How Have the Top Counties For Firearm Homicides in the United States Changed Over the Past 5 Years?
Firearm Homicides by US County
The team at Joslyn Law Firm took the statistics for how many people are murdered by guns each year and sorted the data by county. This allowed us to determine where the highest homicide rate in the US is; and how that has changed since 2018. Read on below for our report and a visualization of the most dangerous US counties for gun-related murders.
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How Many People Are Murdered by Guns Each Year?
The overall firearm homicide rate in the US has increased since 2018. In 2018, out of every 100,000 people, 4.266 were killed by gun homicide. In 2022, out of every 100,000 people, 5.961 were killed by gun homicide. President Biden has called it an epidemic, a sentiment that was shared by NPR. However, they were also quick to mention that gun deaths reached an all-time high in 1974 and remained high through the early 1990s when a gun could be purchased for under $100. Gun violence may have increased over the past several years, but the rate of Americans being killed by guns is still a fraction of what it was then. However, the United States still has more gun related deaths than any other developed nation in the world.
Highest Homicide Rate in US by County
The most dangerous county in the United States is Orleans Parish in Louisiana. This is where the city of New Orleans is located. In Orleans Parish, there were 200 firearm homicides in 2022. With a population of 369,769, this means that 54.09 out of every 100,000 people died via gun-related murders. This is a sharp increase from 2018 where 106 people were killed via gun violence. The rate of firearm homicides in Orleans Parish has nearly doubled since 2018.
St. Louis County in Missouri is the second-most dangerous county in the United States. There were 152 firearm homicides in 2022. With a population of 286,578, this means that 53.04 out of every 100,000 people were killed via gun violence. The number of firearm homicides increased significantly since 2018 as well. During that year, 122 people died via gun-related murders.
Homicide Comparison Rate in Past Years
While most of the 25 counties with the highest rate of gun-related murders remained on the list from 2018 to 2022, some counties that did not make the list in 2018 appeared in the 2022 list. Most notable is Portsmouth, Virginia. Portsmouth is a smaller county with a population of 97,029 but there were 37 gun-related homicides in 2022. This means that 38.13 out of every 100,000 people were killed via gun violence.
Another notable entry on the 2022 list is Orangeburg County, South Carolina. Orangeburg is another relatively small county with a population of 83,094 but there were 27 firearm homicides in 2022. This means that 32.49 out of every 100,000 people were killed via gun violence.
The Increase in the Number of Homicides by Firearm in the United States
According to several experts at Temple University, the rise in gun-related deaths over recent years can be traced back to 2008 when the Supreme Court revisited the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, ruling that citizens have a right to carry guns for self-defense. Since then, many states have allowed for concealed carry with no training or permit. This takes away multiple levels of vetting to keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people. In an interview with PBS, Jennifer Mascia from The Trace states that nearly a quarter of all legal gun sales do not involve a background check.
It is difficult to mention gun violence in the United States without thinking about school shootings perpetrated by minors under the age of 18. There are no laws pertaining to keeping guns secure in households with children. Furthermore, gun sales increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when many public programs and services – especially those for adolescent males – were more difficult to access.
Lowering the Rate of Gun Related Murders
According to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a total of 48,117 people were killed by firearms in 2022. This equates to a death every 11 minutes. It should be noted, however, that this statistic includes both suicide and homicide gun deaths as well as accidental death and those killed by law enforcement. They offer the following solutions to lower the rate of gun related murders.
- Enacting permit-to-purchase laws. All states could make it a requirement to get fingerprinted, undergo a background check and take a safety course in order to apply for a gun license.
- Enacting laws that allow the seizure of guns from individuals at high risk of violence against themselves or others. These exist in the form of Extreme Risk Protection Orders and Domestic Violence Protection Orders.
- Secure gun storage. Using secure methods to store firearms in safe locations can keep the weapons out of the hands of children or home invaders.
- Regulating public carry laws. As stated earlier, concealed carry is permissible in many states. Having a high concentration of guns in public places is a safety threat.
- Community Violence Intervention. CVI programs are public programs that target individuals at risk of being perpetrators of victims of gun violence in an effort to prevent such acts from occurring.
Every state has different gun laws with various interpretations. In the state of Ohio, any individual charged with a gun crime should have a trusted criminal defense attorney. If you find yourself in a situation where your gun ownership has led to legal trouble, call the Joslyn Law Firm. We challenge weapons charges and win!
The Top 25 Counties in the United States by Firearm Homicides per 100,000 People in 2018
| Rank | County, parish, or city | County or parish seat | Firearm homicides in 2018 | Population (2018) | Firearm homicides per 100,000 people | Remained in top 25 from 2018 to 2022? |
| 1 | St. Louis, MO | 122 | 302,838 | 40.29 | Yes | |
| 2 | Baltimore, MD | 224 | 602,495 | 37.18 | Yes | |
| 3 | Hinds County, MS | Jackson, MS | 76 | 237,085 | 32.06 | Yes |
| 4 | Jefferson County, AR | Pine Bluff, AR | 20 | 68,114 | 29.36 | Yes |
| 5 | Orleans Parish, LA | New Orleans, LA | 106 | 391,006 | 27.11 | Yes |
| 6 | Shelby County, TN | Memphis, TN | 212 | 935,764 | 22.66 | Yes |
| 7 | Caddo Parish, LA | Shreveport, LA | 52 | 242,922 | 21.41 | Yes |
| 8 | Jefferson County, AL | Birmingham, AL | 139 | 659,300 | 21.08 | Yes |
| 9 | Jackson County, MO | Independence, MO and Kansas City, MO | 141 | 700,307 | 20.13 | Yes |
| 10 | East Baton Rouge Parish, LA | Baton Rouge, LA | 86 | 440,956 | 19.50 | Yes |
| 11 | Robeson County, NC | Lumberton, NC | 25 | 131,831 | 18.96 | Yes |
| 12 | Bibb County, GA | Macon, GA | 29 | 153,095 | 18.94 | Yes |
| 13 | Philadelphia County, PA | Philadelphia, PA | 298 | 1,584,138 | 18.81 | Yes |
| 14 | Montgomery County, AL | Montgomery, AL | 41 | 225,763 | 18.16 | Yes |
| 15 | Washington, DC | 116 | 702,455 | 16.51 | Yes | |
| 16 | Richmond, VA | 37 | 228,783 | 16.17 | Yes | |
| 17 | Muscogee County, GA | Columbus, GA | 31 | 194,160 | 15.97 | No |
| 18 | Florence County, SC | Florence, SC | 22 | 138,159 | 15.92 | Yes |
| 19 | Marion County, IN | Indianapolis, IN | 146 | 954,670 | 15.29 | No |
| 20 | Wyandotte County, KS | Kansas City, KS | 25 | 165,324 | 15.12 | Yes |
| 21 | St. Louis County, MO | Clayton, MO | 142 | 996,945 | 14.24 | No |
| 22 | Wayne County, MI | Detroit, MI | 249 | 1,753,893 | 14.20 | No |
| 23 | Pulaski County, AR | Little Rock, AR | 53 | 392,680 | 13.50 | Yes |
| 24 | Clayton County, GA | Jonesboro, GA | 39 | 289,615 | 13.47 | Yes |
| 25 | Lake County, IN | Crown Point, IN | 64 | 484,411 | 13.21 | No |
The Top 25 Counties in the United States by Firearm Homicides per 100,000 People in 2022
| Rank | County, parish, or city | County or parish seat | Firearm homicides in 2022 | Population (2022) | Firearm homicides per 100,000 people | Change in rank from 2018 to 2022 | Did the firearm homicide rate increase or decrease from 2018 to 2022? |
| 1 | Orleans Parish, LA | New Orleans, LA | 200 | 369,749 | 54.09 | +4 | Increase |
| 2 | St. Louis, MO | 152 | 286,578 | 53.04 | -1 | Increase | |
| 3 | Hinds County, MS | Jackson, MS | 112 | 217,730 | 51.44 | Same | Increase |
| 4 | Baltimore, MD | 222 | 569,931 | 38.95 | -2 | Increase | |
| 5 | Portsmouth, VA | 37 | 97,029 | 38.13 | New to top 25 | New to top 25 | |
| 6 | Bibb County, GA | Macon, GA | 55 | 156,197 | 35.21 | +6 | Increase |
| 7 | Jefferson County, AR | Pine Bluff, AR | 21 | 64,246 | 32.69 | -3 | Increase |
| 8 | Orangeburg County, SC | Orangeburg, SC | 27 | 83,094 | 32.49 | New to top 25 | New to top 25 |
| 9 | Montgomery County, AL | Montgomery, AL | 68 | 226,361 | 30.04 | +5 | Increase |
| 10 | Shelby County, TN | Memphis, TN | 269 | 916,371 | 29.36 | -4 | Increase |
| 11 | Philadelphia County, PA | Philadelphia, PA | 458 | 1,567,258 | 29.22 | +2 | Increase |
| 12 | Robeson County, NC | Lumberton, NC | 33 | 116,663 | 28.29 | -1 | Increase |
| 13 | Jefferson County, AL | Birmingham, AL | 179 | 665,409 | 26.90 | -5 | Increase |
| 14 | Florence County, SC | Florence, SC | 34 | 136,721 | 24.87 | +4 | Increase |
| 15 | Jackson County, MO | Independence, MO and Kansas City, MO | 178 | 716,531 | 24.84 | -6 | Increase |
| 16 | Milwaukee County, WI | Milwaukee, WI | 212 | 918,661 | 23.08 | New to top 25 | New to top 25 |
| 17 | Pulaski County, AR | Little Rock, AR | 90 | 399,145 | 22.55 | +6 | Increase |
| 18 | Clayton County, GA | Jonesboro, GA | 66 | 296,564 | 22.26 | +6 | Increase |
| 19 | Caddo Parish, LA | Shreveport, LA | 49 | 229,025 | 21.40 | -12 | Decrease |
| 20 | Richmond, VA | 49 | 229,395 | 21.36 | -4 | Increase | |
| 21 | East Baton Rouge Parish, LA | Baton Rouge, LA | 96 | 450,544 | 21.31 | -11 | Increase |
| 22 | Wyandotte County, KS | Kansas City, KS | 35 | 165,746 | 21.12 | -2 | Increase |
| 23 | Washington, DC | 141 | 671,803 | 20.99 | -8 | Increase | |
| 24 | Norfolk, VA | 48 | 232,995 | 20.60 | New to top 25 | New to top 25 | |
| 25 | Pueblo County, CO | Pueblo, CO | 33 | 169,544 | 19.46 | New to top 25 | New to top 25 |
Counties That Dropped Out of the Top 25 From 2018 to 2022
| 2022 Rank | County, parish, or city | County or parish seat | Firearm homicides in 2022 | Population (2022) | Firearm homicides per 100,000 people | Change in rank from 2018 to 2022 | Did the firearm homicide rate increase or decrease from 2018 to 2022? |
| 26 | Marion County, IN | Indianapolis, IN | 186 | 969,466 | 19.19 | -7 | Increase |
| 27 | Wayne County, MI | Detroit, MI | 335 | 1,757,043 | 19.07 | -5 | Increase |
| 29 | Muscogee County, GA | Columbus, GA | 37 | 202,616 | 18.26 | -12 | Increase |
| 37 | Lake County, IN | Crown Point, IN | 80 | 499,689 | 16.01 | -12 | Increase |
| 44 | St. Louis County, MO | Clayton, MO | 144 | 990,414 | 14.54 | -23 | Increase |
The Top 5 Counties for Total Firearm Homicides in 2018 and 2022
Top 5 Counties for Total Firearm Homicides in 2018
| Rank | County | County seat | Firearm homicides in 2018 | Population (2018) | Firearm homicides per 100,000 people |
| 1 | Cook County, IL | Chicago, IL | 564 | 5,180,493 | 10.89 |
| 2 | Los Angeles County, CA | Los Angeles, CA | 422 | 10,105,518 | 4.18 |
| 3 | Harris County, TX | Houston, TX | 305 | 4,698,619 | 6.49 |
| 4 | Philadelphia County, PA | Philadelphia, PA | 298 | 1,584,138 | 18.81 |
| 5 | Wayne County, MI | Detroit, MI | 249 | 1,753,893 | 14.20 |
Top 5 Counties for Total Firearm Homicides in 2022
| Rank | County | County seat | Firearm homicides in 2022 | Population (2022) | Firearm homicides per 100,000 people |
| 1 | Cook County, IL | Chicago, IL | 809 | 5,109,292 | 15.83 |
| 2 | Los Angeles County, CA | Los Angeles, CA | 530 | 9,721,138 | 5.45 |
| 3 | Harris County, TX | Houston, TX | 524 | 4,780,913 | 10.96 |
| 4 | Philadelphia County, PA | Philadelphia, PA | 458 | 1,567,258 | 29.22 |
| 5 | Wayne County, MI | Detroit, MI | 335 | 1,757,043 | 19.07 |
Source:
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) WONDER Underlying Cause of Death database (2018 and 2022)
https://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/datarequest/D158
This page was last updated by Brian Joslyn
