Chicago Among Top Cities For Homicides During COVID-19: Report

CHICAGO, IL — Homicide rates spiked in 50 of the largest U.S cities during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Windy City was no exception.

Chicago saw the third highest increase in homicides per capita overall between Q3 2019 and Q3 2021, scoring 80.07 out of a possible 100 points representing one of the highest homicide rates in the nation, according to a new report by personal finance website, WalletHub.

Homicide rates have risen by an average of 34 percent in 50 of the most populated U.S. cities between Q3 2019 and Q3 2021, and are still rising, the report found.

The increase in homicides isn’t unique to Chicago. Several major cities across the U.S. have seen big jumps as well.

Here are the top 10 cities with the highest increase in homicide rates, according to WalletHub:

1. Atlanta, GA
2. Memphis, TN
3. Chicago, IL
4. New Orleans, LA
5. Baltimore, MD
6. Indianapolis, IN
7. Washington, DC
7. Detroit, MI
9. Louisville, KY
10. Columbus, OH

The top 10 cities with the lowest increase in homicide rates are:

1. Lincoln, NE
2. Chandler, AZ
3. Virginia Beach, VA
4. Sacramento, CA
5. Anchorage, AK
6. Colorado Springs, CO
7. El Paso, TX
8. Seattle, WA
9. New York, NY
10. Omaha, NE

The report also found that blue cities, like Chicago, have a higher increase in homicide rates than red cities.

The number of shootings and homicides in Chicago this year continues to outpace 2020’s rates, new crime data recently released by the Chicago Police Department. At least 81 homicides were recorded last month, the Chicago Tribune reported. This is the most for a September since 1993. Homicides are also up 50 percent from last year.

Why the increase in some of the nation's biggest cities? Experts say there could be several contributing factors, including political change, unemployment, social unrest and the instability associated with the pandemic.

"In some places, more general uncertainty and fear caused by the pandemic is leading toward criminal activity. In some places, redeploying police resources toward social unrest is leading to less police in high crime areas. In other places, it may be police fear of doing their job because of the heightened scrutiny. Most like it is all of these factors coming together at once," said Matthew Hale, Ph.D., an associate Professor at Seton Hall University.

In order to determine which cities have the biggest homicide problems, WalletHub compared 50 of the largest U.S. cities based on per capita homicides in Q3 2021 as well as per capita homicides in Q3 2021 vs. Q3 2020 and Q3 2019.