Guide Rankings Law Updated June 26, 2026

Serial Killers by State

Crime-analysis documents and map materials representing serial killer statistics by state

Serial Killers by State

Ranking - Law

Quick Answer

Serial Killers by State

  1. 1

    Serial killers by state peak in Alaska at 0.867 per 100,000 residents, based on 9 known killers.

  2. 2

    California has the highest raw count at 128, but its rate is 0.452 per 100,000, which places it 12th. Texas is 29th at 0.307 despite 90 known killers.

  3. 3

    Hawaii is lowest at 0.091 per 100,000, followed by New Hampshire at 0.098 and South Dakota at 0.106. All three states have 4 or fewer known killers.

Map

Serial Killers by State Map

Per 100,000 residents
No data
Alaska leads at 0.867 per 100,000 residents, followed by Louisiana at 0.744 and Kansas at 0.606. Hawaii is lowest at 0.091, while California still stands out with the highest raw count at 128.
Serial Killers by State Map
Rank State Per 100,000 residents
1 Alaska 0.867
2 Louisiana 0.744
3 Kansas 0.606
4 Missouri 0.556
5 Wyoming 0.542
6 Illinois 0.534
7 Indiana 0.498
8 Washington 0.49
9 Oklahoma 0.482
10 Kentucky 0.458
11 Arkansas 0.456
12 California 0.452
13 Ohio 0.423
14 Michigan 0.418
15 Oregon 0.409
16 Montana 0.408
17 Nebraska 0.404
18 Florida 0.394
19 Alabama 0.381
20 Connecticut 0.362
21 Georgia 0.359
22 Pennsylvania 0.353
23 Nevada 0.353
24 South Carolina 0.35
25 Maryland 0.339
26 New Mexico 0.339
27 New York 0.338
28 Mississippi 0.331
29 Texas 0.307
30 Virginia 0.304
31 Tennessee 0.282
32 Massachusetts 0.279
33 Colorado 0.267
34 North Carolina 0.26
35 Maine 0.246
36 Arizona 0.244
37 West Virginia 0.244
38 New Jersey 0.242
39 Utah 0.241
40 Rhode Island 0.223
41 Idaho 0.219
42 Wisconsin 0.197
43 Vermont 0.171
44 Iowa 0.163
45 North Dakota 0.161
46 Delaware 0.15
47 Minnesota 0.138
48 South Dakota 0.106
49 New Hampshire 0.098
50 Hawaii 0.091

Alaska leads at 0.867 per 100,000 residents, followed by Louisiana at 0.744 and Kansas at 0.606. Hawaii is lowest at 0.091, while California still stands out with the highest raw count at 128.

Serial Killers by State Table

Killer Count

Download as PDF

Print-ready table — Serial Killers by State

States With the Highest and Lowest Serial Killer Rate

Highest

0.867
Alaska flag
Alaska #1

Lowest

0.091
Hawaii flag
Hawaii #50

Top 10 Highest — Serial Killers per 100,000

#1 Alaska flag Alaska
0.867
#2 Louisiana flag Louisiana
0.744
#3 Kansas flag Kansas
0.606
#4 Missouri flag Missouri
0.556
#5 Wyoming flag Wyoming
0.542
#6 Illinois flag Illinois
0.534
#7 Indiana flag Indiana
0.498
#8 Washington flag Washington
0.490
#9 Oklahoma flag Oklahoma
0.482
#10 Kentucky flag Kentucky
0.458

Top 10 Lowest — Serial Killers per 100,000

#50 Hawaii flag Hawaii
0.091
#49 New Hampshire flag New Hampshire
0.098
#48 South Dakota flag South Dakota
0.106
#47 Minnesota flag Minnesota
0.138
#46 Delaware flag Delaware
0.150
#45 North Dakota flag North Dakota
0.161
#44 Iowa flag Iowa
0.163
#43 Vermont flag Vermont
0.171
#42 Wisconsin flag Wisconsin
0.197
#41 Idaho flag Idaho
0.219

States With the Highest Serial Killer Rate

Investigation documents and map markers representing states with the highest serial killer rate
Per-capita rankings highlight how small-population states can rise sharply even when their raw totals remain low.

Alaska ranks first at 0.867 per 100,000 residents with 9 known serial killers. Louisiana is second at 0.744 with 16, and Kansas is third at 0.606 with 11.

Missouri sits fourth at 0.556 with 41 known serial killers, and Wyoming is fifth at 0.542 with 8. Illinois follows at 0.534 with 43, which is the highest raw count among the top 10 by rate.

States With Most Serial Killers

Urban skyline representing states with the highest raw serial killer totals
Raw counts tend to cluster in larger-population states, which is why total cases and per-capita rank often tell different stories.

California has the highest raw count at 128 known serial killers and 1,777 known victims. Texas is next at 90 and Florida is third at 76.

Raw totals and per-capita rank do not line up evenly. California ranks 12th by rate at 0.452 per 100,000, Florida ranks 18th at 0.394, and Texas ranks 29th at 0.307.

States With the Lowest Serial Killer Rate

Quiet residential street representing states with the lowest serial killer rate
The lowest-rate states combine small raw totals with relatively low per-capita exposure in the source dataset.

Hawaii ranks last at 0.091 per 100,000 residents with 3 known serial killers. New Hampshire is next at 0.098 with 4, and South Dakota is at 0.106 with 3.

Minnesota posts 0.138 with 7 known serial killers, and Delaware is at 0.150 with 5. North Dakota is only slightly higher at 0.161 with 2.

Quick Answers

Which state has the most serial killers per capita?
Alaska has the highest serial killer rate at 0.867 per 100,000 residents. Louisiana ranks second at 0.744, and Kansas ranks third at 0.606.
Which state has the most serial killers?
California has the highest raw count with 128 known serial killers. Texas is next with 90, and Florida follows with 76.
What is the serial killer rate in California?
California is at 0.452 serial killers per 100,000 residents, which puts it 12th in this ranking. Its raw count is 128, the highest total in the table.
What is the serial killer rate in Texas?
Texas is at 0.307 serial killers per 100,000 residents and ranks 29th by rate. Its raw count is 90, which is second only to California.
What is the serial killer rate in Florida?
Florida posts 0.394 serial killers per 100,000 residents, ranking 18th. Its raw count is 76, the third-highest total in the table.
Which state has the fewest serial killers per capita?
Hawaii is lowest at 0.091 serial killers per 100,000 residents. New Hampshire is next at 0.098, and South Dakota is at 0.106.

Methodology

Serial killer counts and per-million rates use the World Population Review 2026 state table. Per-100,000 figures on this page divide that rate by 10. The most notorious case field follows the state-by-state list from Serial Killer Calendar, and the District of Columbia is excluded here.

Sources

Information is cross-referenced with official state archives.
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