The homicide rate in the U.S. experienced a rapid increase during the past few years, which will not come as a surprise to residents of the Phoenix metro area. Phoenix’s increasing homicide rate has moved it into the top 20 Cities With the Biggest Homicide Rate Problems.
WalletHub’s report on the Cities With the Biggest Homicide Rate Problems, is based on a comparison of 40 of the largest U.S. cities’ per capita homicide rates in Q2 2023 as well as per capita homicide rates in Q2 2023 vs. Q2 2022 and Q2 2021.
The study also found that “blue” cities had a larger increase than “red” cities. Cities are designated red or blue based on the political affiliation of their Mayor. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego is a member of the Democratic Party.
Cities with the Biggest Homicide Rate Problems
| Overall Rank* | City | Total Score | Homicide Cases per Capita** (Q2 2023) | Change in Homicide Cases per Capita** (Q2 2023 vs Q2 2022) | Change in Homicide Cases per Capita** (Q2 2023 vs Q2 2021) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memphis, TN | 70.72 | 11.20 (2) |
2.05 (1) |
0.16 (8) |
| 2 | St. Louis, MO | 66.36 | 16.18 (1) |
-1.65 (38) |
-0.66 (27) |
| 3 | Kansas City, MO | 64.49 | 6.96 (8) |
0.60 (5) |
3.98 (1) |
| 4 | Washington, DC | 59.92 | 8.78 (5) |
0.44 (6) |
1.32 (2) |
| 5 | Detroit, MI | 52.16 | 10.69 (3) |
-0.31 (20) |
-1.55 (36) |
| 6 | Richmond, VA | 49.27 | 7.53 (6) |
0.00 (11) |
0.00 (10) |
| 7 | St. Petersburg, FL | 44.20 | 4.65 (15) |
1.16 (2) |
-0.39 (22) |
| 8 | Chicago, IL | 43.85 | 6.82 (9) |
-0.18 (19) |
-0.66 (26) |
| 9 | New Orleans, LA | 43.65 | 10.42 (4) |
-3.39 (40) |
0.26 (7) |
| 10 | Oklahoma City, OK | 43.24 | 3.57 (18) |
1.04 (3) |
0.45 (6) |
| 11 | Atlanta, GA | 40.16 | 7.11 (7) |
-1.22 (33) |
-0.61 (25) |
| 12 | Albuquerque, NM | 37.23 | 5.51 (11) |
-1.24 (34) |
0.00 (10) |
| 13 | Las Vegas, NV | 36.54 | 4.73 (14) |
0.00 (11) |
-1.10 (34) |
| 14 | Norfolk, VA | 35.44 | 5.03 (13) |
0.00 (11) |
-1.68 (37) |
| 15 | Dallas, TX | 35.43 | 4.61 (16) |
-1.38 (35) |
0.46 (5) |
| 16 | Madison, WI | 35.41 | 1.13 (33) |
0.75 (4) |
0.75 (3) |
| 17 | Seattle, WA | 34.57 | 2.07 (24) |
0.41 (7) |
0.14 (9) |
| 18 | Virginia Beach, VA | 34.53 | 1.75 (26) |
0.22 (10) |
0.66 (4) |
| 19 | Columbus, OH | 34.44 | 4.12 (17) |
0.22 (9) |
-1.45 (35) |
| 20 | Phoenix, AZ | 31.36 | 3.08 (19) |
-0.82 (27) |
-0.06 (15) |