Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Oklahoma?
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 Oklahoma 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 26 cities in the Sooner State with over 6,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In Oklahoma
What city has the highest murder rate in Oklahoma? The city with the highest murder rate in Oklahoma is Lawton with 24.0 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Oklahoma with highest number of murders? The city in Oklahoma with the highest number of murders is Oklahoma City with 65 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Oklahoma ranked. There were ‘only’ 26 cities in Oklahoma where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 48 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Sooner State check out:
- Best Places To Live In Oklahoma
- Cheapest Places To Live In Oklahoma
- Most Dangerous Cities In Oklahoma
The 10 Murder Capitals Of Oklahoma For 2024
/10
Population: 91,596
Murders: 22 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 24.0 (Most)
More on Lawton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 8,871
Murders: 2 (10th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 22.5 (2nd Most)
More on Poteau: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 9,467
Murders: 2 (10th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 21.1 (3rd Most)
More on Pryor Creek: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 22,447
Murders: 4 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 17.8 (4th Most)
More on Sapulpa: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 24,999
Murders: 4 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 16.0 (5th Most)
More on Ardmore: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 6,365
Murders: 1 (20th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 15.7 (6th Most)
More on Tecumseh: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 6,425
Murders: 1 (20th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 15.6 (7th Most)
More on Harrah: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 6,647
Murders: 1 (20th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 15.0 (8th Most)
More on Purcell: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
/10
Population: 410,135
Murders: 57 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 13.9 (9th Most)
More on Tulsa: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
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Population: 48,384
Murders: 5 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 10.3 (10th Most)
More on Stillwater: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Oklahoma
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 Oklahoma for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 26 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 Lawton. It is our tenth time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Oklahoma. We updated the list for 2024.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Oklahoma For 2024
If you’re looking at the places in Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma are Lawton, Poteau, Pryor Creek, Sapulpa, Ardmore, Tecumseh, Harrah, Purcell, Tulsa, and Stillwater.
For more Oklahoma reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Oklahoma
- Fastest Growing Cities In Oklahoma
- Safest Places In Oklahoma
- Best Cities For Singles In Oklahoma
- Worst Places To Live In Oklahoma
Murder Rates By City In Oklahoma
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lawton, OK | 91596 | 22 | 24.02 |
| 2 | Poteau, OK | 8871 | 2 | 22.55 |
| 3 | Pryor Creek, OK | 9467 | 2 | 21.13 |
| 4 | Sapulpa, OK | 22447 | 4 | 17.82 |
| 5 | Ardmore, OK | 24999 | 4 | 16.0 |
| 6 | Tecumseh, OK | 6365 | 1 | 15.71 |
| 7 | Harrah, OK | 6425 | 1 | 15.56 |
| 8 | Purcell, OK | 6647 | 1 | 15.04 |
| 9 | Tulsa, OK | 410135 | 57 | 13.9 |
| 10 | Stillwater, OK | 48384 | 5 | 10.33 |
| 11 | Warr Acres, OK | 10439 | 1 | 9.58 |
| 12 | Oklahoma City, OK | 692726 | 65 | 9.38 |
| 13 | Glenpool, OK | 13983 | 1 | 7.15 |
| 14 | Bixby, OK | 29690 | 2 | 6.74 |
| 15 | Ada, OK | 16946 | 1 | 5.9 |
| 16 | Muskogee, OK | 36713 | 2 | 5.45 |
| 17 | El Reno, OK | 18385 | 1 | 5.44 |
| 18 | Bartlesville, OK | 37479 | 2 | 5.34 |
| 19 | Durant, OK | 19481 | 1 | 5.13 |
| 20 | Broken Arrow, OK | 118683 | 6 | 5.06 |
| 21 | Bethany, OK | 20322 | 1 | 4.92 |
| 22 | Del City, OK | 21382 | 1 | 4.68 |
| 23 | Duncan, OK | 22915 | 1 | 4.36 |
| 24 | Ponca City, OK | 24487 | 1 | 4.08 |
| 25 | Moore, OK | 63421 | 1 | 1.58 |
| 26 | Norman, OK | 128878 | 2 | 1.55 |