How Seattle's murder rate compares to cities nationwide
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Seattle's homicide rate was above the national average last year but far lower than in many U.S. cities, according to FBI crime data.
The big picture: Seattle's murder rate fell in 2024 — and the city didn't crack the top 100 for large-city homicide rates, an Axios analysis of the FBI data finds.
Zoom in: Seattle police recorded 52 homicides in 2024 — a rate of 6.8 homicides per 100,000 residents.
- That's higher than the national average (5 per 100,000) but trailed many cities across Washington state and the country.
By the numbers: Seattle's homicide rate ranked 121st among 316 U.S. cities with at least 100,000 people.
- Jackson, Mississippi, topped the list at nearly 78 homicides per 100,000 residents — more than 15 times the national average.
- Birmingham, Alabama, was second with almost 59 per 100,000, followed by St. Louis and Memphis, Tennessee.
The fine print: Among cities with more than 500,000 people, Seattle's homicide rate ranked 25th out of 37.
- Several smaller Washington cities — including Lynnwood, North Bend, Yakima, Olympia and Spokane — also had higher homicide rates.
Context: The U.S. murder rate in 2024 dropped to its lowest level since the Obama era, when violent crime hovered near 30-year lows.
Yes, but: Even with Seattle's year-over-year decline, the 52 homicides logged citywide in 2024 were double the total in 2015 — outpacing population growth and fueling concern about long-term crime trends.
Between the lines: President Trump has often suggested the nation's murder problem is particularly bad in blue cities such as New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. — Democratic-run cities in Democratic-led states (or district, in D.C.'s case).
- But the FBI crime figures tell a different story, Axios' Russell Contreras reports.
- Thirteen of the 20 U.S. cities with the highest murder rates last year were in Republican-run states. Many of those cities were run by Democrats who often are at odds with state officials.
Go deeper: Where homicide rates are highest: Blue cities in red states