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How the murder rate in Colorado compares to the rest of the country

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Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square

The U.S. murder rate is at its highest level in nearly two and half decades. A total of 21,570 murders were committed nationwide in 2020, up nearly 30% from the previous year -- the largest annual increase on record.

The rash of deadly violence came during a tumultuous year in American history. The COVID-19 pandemic led to school closures and left millions of Americans out of work. The murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer rattled confidence in American law enforcement and sparked nationwide protests. Firearms sales soared, resulting in the proliferation of tens of millions of new guns. Here is a look at the states where gun sales are surging.

Some experts speculate that each of these factors likely played a role in the rising homicide rate. While it may be years before the precise causal factors are identified, the effects are being felt in communities across the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists homicide as a contributing factor in the historic 1.5 year decline in life expectancy in the U.S. last year -- trailing only COVID-19 and accidental deaths, like drug overdoses, in significance.

There were a total of 294 murders in Colorado in 2020, or 5.1 for every 100,000 people -- the 22nd lowest murder rate among states. For comparison, the national homicide rate stands at 6.5 per 100,000.

Along with rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, murder is one component of the broader violent crime category. Though Colorado has a lower than average murder rate, its overall violent crime rate is higher than average. There were a total of 423 violent crimes reported for every 100,000 people in the state in 2020, compared to 399 per 100,000 nationwide.

All data used in this story, including population figures used to calculate population-adjusted crime rates, is from the FBI's 2020 Uniform Crime Report.

 

Rank

Geo

Murders per 100,000 people, 2020

Total murders, 2020

Violent crimes per 100,000 people, 2020

1

Louisiana

15.8

734

639

2

Missouri

11.8

723

543

3

Arkansas

10.6

321

672

3

Mississippi

10.6

315

291

5

South Carolina

10.5

549

531

6

Alabama

9.6

471

454

6

Tennessee

9.6

663

673

8

Illinois

9.1

1,151

426

8

Maryland

9.1

553

400

10

Georgia

8.8

943

400

11

North Carolina

8.0

852

419

12

Pennsylvania

7.9

1,009

390

13

New Mexico

7.8

164

778

14

Michigan

7.6

754

478

15

Indiana

7.5

505

358

16

Delaware

7.4

73

432

16

Oklahoma

7.4

296

459

18

Kentucky

7.2

323

259

19

Ohio

7.0

820

309

20

Arizona

6.9

513

485

21

Alaska

6.7

49

838

22

Texas

6.6

1,931

447

22

West Virginia

6.6

117

356

24

Virginia

6.1

524

209

25

Florida

5.9

1,290

384

26

Nevada

5.7

180

460

27

California

5.6

2,203

442

28

Wisconsin

5.3

308

323

29

Colorado

5.1

294

423

30

Montana

5.0

54

470

31

South Dakota

4.5

40

501

32

New York

4.2

808

364

32

North Dakota

4.2

32

329

34

Connecticut

3.9

140

182

34

Washington

3.9

301

294

36

New Jersey

3.7

329

195

37

Nebraska

3.6

69

334

38

Iowa

3.5

111

304

39

Kansas

3.4

100

425

39

Minnesota

3.4

190

278

41

Utah

3.1

102

261

41

Wyoming

3.1

18

234

43

Rhode Island

3.0

32

231

44

Hawaii

2.9

41

254

44

Oregon

2.9

125

292

46

Massachusetts

2.3

160

309

47

Idaho

2.2

41

243

47

Vermont

2.2

14

173

49

Maine

1.6

22

109

50

New Hampshire

0.9

12

146