Murder Rate By State

Across the United States, the incidence of homicide notably varies from state to state, painting a complex picture of safety and criminal activity. With populations veering from dense metropolises to sparse rural landscapes, economic infrastructures that range from burgeoning to struggling, and myriad other nuances in social, political, and judicial contexts, each state bears its own unique contributing factors to its murder rate. To break down the issue, our dataset showcases the homicide rates per 100,000 inhabitants in every state.

• The Southern states demonstrate significantly higher murder rates than the rest of the country, with Mississippi leading at a rate of 23.7 homicides per 100,000 people, followed by Louisiana at 21.3, and Alabama at 15.9.
• In stark contrast, the Northeast carries the lowest homicide rates. New Hampshire, the state with the lowest rate, has a murder rate of 1.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, with states like Vermont (1.5) and Maine (1.7) tailing closely.
• There's a clear discrepancy in murder rates among states with large metropolis areas when compared to less densely populated regions. For instance, Illinois and Maryland, both of which include high-density urban areas like Chicago and Baltimore, have higher murder rates at 12.3 and 12.2 respectively, while more rural states like Wyoming have a considerably lower rate at 2.7 homicides per 100,000.
• Interestingly, the data paints an inconsistent picture when comparing states with similar population sizes. For instance, despite having similar populations, New Mexico records a homicide rate of 15.3, while West Virginia stands at a relatively low rate of 6.9.