Texas Homicide Charges: 2025 Statistics and Traits

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Report Highlights:

• Texas’ homicide rate declined from 7.10 per 100,000 people in 2023 to 5.88 per 100,000 in 2024.
• Texas ranked 24th nationally for homicides in 2024, with lower rates than Georgia and Illinois, but higher rates than California, Florida, and New York.
• Males in Texas were nearly 3.5 times more likely to be homicide victims than women in 2024, with rates of 9.25 versus 2.52 per 100,000.
• Young adults (20-24) had the highest homicide rate in 2024, while children and adults over 45 had the lowest rates.

Murders in Texas by Year

In 2024, Texas’ homicide rate was 5.88 per 100,000 people; down from 7.10 per 100,000 in 2023. The state’s homicide rate averaged 9.76 per 100,000 between 1968 and 2024.

In 1968, Texas’ homicide rate was 12.00 per 100,000. That rate peaked in 1980 and 1981 at 14.70 per 100,000. The state’s rate remained high until 2001, when it decreased below the national average of 7.1 to 6.6 per 100,000.

The rate remained between 6 and 7 per 100,000 until it declined to its lowest in 2011 (4.90 per 100,000). It increased to 5.00 per 100,000 during the 2010s, and increased with the rest of the nation during COVID (7 to 8 per 100,000).

Texas Murders Compared to Other States

Texas ranked 24th for homicides in the United States in 2024. The state had the second largest population in the nation and 1,857 homicides in the same year.

Compared to five other populous states with similar and opposing firearm and sanctuary policies, Texas ranked third for homicides.

California (4.53 per 100,000), Florida (5.26 per 100,000), and New York (3.45 per 100,000) had lower homicide rates than Texas in 2024. Georgia and Illinois had higher homicide rates at 9.18 and 8.34 per 100,000, respectively.

How Does Texas Compare to the National Average?

Texas’ homicide rate in 2024 was 5.88 per 100,000; slightly below the national average of 6.00 per 100,000.

Between 1968 and 1996, Texas’ homicide rate averaged 13.80 per 100,000; higher than the 9.02 per 100,000 national average. In the late 1990s, Texas’ rates declined until it aligned more with the national average, sporadically decreasing and increasing but remaining below 8 per 100,000.

In 2021, the nation and Texas’ homicide rates increased to their highest in two decades (8.10 per 100,000 and 7.80 per 100,000, respectively). National and state rates declined in 2022 and continued to decrease through 2024.

Counties With the Highest Homicide Rates in Texas

In 2024, Dallas County had the most homicides (255) of any county in Texas, and a homicide rate of 9.78 per 100,000.

The top five Texan counties with the highest homicide rates in 2024 were Potter, Jefferson, Harris, Ector, and Nueces County.

Potter County had the highest homicide rate in 2024 at 13.96 per 100,000 (16 murders), followed by Jefferson County at 11.50 per 100,000 (29 murders).

Get the full data driven picture here: https://ammo.com/research/texas-murder-rate