Blue cities in red states, like Indianapolis, have higher murder rates
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To hear President Trump tell it, the nation's murder problem is particularly bad in New York City, Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. — Democratic-run cities in Democratic-led states (or district, in D.C.'s case).
Yes, but: New FBI crime figures from 2024 tell a different story.
The big picture: 13 of the 20 U.S. cities with the highest murder rates were in Republican-run states, like Indiana.
- Many of those cities were, like Indianapolis, run by Democrats who often are at odds with state officials, an Axios analysis of FBI data finds.
State of play: The nation's homicide rate dropped to 5 per 100,000 residents in 2024 — a rate not seen since the Obama era, when overall violent crime rates were hovering around 30-year lows.
- Many cities, including those with the highest murder rates, saw declines in homicides. Crime remains a significant concern, but Trump's criticism of big, Democrat-led cities in blue states tells only part of the story.
By the numbers: Eight of the top 10 cities with the highest murder rates and populations of at least 100,000 were in red states — Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee, Ohio and Louisiana, Axios found.
- Jackson, Mississippi, had the nation's highest homicide rate— nearly 78 per 100,000 residents, more than 15 times the national average.
The intrigue: Trump's order that led National Guard troops and federal agents to patrol D.C. has drawn mixed reviews in the city, where several high-profile crimes have put a spotlight on safety.
- The city of 702,000 had a homicide rate of 25.5 per 100,000 residents in 2024, which officials say was a 30-year low. That ranked 11th among big U.S. cities last year.
What we're watching: Trump has threatened to deploy the National Guard to more cities — such as Chicago, Oakland and Baltimore — as part of a crackdown on crime.
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that nothing is "off the table" for cities with high crime rates and that others could see federal law enforcement on their streets — including in Republican-led states.
Zoom in: Indianapolis had the 17th-highest murder rate in the country in 2024 for cities with more than 100,000 people, according to the FBI data.
- Our rate of 20 homicides per 100,000 residents was higher than Chicago's of 17.5 per 100,000 (though it was a decrease from the previous year).
Still, Indiana leaders have pushed back on insinuations that Indy's crime problem warrants federal intervention.
- Asked last month about the possibility of the National Guard coming into Indianapolis, Gov. Mike Braun told reporters he doesn't think the state needs federal help.
- "I'll try to help out when things get extreme, like they did on the Fourth of July weekend," he said. "I've said very clearly, their prosecution maybe needs to step up its efforts. And the policies of running the city of Indianapolis maybe need to be a little more effective, and hopefully they will take that cue."
- IMPD requested state police assistance during a violent July Fourth weekend and does so occasionally for large events.
The other side: Mayor Joe Hogsett's office declined to comment for this story.