A person was more likely to be murdered in some of the largest cities in the United States last year than in some of Latin America’s deadliest countries, a Breitbart News analysis of 2018 homicide rates per 100,000 inhabitants shows.
Breitbart News’ estimates are primarily gleaned from the latest U.S. Census Bureau and CIA World Factbook population data in conjunction with 2018 murder figures, reported by large U.S. cities with a population higher than 100,000 and foreign governments.
In 2018, the murder rate was higher in St. Louis (61 per 100,000) than in El Salvador (54 per 100,000) and Honduras (36 per 100,000).
In Baltimore, the homicide rate of 51 per 100,000 residents was higher than Honduras and nearly the same as in El Salvador.
According to various estimates, El Salvador (3,340), and Honduras (3,310) are among the deadliest in Latin America, a phenomenon that has triggered an exodus of migrants to the U.S. borders who cite violence at home as the main reason for leaving.
The United States, however, is facing its own problems with violence. Most of the major U.S. cities in the United States have been Democrat strongholds for decades. While Democrats in Congress have repeatedly demanded that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration take in all asylum-seekers fleeing crime and gangs in their home country, they are struggling to keep some of their constituent population safe from similar threats–sometimes the same gangs.
The top five large cities (population higher than 100,000) with the highest murder rate in the United States last year — St. Louis, Baltimore, Detroit, New Orleans, and Memphis — are all run by Democrat mayors.
Despite the high number of homicides in large U.S. cities, New York University’s Brennan Center for Justice estimated days before the end of 2018 that the overall murder rate in the 30 biggest cities in the United States dropped by six percent, continuing a downward trend.
The center reported:
The 2018 murder rate in the 30 largest cities is estimated to decline by nearly 6 percent. Large decreases this year in Chicago and San Francisco, as well as moderate decreases in other cities such as Baltimore, contributed to this decline.
The murder rate in Chicago — which increased significantly in 2015 and 2016 — is projected to decline by 18.1 percent in 2018. The murder rate in San Francisco is estimated to all by nearly 27 percent. Baltimore’s 2018 murder rate is projected to decline by 7.4 percent.
Some cities are projected to see their murder rates rise, including Washington, D.C. (by 39.5 percent), and Houston (by 22.6 percent). Further study is needed to better understand the causes of these rises.
Per sheer numbers, the top five deadliest U.S. cities in 2018 were Chicago (561), Philadelphia (351), Baltimore (309), New York (289), and Houston (280).
In Baltimore, the majority (175) of murder victims were shot in the head, the Baltimore Sun reported.
The top 10 American cities with the highest murder rates last year are: St. Louis — 61 per 100,000; Baltimore — 51 per 100,000; Detroit — 39 per 100,000; New Orleans — 37 per 100,000; Memphis — 29 per 100,000; Las Vegas — 25 per 100,000; Indianapolis — 24 per 100,000; Washington, D.C. — 23 per 100,000; Philadelphia — 22 per 100,000; and Chicago — 21 per 100,000.
Some assessments have deemed Venezuela, El Salvador, and Honduras the most violent countries in Latin America.
This article has been updated.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.