Fact check: What are some red state cities that have a worse crime problem then washington D.C.

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, Washington D.C. does have a significant crime problem, but several cities in red states have worse homicide rates. The data shows conflicting figures for D.C.'s homicide rate, with sources reporting rates between 17.0 and 27.5 per 100,000 people in 2024 ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

St. Louis, Missouri emerges as having the highest homicide rate at 69.4 per 100,000 people, significantly higher than Washington D.C. ^[3]. The analyses indicate that Memphis, Tennessee and Shreveport, Louisiana are specifically mentioned as cities in Republican-led states with higher crime rates than Washington D.C. ^[4].

Importantly, Washington D.C. ranks 19th nationally according to one source ^[3], while another claims it has the fourth-highest homicide rate in the country ^{[2] [5]}. The discrepancy appears to stem from different data sources and methodologies used.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several crucial pieces of context:

• Crime trends are improving in Washington D.C. - violent crime has actually fallen in 2024 and 2025 after a spike in 2023, with carjackings decreasing significantly ^[6]
• Crime is geographically concentrated within D.C., particularly in Ward 7 and Ward 8, rather than being uniformly distributed across the city ^[7]
• Washington D.C. is not even close to having the world's highest homicide rate - 49 other cities globally had higher rates in 2023 ^[5]
• The question frames this as a partisan issue, but crime affects cities regardless of political affiliation of their state governments

Political figures benefit from different narratives: President Trump benefits from emphasizing D.C.'s crime problems to justify federal intervention in local policing ^[8], while local D.C. leaders may benefit from downplaying crime statistics to maintain local control and avoid federal oversight ^[7].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains an implicit assumption that may be misleading:

• The premise assumes Washington D.C. has an exceptionally high crime rate that would be difficult to match, when in fact multiple cities in red states have significantly worse homicide rates ^{[3] [4]}
• The framing creates a false political dichotomy by focusing specifically on "red state cities," when crime is a complex urban issue not directly correlated with state-level political control
• The question ignores recent crime reduction trends in Washington D.C., potentially perpetuating outdated perceptions about the city's safety ^[6]

The analyses reveal that neither federal nor local leaders are telling the complete truth about crime trends ^[7], suggesting that both sides may be selectively using statistics to support their preferred policy positions regarding federal versus local control of law enforcement.