2024 Homicide Rankings: Chicago, St. Louis Lead Nation Yet Again

Chicago led the nation in homicides for the 13th consecutive year with 573 murders in 2024, followed by New York, Houston, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. St. Louis had the highest homicide rate per capita for the third year in a row with 52.9 homicides per 100,000 residents. The data compiled by Wirepoints is based on 2024 homicide totals for the nation's 75 biggest cities. Murders in 2024 continued their downward trend after peaking in the early pandemic period, with 19 of the top 20 cities experiencing fewer murders in 2024 compared to 2023. Jacksonville had the largest decline in homicides, with a 48% drop, while cities like New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. also saw significant decreases. Chicago's 8% decline in homicides was the 4th-lowest among the top 20 cities, and its murder rate of 21.5 per 100,000 population was three times that of Los Angeles and nearly five times higher than New York's. Chicago's goal should be to match the homicide rate of a city like Houston, with 13.9 per 100,000 murders, which would result in just 371 murders. Most cities' 2024 homicides are still higher than they were in 2019, with 15 of the top 20 cities having more homicides in 2024 than in 2019.