California reported the largest number of homicides to the FBI in 2022, at 2,197 for the year. Texas recorded the second-highest number of murders, with 2,020 for the year.
Homicide victim demographics
There was a total of 21,156 reported homicide cases in the U.S. in 2022. When looking at murder victims by gender and ethnicity, the vast majority were male, while just over half of victims were African American. In addition, homicide victims in the United States were found most likely to be between the ages of 20 and 34 years old, with the majority of victims aged between 17 to 54 years old.
Are murders up?
In short, no – since the 1990s the number of murders in the U.S. has decreased significantly. In 1990, the murder rate per 100,000 people stood at 9.4; and stood at 6.3 in 2022. It should be noted though that number of homicides increased slightly from 2014 to 2017, although figures declined again in 2018 and 2019, before ticking up again in 2020 and 2021. Despite this decline, when viewed in international comparison the U.S. murder rate is still notably high. For example, the Canadian homicide rate stood at 2.06 in 2021, while the homicide rate in England and Wales was even lower.
