---
title: 'STUDIES: FBI Crime Report Shows Murder Rates Remain Higher in Death Penalty States'
description: 'The U.S. Department of Justice released its annual FBI Uniform Crime Report for 2014, reporting no change in the national murder rate since 2013. In the…'
canonical: 'https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/studies-fbi-crime-report-shows-murder-rates-remain-higher-in-death-penalty-states'
section: news
date: '2015-10-30T16:10:27-04:00'
updated: '2025-03-14T14:42:30-04:00'
source: 'Death Penalty Information Center'
---

! The U.S. Department of Justice released its annual *FBI Uniform Crime Report* for 2014, reporting no change in the national murder rate since 2013. In the **Northeast**, the region with the fewest executions, the murder rate declined 5.7%, from 3.5 to 3.3 per 100,000 population. The murder rate was 1.7 times higher in the **South**, which carries out the most executions of any region. That region saw a 3.4% increase in the homicide rate, and its 5.5 murders per 100,00 population remained the highest rate of any region. Murder rates in the **West** and **Midwest** declined by 3.8% and 5.4%, respectively. A **[DPIC analysis](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/facts-and-research/murder-rates)** of weighted murder rates found that death penalty jurisdictions continue to have a higher murder rate than non-death penalty jurisdictions (including Washington, D.C.): 4.7 per 100,000 compared to 3.8 per 100,000. Ten of the eleven states with the highest murder rates have the death penalty, while six of the eight lowest do not.

("[Crime in the United States, 2014](https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2014/crime-in-the-u.s.-2014/tables/table-4)", U.S. Dept. of Justice (2015); DPIC analysis posted October 30, 2015). See [**Deterrence**](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/policy-issues/policy/deterrence) and [**Murder Rates**](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/facts-and-research/murder-rates).

 | **REGION** | **2014** | **2013** |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 3.3 | 3.5 |
| West | 3.9 | 4.0 |
| Midwest | 4.3 | 4.6 |
| South | 5.5 | 5.3 |
| **NATIONAL** | **4.5** | **4.5** |

 *Rates are number of murders per 100,000 persons.*