---
title: 'STUDIES: Murder Rate Highest in South; Northeast Has Sharpest Decline'
description: 'On November 10 the Justice Department released its annual Uniform Crime Report for 2013. The report revealed an overall decline of 5.2% in the national…'
canonical: 'https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/studies-murder-rate-highest-in-south-northeast-has-sharpest-decline'
section: news
date: '2014-11-11T16:39:02-05:00'
updated: '2025-03-14T14:39:19-04:00'
source: 'Death Penalty Information Center'
---

| **REGION** | **2013 Murder Rate** | **2012 Murder Rate** Mur |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast | 3.5 | 3.8 |
| West | 4.0 | 4.2 |
| Midwest | 4.5 | 4.7 |
| South | 5.3 | 5.5 |
| **NATIONAL** | **4.5** | **4.7** |

 On November 10 the Justice Department released its annual *Uniform Crime Report* for 2013. The report revealed an overall decline of 5.2% in the national murder rate. The **Northeast** had the lowest murder rate--3.5 murders per 100,000 people--and the sharpest decline from last year. The **South** again had the highest murder rate (5.3). The **West** had the second-lowest murder rate (4.0), followed by the **Midwest** (4.5). The states with the highest murder rates in the country were **Louisiana** (10.8) and **Alabama** (7.2). The states with the lowest rates were **Iowa** (1.4) and **Hawaii** (1.5). The Northeast has also had the fewest executions in the modern era, with 4, and none since 2005. The South has had the highest number of executions (1,132) since 1976. The average murder rate for states with the death penalty (4.4) was higher than the average rate for states without the death penalty (3.4).

Among the ten states with the lowest murder rates, six have abolished the death penalty. Overall, as the use of the death penalty has declined, the murder rate has continued to fall.

("[Crime in the United States, 2013](https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-u.s.-2013/tables/4tabledatadecoverviewpdf/table_4_crime_in_the_united_states_by_region_geographic_division_and_state_2012-2013.xls)", U.S. Dept. of Justice, Nov. 10, 2014). See [**Deterrence**](/facts-about-deterrence-and-death-penalty?scid=12&did=167) and [**Murder Rates**](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/facts-and-research/murder-rates).