Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Ohio?
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 Ohio 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 70 cities in the Buckeye State with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Ohio
What city has the highest murder rate in Ohio? The city with the highest murder rate in Ohio is Cleveland with 39.9 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Ohio with highest number of murders? The city in Ohio with the highest number of murders is Cleveland with 145 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Ohio ranked. There were ‘only’ 70 cities in Ohio where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 213 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Buckeye State check out:
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Ohio For 2024
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Population: 363,764
Murders: 145 (Most)
Murders Per 100k: 39.9 (Most)
More on Cleveland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 13,418
Murders: 5 (14th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 37.3 (2nd Most)
More on East Cleveland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 5,400
Murders: 2 (28th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 37.0 (3rd Most)
More on Wellston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 11,516
Murders: 4 (17th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 34.7 (4th Most)
More on Seven Hills: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 59,944
Murders: 18 (7th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 30.0 (5th Most)
More on Youngstown: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 29,022
Murders: 8 (9th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 27.6 (6th Most)
More on Garfield Heights: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 22,930
Murders: 6 (12th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 26.2 (7th Most)
More on Trotwood: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 137,084
Murders: 34 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 24.8 (8th Most)
More on Dayton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 307,761
Murders: 73 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 23.7 (9th Most)
More on Cincinnati: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 266,984
Murders: 61 (4th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 22.8 (10th Most)
More on Toledo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Ohio
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 Ohio for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 70 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 Cleveland. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Ohio. We updated the list for 2024.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Ohio For 2024
If you’re looking at the places in Ohio 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 Ohio are Cleveland, East Cleveland, Wellston, Seven Hills, Youngstown, Garfield Heights, Trotwood, Dayton, Cincinnati, and Toledo.
For more Ohio reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Ohio
- Fastest Growing Cities In Ohio
- Safest Places In Ohio
- Best Cities For Singles In Ohio
- Worst Places To Live In Ohio
Murder Rates By City In Ohio
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleveland, OH | 363764 | 145 | 39.86 |
| 2 | East Cleveland, OH | 13418 | 5 | 37.26 |
| 3 | Wellston, OH | 5400 | 2 | 37.04 |
| 4 | Seven Hills, OH | 11516 | 4 | 34.73 |
| 5 | Youngstown, OH | 59944 | 18 | 30.03 |
| 6 | Garfield Heights, OH | 29022 | 8 | 27.57 |
| 7 | Trotwood, OH | 22930 | 6 | 26.17 |
| 8 | Dayton, OH | 137084 | 34 | 24.8 |
| 9 | Cincinnati, OH | 307761 | 73 | 23.72 |
| 10 | Toledo, OH | 266984 | 61 | 22.85 |
| 11 | Maple Heights, OH | 21888 | 5 | 22.84 |
| 12 | North College Hill, OH | 9269 | 2 | 21.58 |
| 13 | Akron, OH | 188534 | 38 | 20.16 |
| 14 | Uhrichsville, OH | 5177 | 1 | 19.32 |
| 15 | Toronto, OH | 5264 | 1 | 19.0 |
| 16 | Groveport, OH | 5820 | 1 | 17.18 |
| 17 | Willard, OH | 5964 | 1 | 16.77 |
| 18 | Portsmouth, OH | 17896 | 3 | 16.76 |
| 19 | Moraine, OH | 6540 | 1 | 15.29 |
| 20 | Elyria, OH | 52902 | 8 | 15.12 |
| 21 | Canton, OH | 70070 | 10 | 14.27 |
| 22 | Columbus, OH | 907196 | 127 | 14.0 |
| 23 | Fairlawn, OH | 7665 | 1 | 13.05 |
| 24 | Mansfield, OH | 47845 | 6 | 12.54 |
| 25 | Eaton, OH | 8347 | 1 | 11.98 |
| 26 | Steubenville, OH | 17869 | 2 | 11.19 |
| 27 | Marion, OH | 35775 | 4 | 11.18 |
| 28 | Norwood, OH | 18602 | 2 | 10.75 |
| 29 | Springfield, OH | 58725 | 6 | 10.22 |
| 30 | Bedford Heights, OH | 10736 | 1 | 9.31 |
| 31 | Springdale, OH | 11160 | 1 | 8.96 |
| 32 | Ravenna, OH | 11299 | 1 | 8.85 |
| 33 | Bucyrus, OH | 11571 | 1 | 8.64 |
| 34 | Lima, OH | 35633 | 3 | 8.42 |
| 35 | Euclid, OH | 48344 | 4 | 8.27 |
| 36 | Conneaut, OH | 12498 | 1 | 8.0 |
| 37 | Wooster, OH | 26750 | 2 | 7.48 |
| 38 | Circleville, OH | 14274 | 1 | 7.01 |
| 39 | Washington Court House, OH | 14494 | 1 | 6.9 |
| 40 | Strongsville, OH | 45703 | 3 | 6.56 |
| 41 | Pierce Township, OH | 15277 | 1 | 6.55 |
| 42 | Hamilton, OH | 62536 | 4 | 6.4 |
| 43 | Norwalk, OH | 16986 | 1 | 5.89 |
| 44 | Austintown, OH | 35462 | 2 | 5.64 |
| 45 | Warren, OH | 38943 | 2 | 5.14 |
| 46 | Miamisburg, OH | 19723 | 1 | 5.07 |
| 47 | Forest Park, OH | 19824 | 1 | 5.04 |
| 48 | Whitehall, OH | 20094 | 1 | 4.98 |
| 49 | South Euclid, OH | 21360 | 1 | 4.68 |
| 50 | Willoughby, OH | 23853 | 1 | 4.19 |
| 51 | Riverside, OH | 24322 | 1 | 4.11 |
| 52 | Sandusky, OH | 24531 | 1 | 4.08 |
| 53 | Pickerington, OH | 24647 | 1 | 4.06 |
| 54 | Cuyahoga Falls, OH | 50607 | 2 | 3.95 |
| 55 | Shaker Heights, OH | 28615 | 1 | 3.49 |
| 56 | Green Township, OH | 59568 | 2 | 3.36 |
| 57 | West Chester Township, OH | 62374 | 2 | 3.21 |
| 58 | Sylvania Township, OH | 31833 | 1 | 3.14 |
| 59 | Fairborn, OH | 34725 | 1 | 2.88 |
| 60 | Brunswick, OH | 35235 | 1 | 2.84 |
| 61 | Springfield Township, Hamilton County, OH | 35363 | 1 | 2.83 |
| 62 | Reynoldsburg, OH | 38600 | 1 | 2.59 |
| 63 | Boardman, OH | 39490 | 1 | 2.53 |
| 64 | Parma, OH | 79098 | 2 | 2.53 |
| 65 | Findlay, OH | 39881 | 1 | 2.51 |
| 66 | Fairfield, OH | 42620 | 1 | 2.35 |
| 67 | Jackson Township, Stark County, OH | 42745 | 1 | 2.34 |
| 68 | Cleveland Heights, OH | 44105 | 1 | 2.27 |
| 69 | Miami Township, Clermont County, OH | 44356 | 1 | 2.25 |
| 70 | Lorain, OH | 65536 | 1 | 1.53 |