Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Alabama?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
To find the cities in Alabama with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the FBI crime data on murders for the 49 cities in the Heart of Dixie with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Alabama
What city has the highest murder rate in Alabama? The city with the highest murder rate in Alabama is Tuskegee with 93.0 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Alabama with highest number of murders? The city in Alabama with the highest number of murders is Birmingham with 142 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Alabama ranked. There were ‘only’ 49 cities in Alabama where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 41 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Heart of Dixie check out:
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Alabama For 2024
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Population: 8,600
Murders: 8 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 93.0 (Most)
More on Tuskegee: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 195,050
Murders: 142 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 72.8 (2nd Most)
More on Birmingham: Data | Cost Of Living
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Population: 5,797
Murders: 3 (20th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 51.8 (3rd Most)
More on Monroeville: Data | Cost Of Living
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Population: 17,296
Murders: 7 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 40.5 (4th Most)
More on Selma: Data | Cost Of Living
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Population: 25,265
Murders: 10 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 39.6 (5th Most)
More on Bessemer: Data | Cost Of Living
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Population: 10,475
Murders: 4 (15th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 38.2 (6th Most)
More on Valley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 5,840
Murders: 2 (28th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 34.2 (7th Most)
More on Attalla: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 8,799
Murders: 3 (20th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 34.1 (8th Most)
More on Clanton: Data | Cost Of Living
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Population: 6,333
Murders: 2 (28th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 31.6 (9th Most)
More on Chickasaw: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 16,313
Murders: 5 (12th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 30.7 (10th Most)
More on Hueytown: Data | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Alabama
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of murders in each city annually.
We only looked at every single city in Alabama for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 49 cities to rank.
We took the number of murders per capita as the ranking factor. The place with the most murders per capita based on the most recent data is Tuskegee. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Alabama. We updated the list for 2024.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Alabama For 2024
If you’re looking at the places in Alabama with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
The cities with the highest murder per capita in Alabama are Tuskegee, Birmingham, Monroeville, Selma, Bessemer, Valley, Attalla, Clanton, Chickasaw, and Hueytown.
For more Alabama reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Alabama
- Fastest Growing Cities In Alabama
- Safest Places In Alabama
- Best Cities For Singles In Alabama
- Worst Places To Live In Alabama
Murder Rates By City In Alabama
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tuskegee, AL | 8600 | 8 | 93.02 |
| 2 | Birmingham, AL | 195050 | 142 | 72.8 |
| 3 | Monroeville, AL | 5797 | 3 | 51.75 |
| 4 | Selma, AL | 17296 | 7 | 40.47 |
| 5 | Bessemer, AL | 25265 | 10 | 39.58 |
| 6 | Valley, AL | 10475 | 4 | 38.19 |
| 7 | Attalla, AL | 5840 | 2 | 34.25 |
| 8 | Clanton, AL | 8799 | 3 | 34.09 |
| 9 | Chickasaw, AL | 6333 | 2 | 31.58 |
| 10 | Hueytown, AL | 16313 | 5 | 30.65 |
| 11 | Phenix City, AL | 38076 | 10 | 26.26 |
| 12 | Sylacauga, AL | 12205 | 3 | 24.58 |
| 13 | Andalusia, AL | 8699 | 2 | 22.99 |
| 14 | Opelika, AL | 32010 | 7 | 21.87 |
| 15 | Decatur, AL | 57831 | 12 | 20.75 |
| 16 | Midfield, AL | 5036 | 1 | 19.86 |
| 17 | Dothan, AL | 71196 | 14 | 19.66 |
| 18 | Talladega, AL | 15448 | 3 | 19.42 |
| 19 | Anniston, AL | 21007 | 4 | 19.04 |
| 20 | Gadsden, AL | 33521 | 6 | 17.9 |
| 21 | Mobile, AL | 239323 | 41 | 17.13 |
| 22 | Eufaula, AL | 12528 | 2 | 15.96 |
| 23 | Prichard, AL | 18936 | 3 | 15.84 |
| 24 | Trussville, AL | 26561 | 4 | 15.06 |
| 25 | Demopolis, AL | 6885 | 1 | 14.52 |
| 26 | Moody, AL | 13862 | 2 | 14.43 |
| 27 | Alexander City, AL | 14476 | 2 | 13.82 |
| 28 | Wetumpka, AL | 7317 | 1 | 13.67 |
| 29 | Prattville, AL | 38679 | 5 | 12.93 |
| 30 | Hartselle, AL | 15626 | 2 | 12.8 |
| 31 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 101280 | 12 | 11.85 |
| 32 | Guntersville, AL | 8858 | 1 | 11.29 |
| 33 | Southside, AL | 9524 | 1 | 10.5 |
| 34 | Russellville, AL | 10768 | 1 | 9.29 |
| 35 | Helena, AL | 22035 | 2 | 9.08 |
| 36 | Foley, AL | 23629 | 2 | 8.46 |
| 37 | Leeds, AL | 12206 | 1 | 8.19 |
| 38 | Vestavia Hills, AL | 38515 | 3 | 7.79 |
| 39 | Pell City, AL | 13607 | 1 | 7.35 |
| 40 | Jasper, AL | 14312 | 1 | 6.99 |
| 41 | Gulf Shores, AL | 16274 | 1 | 6.14 |
| 42 | Millbrook, AL | 17567 | 1 | 5.69 |
| 43 | Fairhope, AL | 23747 | 1 | 4.21 |
| 44 | Auburn, AL | 80759 | 3 | 3.71 |
| 45 | Athens, AL | 28438 | 1 | 3.52 |
| 46 | Daphne, AL | 29871 | 1 | 3.35 |
| 47 | Enterprise, AL | 29936 | 1 | 3.34 |
| 48 | Florence, AL | 40063 | 1 | 2.5 |
| 49 | Hoover, AL | 92491 | 2 | 2.16 |