More than 300 people were murdered within the city of Los Angeles in 2023, creating a homicide rate that is higher than the state as a whole and most other major cities in California.
But a new report released by the California Attorney General’s Office, alongside Los Angeles Police Department data, shows that L.A. isn’t close to the city with the nation’s worst homicide rate.
The murder rate in L.A. last year was 8.4 per 100,000 residents, according to independent news organization Crosstown LA. It’s a much higher figure than the statewide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 and slightly higher than the countywide rate of 7 murders per 100,000 residents.
That rate is not unusual for the city, according to Crosstown, which says the L.A. murder rate regularly exceeds the state and county figures.
While L.A.’s murder rate isn’t enviable (it’s 4 points higher than New York City), LAPD data shows it’s dwarfed by other major metros like Houston (15.1), Chicago (22.5) and Washington D.C., which comes in at an alarming 39.7 murders per 100,000 residents.
| City | Homicide Rate (per 100,000 residents) |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 8.4 |
| New York City | 4.4 |
| Phoenix | 12.3 |
| Houston | 15.1 |
| Chicago | 22.5 |
| Philadelphia | 23.9 |
| Washington, D.C. | 39.7 |
Black Angelenos were among the most disproportionately affected by homicide in 2023, accounting for more than one-third of all murder victims, despite making up less than 9% of the city’s population.
Men accounted for 86% of the homicide victims in L.A. in 2023 and guns were the overwhelming weapon of choice, with more than 7 out of 10 murders committed by firearm.
Gang violence was also believed to be linked to about half of all murders committed within L.A. city limits in 2023.
Crosstown says 327 people were murdered within the city of Los Angeles last year, and while those deaths are tragic, the city has seen much worse violence in past decades.
“During the late 1980s and early ’90s the city was infamous for homicides tied to the drug trade,” Crosstown writes. “There were more than 1,000 murders in the city in 1992 alone.”
The murder rate declined and remained low through the mid-2010s, but spiked during the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, the rate has declined each of the past two years, Crosstown found.
Los Angeles County had a lower rate than its largest city at 7 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.
Other California counties fared quite a bit better, including Orange County at 1.7 and San Diego County at 2.4.
Up north, Alameda County, which includes Oakland and much of the East Bay, had the highest murder rate among counties at 10 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.
| County | Homicide Rate (per 100,000 residents) |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles County | 7 |
| Orange County | 1.7 |
| Santa Clara County | 2.1 |
| San Diego County | 2.4 |
| Riverside County | 3.5 |
| San Bernardino County | 4.1 |
| Sacramento County | 5.9 |
| Alameda County | 10 |
The entire state of California experienced 1,892 murders in 2023, which is actually down 14.2% from the previous year.
Like the city of L.A., the state experienced a significant spike in homicides during the coronavirus pandemic, but those totals have continued to decline in the years that have followed.
To read a more detailed breakdown of the city, county and statewide murder rates in 2023, read Crosstown’s complete report here.