeles, California | 324 | 8.5% |
| 4 | Houston, Texas | 320 | 10.9% |
| 5 | Los Angeles2, California | 264 | 13% |
| 6 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 262 | 15% |
| 7 | Memphis, Tennessee | 249 | 16.9% |
| 8 | Detroit, Michigan | 203 | 18.4% |
| 9 | Baltimore, Maryland | 197 | 19.9% |
| 10 | New Orleans, Louisiana | 193 | 21.4% |
Cumulative Murder Concentration
As you add cities (ranked by murder count), what percentage of all murders do they account for?
Murder Totals by State (Top 20)
Crime Rate by City Size
Average violent crime rate by population bin — bigger cities tend to have higher crime rates, but with important exceptions.
Why This Matters
The concentration of violence has profound policy implications. If half of all murders occur in just 50 cities, then targeted interventions in those specific places could have outsized impact on national crime statistics. Research shows that within these cities, violence concentrates further — often in just a few neighborhoods or even specific street corners.
This data challenges the narrative that America has a uniform "crime problem." Most of the country is remarkably safe. The crisis is hyperlocal, which means solutions should be too.
The Population Paradox
The top 10 murder cities contain 11% of the tracked population but produce 21.4% of murders — a 1.9× overrepresentation. This gap is even wider at the neighborhood level, where a few square blocks can account for the majority of a city's homicides.