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Murder Rate
About This Indicator
What Is the Murder Rate?
Murders and nonnegligent manslaughters per 100,000 people, from the FBI's national estimates. Since 1960; 2001 omits the deaths of September 11.
Why Does It Matter?
Nearly every killing reaches the police, so murder is the most reliably counted crime, the steadiest gauge of violence. Shootings cluster on a small share of blocks, so a national swing hits a few neighborhoods hardest.
Can Politics Influence It?
States and cities set policing, prosecution, and most gun laws; federal grants and gun law reach it at the margins. The rate jumped by more than a quarter in 2020, in places run by both parties, a reminder that a national shock can swamp local policy.
Key Idea
The murder rate measures medicine as well as violence. Faster ambulances and advances in trauma surgery save victims who once would have died, so the same attack may be recorded as an assault, not a murder.
Scored: A Faster Fall or Slower Rise Ranks Better
Source: FBI; Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics before 1979. Crime Data Explorer, estimated crimes for the nation, from 1979; Sourcebook Table 3.106.2012 for 1960-1978.
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