States Where the Murder Rate Rose, 2015-2025
Key Findings
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New Mexico leads in Rise in Murder Rate since 2015 (%) with 52.20.
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Average Rise in Murder Rate since 2015 (%): 16.47 · median: 10.
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Gap: New Mexico is 261× larger than Arizona.
About This Dataset
States Where the Murder Rate Rose, 2015-2025
What this chart shows. The 11 US states where the murder rate was higher in 2025 than in 2015, and by how much, in per cent, from the FBI's estimates. New Mexico had the largest rise, 52.2 per cent, from 5.6 to 8.6 murders per 100,000 residents, followed by Utah at 37.9 per cent and North Carolina at 25.3 per cent. In the other 40 places the rate was lower in 2025, and nationally it fell 16.7 per cent, from 4.9 to 4.1.
How the data is collected. The chart compares each state's estimated murders per 100,000 residents in 2025 with the same rate in 2015, using the FBI's estimated crime file, which counts murder and nonnegligent manslaughter. Nationally the number of murders was 15,883 in 2015 and 14,085 in 2025.
Background. The FBI defines murder and nonnegligent manslaughter as the willful killing of one human being by another; justifiable homicides are not included. The 11 states whose rate rose are New Mexico, Utah, North Carolina, Alabama, Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, New Hampshire, Oregon, Tennessee and Arizona.
Limits. Where murders are few, a few dozen cases change the percentage a great deal: Utah's rise of 37.9 per cent took its rate from 1.9 to 2.6. The comparison is between two single years and does not show the rise and fall in between.
How the data is collected. The chart compares each state's estimated murders per 100,000 residents in 2025 with the same rate in 2015, using the FBI's estimated crime file, which counts murder and nonnegligent manslaughter. Nationally the number of murders was 15,883 in 2015 and 14,085 in 2025.
Background. The FBI defines murder and nonnegligent manslaughter as the willful killing of one human being by another; justifiable homicides are not included. The 11 states whose rate rose are New Mexico, Utah, North Carolina, Alabama, Colorado, Kansas, Idaho, New Hampshire, Oregon, Tennessee and Arizona.
Limits. Where murders are few, a few dozen cases change the percentage a great deal: Utah's rise of 37.9 per cent took its rate from 1.9 to 2.6. The comparison is between two single years and does not show the rise and fall in between.
Analysis
New Mexico's rate of 8.6 in 2025 was the third highest in the country, and Alabama, at 8.5, was fourth. Both were already above the national rate in 2015.
Data Insights
Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart
Methodology & source
- Data source
- FBI Crime Data Explorer (Summary Reporting System estimates)
- Coverage
- 11 entities · 2015-2025 · 11 observations
- Measure
- Rise in Murder Rate since 2015 (%)
- Last updated
- 29 September 2026
- Compiled by
- The ANYSTAT team, from the source above
How the figures are calculated
- Values use the measure and unit named on this page. Consult the dataset description and cited source for coverage, definitions and any unit conversions. Displayed values may be rounded for readability.
- Entities are ranked highest-first on their value.
An article using this data
Is Crime Going Down? Burglary Fell 61% Across the US Since 2015, but Violent Crime Rose in 8 States
Comparing the FBI's estimates for 2015 and 2025, burglary fell 60.9% and robbery 51.7% nationally, and both fell in every state. Violent crime fell 12.3% but ro...
Data Sources & References
All external sources cited in this dataset
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How these states rank across all our charts
Each state's page lists its position in every state-by-state chart on ANYSTAT.
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