Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Maryland?
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 Maryland 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 16 cities in the Old Line State with over 7,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Maryland
What city has the highest murder rate in Maryland? The city with the highest murder rate in Maryland is Baltimore with 50.3 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Maryland with highest number of murders? The city in Maryland with the highest number of murders is Baltimore with 287 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Maryland ranked. There were ‘only’ 16 cities in Maryland where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 21 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Old Line State check out:
- Best Places To Live In Maryland
- Cheapest Places To Live In Maryland
- Most Dangerous Cities In Maryland
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Maryland For 2024
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Population: 570,546
Murders: 287 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 50.3 (Most)
More on Baltimore: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 9,476
Murders: 3 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 31.7 (2nd Most)
More on Bladensburg: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 15,806
Murders: 4 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 25.3 (3rd Most)
More on Elkton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 18,331
Murders: 4 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 21.8 (4th Most)
More on Hyattsville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 43,548
Murders: 8 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 18.4 (5th Most)
More on Hagerstown: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 12,264
Murders: 2 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 16.3 (6th Most)
More on Cambridge: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 7,258
Murders: 1 (12th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 13.8 (7th Most)
More on Riverdale Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 17,831
Murders: 2 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 11.2 (8th Most)
More on Takoma Park: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 17,237
Murders: 1 (12th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 5.8 (9th Most)
More on Easton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 17,576
Murders: 1 (12th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 5.7 (10th Most)
More on Aberdeen: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Maryland
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 Maryland for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 16 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 Baltimore. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Maryland. We updated the list for 2024.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Maryland For 2024
If you’re looking at the places in Maryland 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 Maryland are Baltimore, Bladensburg, Elkton, Hyattsville, Hagerstown, Cambridge, Riverdale Park, Takoma Park, Easton, and Aberdeen.
For more Maryland reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Maryland
- Fastest Growing Cities In Maryland
- Safest Places In Maryland
- Best Cities For Singles In Maryland
- Worst Places To Live In Maryland
Murder Rates By City In Maryland
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baltimore, MD | 570546 | 287 | 50.3 |
| 2 | Bladensburg, MD | 9476 | 3 | 31.66 |
| 3 | Elkton, MD | 15806 | 4 | 25.31 |
| 4 | Hyattsville, MD | 18331 | 4 | 21.82 |
| 5 | Hagerstown, MD | 43548 | 8 | 18.37 |
| 6 | Cambridge, MD | 12264 | 2 | 16.31 |
| 7 | Riverdale Park, MD | 7258 | 1 | 13.78 |
| 8 | Takoma Park, MD | 17831 | 2 | 11.22 |
| 9 | Easton, MD | 17237 | 1 | 5.8 |
| 10 | Aberdeen, MD | 17576 | 1 | 5.69 |
| 11 | Cumberland, MD | 18647 | 1 | 5.36 |
| 12 | Greenbelt, MD | 23417 | 1 | 4.27 |
| 13 | Laurel, MD | 25814 | 1 | 3.87 |
| 14 | Salisbury, MD | 33063 | 1 | 3.02 |
| 15 | Frederick, MD | 80985 | 2 | 2.47 |
| 16 | Annapolis, MD | 40542 | 1 | 2.47 |