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Kentucky last year recorded a homicide rate of 7.2 per 100,000 residents, compared to the U.S. rate of 6.5 per 100,000 and the state’s 4.3 rate a decade earlier, according to newly released FBI crime data.
The increase reflected data reported to the FBI by 423 of 466 Kentucky law enforcement agencies. Municipal police departments such as Louisville's provided data to the FBI through the comprehensive National Incident-Based Reporting System.
Nationwide, 15,897 of 18,619 eligible law enforcement agencies submitted crime data to the FBI in 2020. Estimates based on the data showed violent crimes in the United States rose 5.6% from 2019 to 2020, although property crimes were down 7.8% over the same time period.
In 2010, the number of homicides in the nation was 4.8 per 100,000 Americans, compared to 6.5 per 100,000 last year, the FBI reported.
The arrest rate for murder and manslaughter offenses last year was 3.8 per 100,000 residents – or 58.5% of the total homicide number, according to the report.
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2020 vs. 2010 Homicide Rates by State
| State | 2010 Homicide Rate (per 100,000) | 2020 Homicide Rate (per 100,000) | Change in Homicide Rate (per 100,000) | Law Enforcement Agencies Reporting to FBI |
| Alabama | 5.7 | 9.6 | 3.9 | 357 of 432 |
| Alaska | 4.3 | 6.7 | 2.4 | 32 of 39 |
| Arizona | 6.4 | 6.9 | 0.5 | 105 of 125 |
| Arkansas | 4.6 | 10.6 | 6.0 | 281 of 305 |
| California | 4.8 | 5.6 | 0.8 | 732 of 740 |
| Colorado | 2.6 | 5.1 | 2.5 | 227 of 246 |
| Connecticut | 3.7 | 3.9 | 0.2 | 107 of 107 |
| Delaware | 5.7 | 7.4 | 1.7 | 62 of 62 |
| Florida | 5.2 | 5.9 | 0.7 | 675 of 687 |
| Georgia | 5.7 | 8.8 | 3.1 | 399 of 657 |
| Hawaii | 1.8 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 3 of 4 |
| Idaho | 1.4 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 111 of 114 |
| Illinois | 5.5 | 9.1 | 3.6 | 667 of 935 |
| Indiana | 4.1 | 7.5 | 3.4 | 205 of 334 |
| Iowa | 1.2 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 251 of 272 |
| Kansas | 3.4 | 3.4 | 0.0 | 359 of 418 |
| Kentucky | 4.3 | 7.2 | 2.9 | 423 of 466 |
| Louisiana | 11.0 | 15.8 | 4.8 | 187 of 253 |
| Maine | 1.8 | 1.6 | -0.2 | 133 of 133 |
| Maryland | 7.4 | 9.1 | 1.7 | 152 of 153 |
| Massachusetts | 3.3 | 2.3 | -1.0 | 369 of 411 |
| Michigan | 5.9 | 7.6 | 1.7 | 637 of 648 |
| Minnesota | 1.8 | 3.4 | 1.6 | 417 of 420 |
| Mississippi | 6.9 | 10.6 | 3.7 | 113 of 251 |
| Missouri | 7.0 | 11.8 | 4.8 | 551 of 594 |
| Montana | 2.5 | 5.0 | 2.5 | 106 of 114 |
| Nebraska | 3.0 | 3.6 | 0.6 | 235 of 271 |
| Nevada | 5.8 | 5.7 | -0.1 | 60 of 63 |
| New Hampshire | 1.0 | 0.9 | -0.1 | 193 of 210 |
| New Jersey | 4.2 | 3.7 | -0.5 | 577 of 577 |
| New Mexico | 6.8 | 7.8 | 1.0 | 121 of 128 |
| New York | 4.5 | 4.2 | -0.3 | 563 of 595 |
| North Carolina | 5.0 | 8.0 | 3.0 | 378 of 534 |
| North Dakota | 1.5 | 4.2 | 2.7 | 110 of 110 |
| Ohio | 4.2 | 7.0 | 2.8 | 610 of 858 |
| Oklahoma | 5.2 | 7.4 | 2.2 | 443 of 445 |
| Oregon | 2.5 | 2.9 | 0.4 | 214 of 234 |
| Pennsylvania | 5.1 | 7.9 | 2.8 | 945 of 1,504 |
| Rhode Island | 2.8 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 49 of 49 |
| South Carolina | 5.7 | 10.5 | 4.8 | 398 of 471 |
| South Dakota | 2.8 | 4.5 | 1.7 | 128 of 145 |
| Tennessee | 5.6 | 9.6 | 4.0 | 463 of 464 |
| Texas | 4.9 | 6.6 | 1.7 | 1,062 of 1,158 |
| Utah | 1.9 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 130 of 145 |
| Vermont | 1.1 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 88 of 88 |
| Virginia | 4.7 | 6.1 | 1.4 | 416 of 423 |
| Washington | 2.3 | 3.9 | 1.6 | 254 of 275 |
| West Virginia | 3.1 | 6.6 | 3.5 | 251 of 435 |
| Wisconsin | 2.7 | 5.3 | 2.6 | 427 of 447 |
| Wyoming | 1.4 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 59 of 69 |
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
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