Black Homicide Victimization in the U.S. (Report | April 2023)

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Missouri's Black Homicide Victimization Rate Again Highest in US​

April 26, 2023
94 Percent of Black Homicide Victims in Missouri were Killed with Guns

Washington, DC — Missouri has the highest Black homicide victimization rate in the nation with a rate of 50.98 per 100,000—more than twice the national Black homicide victimization rate and eight and a half times the overall homicide rate nationwide—according to a new analysis by the Violence Policy Center (VPC).

In addition to national data, the annual study, Black Homicide Victimization in the United States: An Analysis of 2020 Homicide Data, also ranks the states according to their Black homicide victimization rates. It is based on unpublished data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR). The study details homicide rates for 2020, the most recent year for which comprehensive national data is available. This is the 17th year the Violence Policy Center has released the study.

“The consistent, disproportionate impact of homicide on Black men, women, boys, and girls is a national shame. Guns are almost always the weapon used, and the ripple effects of each death ravage families, friends, and whole communities. Each year we release this information to help support violence prevention advocates and organizations working on the local level while continuing to educate and engage policymakers and the public on the need to address this national crisis,” state VPC Executive Director Josh Sugarmann.

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In addition, individuals living in communities where violence is prevalent are at higher risk for a broad range of negative health and behavior outcomes. An increased understanding of how trauma resulting from community violence influences development, health, and behavior can lead to improvements in the way many social services are delivered as well as policy changes at the local and federal levels (see the July 2017 VPC study The Relationship Between Community Violence and Trauma: How Violence Affects Learning, Health, and Behavior).

The rate of Black homicide victimization is calculated by dividing the number of Black homicide victims by the Black population and multiplying the result by 100,000. This is the standard and accepted method of comparing fatal levels of gun violence
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The Violence Policy Center is a national educational organization working to stop gun death and injury. Follow the VPC on Twitter and Facebook.

 

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