Washington District of Columbia

Washington, D.C. has seen its homicide rate fluctuate significantly in recent years, with the city recording over 200 murders annually — a count that represents a sharp increase from the historically low murder rates of the 2000s and early 2010s. The violence is concentrated in wards east of the Anacostia River — particularly Ward 7 and Ward 8 — where poverty rates above 30%, limited economic opportunity, and a legacy of racial segregation have created one of the most violent urban corridors in America. D.C.'s police department has struggled with staffing shortages and a backlog of homicide cases, with clearance rates falling below 50%. The city's status as the nation's capital gives its crime patterns unusual national prominence, and the 2023 murder of a 14-year-old boy by a teen outside a high school brought renewed attention to the city's youth violence crisis. FBI UCR data powers The Murder Channel's D.C. homicide tracker.

Washington, District of Columbia has recorded 22 homicides over the tracked period, with 28 victims identified.. The city ranks #191 among 339 U.S. cities tracked by the FBI, with a clearance rate of 36% — meaning an arrest or suspect identification was made in 8 of those incidents.

Detailed weapon and circumstance data continues to be analyzed by law enforcement agencies in the area.

Washington's homicide rate is 71% below the average for tracked U.S. cities, based on FBI UCR data. 6 cases remain under investigation. See also our District of Columbia state homicide data page for broader context. The Washington metropolitan area continues to be monitored as part of the national homicide tracking effort.