Fact check: Which US cities have the highest numbers of murders in 2025

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available analyses, comprehensive data on which US cities have the highest numbers of murders in 2025 is not readily available from the sources examined. The analyses reveal a 17% decrease in homicide rates across 30-42 US cities during the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, resulting in 327 fewer homicides ^[1].

The only specific city identified with consistently high murder numbers is Chicago, which has maintained the most murders of any US city for 13 consecutive years and has had the highest murder rate among US cities with over one million people for seven consecutive years ^[2].

Several cities showed increases in homicide rates, with five cities experiencing rises ranging from 6% in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to 39% in Little Rock, Arkansas ^[3]. Conversely, Baltimore experienced significant decreases, with reports showing either 84 homicides in the first seven months ^[4] or 68 homicides ^[5] representing 22-24.3% decreases from previous periods.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question seeks current, comprehensive rankings of US cities by murder numbers, but the available sources focus primarily on trends and percentage changes rather than absolute numbers or rankings. This creates a significant gap in addressing the specific question asked.

Law enforcement agencies and city officials would benefit from emphasizing the overall 17% decrease in homicides ^[1] as it demonstrates effective policing and governance. The Department of Homeland Security specifically highlighted these decreases while connecting them to ICE removal operations ^[6], suggesting political motivations to link immigration enforcement with crime reduction.

Baltimore city officials, including Mayor Brandon M. Scott, have particular incentive to promote their city's "fewest homicides in over 50 years" narrative ^{[4] [5]}, as this supports their political standing and policy effectiveness claims.

The analyses lack recent comprehensive data from major cities typically associated with high murder rates, such as Detroit, St. Louis, New Orleans, or Philadelphia, making it impossible to provide a complete ranking.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself contains no inherent misinformation, as it simply requests factual data about murder statistics. However, the lack of comprehensive, current data makes it impossible to provide an accurate answer, which could lead to incomplete or misleading conclusions if partial information is presented as complete.

The emphasis on percentage decreases rather than absolute numbers in the available sources ^{[1] [4] [5] [6] [3]} may obscure cities that still have high absolute murder numbers despite showing improvement. Additionally, the political framing by the Department of Homeland Security linking crime decreases to immigration enforcement ^[6] introduces potential bias in how crime statistics are presented and interpreted.

The absence of standardized, comprehensive reporting across all major US cities in 2025 makes any definitive ranking potentially misleading or incomplete.