Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Florida?
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 Florida 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 103 cities in the Sunshine State with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Florida
What city has the highest murder rate in Florida? The city with the highest murder rate in Florida is Opa Locka with 72.7 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Florida with highest number of murders? The city in Florida with the highest number of murders is Jacksonville with 140 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Florida ranked. There were ‘only’ 103 cities in Florida where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 104 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Sunshine State check out:
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Florida For 2024
Population: 16,501
Murders: 12 (13th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 72.7 (Most)
More on Opa Locka: Data | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 5,356
Murders: 3 (55th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 56.0 (2nd Most)
More on Pahokee: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 5,415
Murders: 2 (73rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 36.9 (3rd Most)
More on Starke: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 16,723
Murders: 6 (32nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 35.9 (4th Most)
More on Belle Glade: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 6,865
Murders: 2 (73rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 29.1 (5th Most)
More on Perry: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 38,554
Murders: 11 (15th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 28.5 (6th Most)
More on Riviera Beach: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 10,664
Murders: 3 (55th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 28.1 (7th Most)
More on Sebring: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 27,392
Murders: 7 (27th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 25.6 (8th Most)
More on Temple Terrace: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 11,826
Murders: 3 (55th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 25.4 (9th Most)
More on Florida City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 40,153
Murders: 10 (17th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 24.9 (10th Most)
More on Hallandale Beach: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Florida
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 Florida for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 103 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 Opa Locka. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Florida. We updated the list for 2024.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Florida For 2024
If you’re looking at the places in Florida 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 Florida are Opa Locka, Pahokee, Starke, Belle Glade, Perry, Riviera Beach, Sebring, Temple Terrace, Florida City, and Hallandale Beach.
For more Florida reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Florida
- Fastest Growing Cities In Florida
- Safest Places In Florida
- Best Cities For Singles In Florida
- Worst Places To Live In Florida
Murder Rates By City In Florida
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Opa Locka, FL | 16501 | 12 | 72.72 |
| 2 | Pahokee, FL | 5356 | 3 | 56.01 |
| 3 | Starke, FL | 5415 | 2 | 36.93 |
| 4 | Belle Glade, FL | 16723 | 6 | 35.88 |
| 5 | Perry, FL | 6865 | 2 | 29.13 |
| 6 | Riviera Beach, FL | 38554 | 11 | 28.53 |
| 7 | Sebring, FL | 10664 | 3 | 28.13 |
| 8 | Temple Terrace, FL | 27392 | 7 | 25.55 |
| 9 | Florida City, FL | 11826 | 3 | 25.37 |
| 10 | Hallandale Beach, FL | 40153 | 10 | 24.9 |
| 11 | Dania Beach, FL | 32557 | 8 | 24.57 |
| 12 | Titusville, FL | 48979 | 10 | 20.42 |
| 13 | Mount Dora, FL | 14801 | 3 | 20.27 |
| 14 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 184347 | 37 | 20.07 |
| 15 | West Park, FL | 15204 | 3 | 19.73 |
| 16 | Lauderdale Lakes, FL | 36587 | 7 | 19.13 |
| 17 | North Miami Beach, FL | 43273 | 8 | 18.49 |
| 18 | Daytona Beach, FL | 77130 | 13 | 16.85 |
| 19 | Pompano Beach, FL | 113545 | 19 | 16.73 |
| 20 | Fort Pierce, FL | 48529 | 8 | 16.48 |
| 21 | Miami Gardens, FL | 110284 | 18 | 16.32 |
| 22 | Lake City, FL | 12403 | 2 | 16.13 |
| 23 | West Palm Beach, FL | 113268 | 18 | 15.89 |
| 24 | Panama City Beach, FL | 12703 | 2 | 15.74 |
| 25 | Lantana, FL | 12825 | 2 | 15.59 |
| 26 | Crestview, FL | 25787 | 4 | 15.51 |
| 27 | Jacksonville, FL | 920508 | 140 | 15.21 |
| 28 | Palmetto, FL | 13621 | 2 | 14.68 |
| 29 | Quincy, FL | 7143 | 1 | 14.0 |
| 30 | Casselberry, FL | 29255 | 4 | 13.67 |
| 31 | North Lauderdale, FL | 44618 | 6 | 13.45 |
| 32 | Dade City, FL | 7444 | 1 | 13.43 |
| 33 | Wildwood, FL | 7568 | 1 | 13.21 |
| 34 | Arcadia, FL | 7588 | 1 | 13.18 |
| 35 | Miami, FL | 476102 | 61 | 12.81 |
| 36 | Sarasota, FL | 55380 | 7 | 12.64 |
| 37 | Clewiston, FL | 8125 | 1 | 12.31 |
| 38 | Tallahassee, FL | 196012 | 24 | 12.24 |
| 39 | Greenacres City, FL | 43534 | 5 | 11.49 |
| 40 | Green Cove Springs, FL | 8783 | 1 | 11.39 |
| 41 | Boynton Beach, FL | 79913 | 9 | 11.26 |
| 42 | Tampa, FL | 390145 | 43 | 11.02 |
| 43 | Lakeland, FL | 113876 | 12 | 10.54 |
| 44 | Rockledge, FL | 28614 | 3 | 10.48 |
| 45 | Orlando, FL | 310713 | 32 | 10.3 |
| 46 | North Miami, FL | 58502 | 6 | 10.26 |
| 47 | Hollywood, FL | 156434 | 16 | 10.23 |
| 48 | Bartow, FL | 19634 | 2 | 10.19 |
| 49 | Plant City, FL | 39615 | 4 | 10.1 |
| 50 | Fort Myers, FL | 90380 | 9 | 9.96 |
| 51 | Sanford, FL | 60602 | 6 | 9.9 |
| 52 | Lauderhill, FL | 72421 | 7 | 9.67 |
| 53 | Miami Shores, FL | 10358 | 1 | 9.65 |
| 54 | Melbourne, FL | 83806 | 8 | 9.55 |
| 55 | Palatka, FL | 10599 | 1 | 9.43 |
| 56 | Pensacola, FL | 53083 | 5 | 9.42 |
| 57 | Satellite Beach, FL | 11288 | 1 | 8.86 |
| 58 | Fort Walton Beach, FL | 22871 | 2 | 8.74 |
| 59 | Cocoa Beach, FL | 11763 | 1 | 8.5 |
| 60 | Jacksonville Beach, FL | 23894 | 2 | 8.37 |
| 61 | Leesburg, FL | 24063 | 2 | 8.31 |
| 62 | Port Orange, FL | 64037 | 5 | 7.81 |
| 63 | DeLand, FL | 39924 | 3 | 7.51 |
| 64 | Gainesville, FL | 135076 | 10 | 7.4 |
| 65 | Delray Beach, FL | 70487 | 5 | 7.09 |
| 66 | Altamonte Springs, FL | 44833 | 3 | 6.69 |
| 67 | Longwood, FL | 14999 | 1 | 6.67 |
| 68 | Oakland Park, FL | 45646 | 3 | 6.57 |
| 69 | Oldsmar, FL | 15218 | 1 | 6.57 |
| 70 | Haines City, FL | 31143 | 2 | 6.42 |
| 71 | Miami Beach, FL | 79031 | 5 | 6.33 |
| 72 | Winter Garden, FL | 47484 | 3 | 6.32 |
| 73 | St. Petersburg, FL | 257745 | 16 | 6.21 |
| 74 | Homestead, FL | 80633 | 5 | 6.2 |
| 75 | Bradenton, FL | 56316 | 3 | 5.33 |
| 76 | Lake Worth, FL | 39844 | 2 | 5.02 |
| 77 | Tavares, FL | 20241 | 1 | 4.94 |
| 78 | Ocala, FL | 61275 | 3 | 4.9 |
| 79 | Tamarac, FL | 67399 | 3 | 4.45 |
| 80 | Key West, FL | 26169 | 1 | 3.82 |
| 81 | Pinellas Park, FL | 53045 | 2 | 3.77 |
| 82 | Kissimmee, FL | 79715 | 3 | 3.76 |
| 83 | Deerfield Beach, FL | 81749 | 3 | 3.67 |
| 84 | Winter Haven, FL | 54905 | 2 | 3.64 |
| 85 | Clearwater, FL | 116303 | 4 | 3.44 |
| 86 | Plantation, FL | 94014 | 3 | 3.19 |
| 87 | Sunrise, FL | 96428 | 3 | 3.11 |
| 88 | Hialeah, FL | 234235 | 7 | 2.99 |
| 89 | Panama City, FL | 35384 | 1 | 2.83 |
| 90 | Miramar, FL | 143470 | 4 | 2.79 |
| 91 | Port St. Lucie, FL | 228855 | 6 | 2.62 |
| 92 | Palm Bay, FL | 116897 | 3 | 2.57 |
| 93 | Largo, FL | 82167 | 2 | 2.43 |
| 94 | North Port, FL | 84459 | 2 | 2.37 |
| 95 | Pembroke Pines, FL | 175757 | 4 | 2.28 |
| 96 | Ocoee, FL | 49877 | 1 | 2.0 |
| 97 | Boca Raton, FL | 101583 | 2 | 1.97 |
| 98 | Davie, FL | 107988 | 2 | 1.85 |
| 99 | Palm Beach Gardens, FL | 58629 | 1 | 1.71 |
| 100 | Jupiter, FL | 67054 | 1 | 1.49 |
Like your info . I only like to visit Florida cocoa beach Lauderdale by the sea, Tampa . A lot of dangerous places too. I am a cautious US NAVY VETERAN, THANKS!