How many murders does your state report to the FBI?

The rates at which state and local police departments are reporting homicides to the FBI vary alarmingly in the United States, challenging policy makers and everyday citizens in understanding the nature of violent crime in their communities. This is especially important in recent years during a period of unusually high murder rates.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have counted 24,835 homicides committed in 2022, but only 20,018 have been reported to the Justice Department. That's a national reporting rate of just 81 percent.

But the reporting rate is much, much lower in states like Mississippi, Florida and Iowa. To see how often homicides in your state are reported to the federal government, click on the map to the left or click here. To download the state-by-state data in Excel format used in this study, click here. 

Many local police departments did not report crime data for 2022 because they have not updated to the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) standard. "We encourage police to invest in NIBRS reporting as an important step in assisting local, state and federal policy makers in making wise decisions to assist law enforcement," said MAP Chairman Thomas K. Hargrove.