California has the most murders by total count, but Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama consistently have the highest murder rates (per capita) in the U.S., according to recent data from sources like Statista and USAFacts. The District of Columbia often has the highest homicide rate overall, but it's a district, not a state.
Key Takeaways
Figure 4 examines homicide rates of sample cities with populations above 1,000,000. Of these four cities, Chicago has consistently had the highest homicide rate for the past seven years.
As of the latest NCRB data, the top ten Indian states with the highest crime rates per 100,000 population are: Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Delhi, West Bengal, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, and Assam.
Safest States in the US
WCCO CBS reported, "The study found that Minnesota is the friendliest state." This edged out Texas and other notoriously friendly-seeming states in that region (depending on who you ask).
Massachusetts
According to WalletHub's study, Massachusetts is the best state to live in, excelling in all key factors—and earning the top spot in the ranking. It has the lowest premature death rate in the US, and residents earn a cushy median household income of over $101,000.
Why Is the Arkansas Crime Rate So High? Several factors contribute to Arkansas's high crime rate, including poverty, limited access to healthcare, and inadequate addiction treatment services. Many cities struggle with economic instability, which often leads to higher drug use and criminal activity.
India stood at 77 spots while the US and UK were ahead of India in the criminal ranking country. The USA was at 55th number and the UK at 65th rank, according to the World of Statistics. Turkey, Germany, and Japan were among the least criminal countries, ranking at 92nd, 100th, and 135th ranks.
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have the highest number of cities in India's top 10 safest cities for 2025. Gujarat and Maharashtra also feature prominently due to cities like Surat, Ahmedabad, and Pune.
As you previously learned, Chicago has the highest unsolved homicide rate in the country, but now you can better visualize which cities are higher and lower at a glance. Close the chart and the Chart Properties pane.
There isn't one single city with the absolute highest crime rate globally, as it varies by metric (homicide, overall crime) and source, but cities in South Africa, Venezuela, and Mexico, such as Pietermaritzburg, Caracas, and Tijuana, frequently appear at the top for violent crime in 2025/2026 reports, while within the US, cities like Memphis, Tennessee, often rank highest for violent crime rates per capita.
1. Memphis. Memphis has one of the highest crime rates in the country at 2,437 per 100,000 people, with assault leading the list. The city has addressed these issues through targeted policing and community engagement initiatives.
Texas ranked 48th, making it the 3rd least safe state between Florida and Mississippi. This was the second time WalletHub gave the Lone Star State this ranking. Louisiana was ranked the least safe, while Vermont was named the safest.
Iceland is consistently ranked as the #1 safest country in the world by the Global Peace Index (GPI), a position it has held for over a decade due to extremely low crime, no standing army, high social cohesion, and minimal conflict, though some other reports might place Switzerland or the Netherlands first based on different survey criteria.
Crime statistics. Scholars have found that some racial and ethnic minorities, particularly African-Americans, are disproportionately represented in the arrest and victimization reports which are used to compile crime rate statistics in the United States.
Muslims are 14.2% of the Indian population, but 16.6% convicts, 18.7% undertrials and 35.8% detenues in Indian prisons are Muslims. Dalits form 16.6% of the population, while 21.7% of convicted inmates, 21% undertrials and 18.15% detenues in Indian prisons are Dalits.
Arkansas recently ranked #1 in the nation for lowest cost-of-living, #1 for inbound migration, and #1 in the country for economic growth for two consecutive quarters.
According to state law, it is illegal to mispronounce “Arkansas”: the correct pronunciation is “Ark-an-saw.” This legal tidbit, while not likely to land tourists in jail, points to the importance of state identity and pride, even in matters of phonetics.
For example, the Northwest Arkansas Council's Life Works Here program, which began in November 2020, offered individuals $10,000 (and a free bicycle) to move to northwest Arkansas and stay in the area for at least six months.
The term “Minnesota nice” lives up to its name. Minnesota residents are known for being extra polite, even during the state's cold, bitter winters. The Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul, are popular tourist destinations known for their residents who go the extra mile to welcome visitors.
The study found the best states to move to are Utah, New Hampshire, Idaho and Virginia. According to the list, worst states to move to are California, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oregon.
The richest state depends on the metric, but California leads in total economic output (GDP) and has the most billionaires, while the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut often rank highest in wealth per person (GDP per capita or income) due to high-earning sectors like tech and finance, despite high living costs.