3 VA Cities Among Top In U.S. For Highest Increase In Homicide Rates

VIRGINIA — A national study from WalletHub reports that three Virginia cities are among the top in the United States with the highest homicide rate increase.

Homicide rates have risen by an average of 18 percent in 50 of the most populated U.S. cities between Q2 2020 and Q2 2022, and are still rising, the study found.

"With increasing costs of living and inflation, political and social debates around issues like abortion and gun control, ongoing concerns regarding COVID-19, and the rise of new potential threats to health and well-being like Monkeypox, we may be in for increases in homicide for another year," said Christopher Salvatore, an associate professor of justice studies at Montclair State University.

Of the 50 most populated U.S. cities, Chesapeake ranked No. 17 with 2.88 homicide cases per 100,000 residents. Virginia Beach took the No. 23 spot with 1.55 homicide cases per 100,000 residents. Norfolk ranked No. 29 with 4.91 homicide cases per 100,000 residents, according to WalletHub.

The study found that blue cities have a higher increase in homicide rates than red cities.

Here are the top 10 cities with the highest increase in homicide rates:

1. New Orleans, LA
2. Baltimore, MD
3. Louisville, KY
4. Milwaukee, WI
5. Washington, DC
6. St. Louis, MO
7. Albuquerque, NM
8. Detroit, MI
9. Anchorage, AK
10. Atlanta, GA

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 Q2 2022 as well as per capita homicides in Q2 2022 vs. Q2 2021 and Q2 2020.

To read the full report, click here.