California reported the largest number of homicides to the FBI in 2023, at 1,929 for the year. Texas recorded the second-highest number of murders, with 1,845 for the year. Homicide victim demographics There were a total of 19,252 reported homicide cases in the U.S. in 2023. When looking at murder victims by gender and ethnicity, the vast majority were male, while just over half of the victims were Black or African American. In addition, homicide victims in the United States were found most likely to be between the ages of 20 and 34 years old, with the majority of victims aged between 17 to 54 years old. Are murders up? In short, no – since the 1990s the number of murders in the U.S. has decreased significantly. In 1990, the murder rate per 100,000 people stood at 9.4, and stood at 5.7 in 2023. It should be noted though that the number of homicides increased slightly from 2014 to 2017, although figures declined again in 2018 and 2019, before ticking up once more in 2020 and 2021. Despite this decline, when viewed in international comparison, the U.S. murder rate is still notably high. For example, the Canadian homicide rate stood at 1.94 in 2023, while the homicide rate in England and Wales was even lower.

Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) in United States was reported at 6.8075 in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Intentional homicides (per 100;000 people) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In 2023, the FBI reported that there were 9,284 Black murder victims in the United States and 7,289 white murder victims. In comparison, there were 554 murder victims of unknown race and 586 victims of another race. Victims of inequality? In recent years, the role of racial inequality in violent crimes such as robberies, assaults, and homicides has gained public attention. In particular, the issue of police brutality has led to increasing attention following the murder of George Floyd, an African American who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer. Studies show that the rate of fatal police shootings for Black Americans was more than double the rate reported of other races. Crime reporting National crime data in the United States is based off the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s new crime reporting system, which requires law enforcement agencies to self-report their data in detail. Due to the recent implementation of this system, less crime data has been reported, with some states such as Delaware and Pennsylvania declining to report any data to the FBI at all in the last few years, suggesting that the Bureau's data may not fully reflect accurate information on crime in the United States.

The border city of Tijuana was the Mexican municipality with the highest number of homicides, with 1,844 cases reported in 2023, a decrease when compared to the over 2,000 cases reported last year. Tijuana was followed by Ciudad Juárez, located south of El Paso, Texas, with a total of 1,246 homicides.

Number and rate (per 100,000 population) of homicide victims, Canada and Census Metropolitan Areas, 1981 to 2023.

The province of Santo Domingo registered the highest number of homicides in the Dominican Republic, with 353 victims in 2023. The National District, where the capital city of Santo Domingo is located – also referred to as Distrito Nacional – recorded the second largest homicide count, at 126 victims that year.

Number of homicide victims, by method used to commit the homicide (total methods used; shooting; stabbing; beating; strangulation; fire (burns or suffocation); other methods used; methods used unknown), Canada, 1974 to 2023.

In 2023, around 2,444 homicide victims in the United States were aged between 20 and 24 years old. A further 2,362 murder victims were between the ages of 30 and 34 years old. Most murder victims in the United States in 2023 were between the ages of 17 and 54 years old.

Victims of gang-related homicides (total number of homicide victims; number of homicide victims - unknown gang-relation; number of homicide victims - known gang relation; number of gang-related homicide victims; percentage of gang-related homicide victims; rate (per 100,000 population) of gang-related homicide victims), Canada and regions, 1999 to 2023.

The graph illustrates the murder rate in the United States from 1985 to 2023. The x-axis represents the years, labeled with two-digit abbreviations from '85 to '23, while the y-axis shows the annual murder rate per 100,000 individuals. Throughout this 39-year period, the murder rate fluctuates between a high of 10.66 in 1991 and a low of 4.7 in 2014. Overall, the data reveals a significant downward trend in the murder rate from the mid-1980s, reaching its lowest point in the mid-2010s, followed by slight increases in the most recent years.

Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) in Japan was reported at 0.22871 in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Japan - Intentional homicides (per 100;000 people) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) in China was reported at 0.50227 in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Intentional homicides (per 100;000 people) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) in Poland was reported at 0.71265 in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Poland - Intentional homicides (per 100;000 people) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Port-au-Prince had the highest number of homicides in 2023 in Latin America. This Haitian city registered 3,502 homicides that year. It was followed by Guayaquil, in Ecuador, with 2,807 deaths. Overall, Mexican cities ranked among the top of highest homicide rates in this region.

The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) Series, previously called the National Crime Surveys (NCS), has been collecting data on personal and household victimization through an ongoing survey of a nationally-representative sample of residential addresses since 1973. The NCVS was designed with four primary objectives: (1) to develop detailed information about the victims and consequences of crime, (2) to estimate the number and types of crimes not reported to the police, (3) to provide uniform measures of selected types of crimes, and (4) to permit comparisons over time and types of areas. The survey categorizes crimes as "personal" or "property." Personal crimes include rape and sexual attack, robbery, aggravated and simple assault, and purse-snatching/pocket-picking, while property crimes include burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft, and vandalism. Each respondent is asked a series of screen questions designed to determine whether she or he was victimized during the six-month period preceding the first day of the month of the interview. A "household respondent" is also asked to report on crimes against the household as a whole (e.g., burglary, motor vehicle theft). The data include type of crime, month, time, and location of the crime, relationship between victim and offender, characteristics of the offender, self-protective actions taken by the victim during the incident and results of those actions, consequences of the victimization, type of property lost, whether the crime was reported to police and reasons for reporting or not reporting, and offender use of weapons, drugs, and alcohol. Basic demographic information such as age, race, gender, and income is also collected, to enable analysis of crime by various subpopulations. This version of the NCVS, referred to as the collection year, contains records from interviews conducted in the 12 months of the given year.

Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) in United Kingdom was reported at 1.0036 in 2020, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United Kingdom - Intentional homicides (per 100;000 people) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) in Italy was reported at 0.51148 in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Italy - Intentional homicides (per 100;000 people) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) in New Zealand was reported at 2.6013 in 2019, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. New Zealand - Intentional homicides (per 100;000 people) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) in Colombia was reported at 27.48 in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Colombia - Intentional homicides (per 100;000 people) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) in Croatia was reported at 0.81278 in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Croatia - Intentional homicides (per 100;000 people) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.