Fact check: Which states had the lowest murder rates in 2024?

1. Summary of the results

The analyses reveal a significant gap between the specific question asked and the available data. While the FBI reported that murder rates decreased by 14.9% nationally in 2024, reaching a 9-year low ^{[1] [2]}, none of the sources provide specific state-by-state murder rate rankings for 2024.

Instead, the available information focuses on:

• Cities with significant homicide reductions including Philadelphia, New Orleans, Washington D.C., Memphis, Baltimore, Kansas City, and Los Angeles ^[3]
• Overall crime decreases across all categories in 2024, including murder, violent crime, and motor vehicle thefts ^[4]
• General safety rankings that consider broader factors beyond just murder rates

The closest available data comes from safety rankings that incorporate multiple crime factors. New Hampshire consistently ranks as the safest state according to US News ^[5], while Vermont tops WalletHub's safety rankings ^{[6] [2]}. Other frequently mentioned safe states include Maine, Massachusetts, Utah, Connecticut, and Rhode Island ^{[6] [5] [2]}.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The analyses reveal several critical gaps in addressing the original question:

• No state-specific murder rate data for 2024 is provided in any source, despite this being the core of the question
• Safety rankings use composite scores that include factors like financial safety, road safety, and emergency preparedness, not just murder rates ^{[6] [2]}
• Historical murder rate data is referenced for 2020 but not for 2024 ^[7]
• City-level data is available but doesn't translate directly to state-level rankings ^[3]

The sources suggest that law enforcement agencies and safety organizations benefit from highlighting overall crime reductions and broad safety metrics, as this supports narratives of effective policing and public safety improvements. Rankings organizations like WalletHub and US News benefit from creating comprehensive safety lists that generate media attention and website traffic.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself contains no misinformation, as it simply asks for factual data about 2024 murder rates by state. However, the question assumes that specific state-by-state murder rate data for 2024 is readily available, which the analyses demonstrate is not the case.

The absence of specific 2024 state murder rate data in the sources suggests either:

• The data has not yet been fully compiled and released by relevant agencies
• The sources prioritize broader safety metrics over specific murder statistics
• Media outlets focus on national trends and city-specific improvements rather than comprehensive state rankings ^{[1] [3] [4]}

This data gap could potentially allow for selective reporting where states or organizations cherry-pick favorable statistics while avoiding comprehensive comparisons that might reveal less favorable rankings.