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[USAFacts]([link removed])

Where are the nation=E2=80=99s highest murder rates? =C2=A0

There were 22,380 homicides in the US in 2023, or 6.8 homicides per 100,000=
people. But rates, of course, vary by location. [Where are rates highest](=
[link removed]),=
and where are they declining?

Ranking counties by the largest number of homicides and the homicide rate s=
hows two different pictures. =C2=A0
=C2=A0

[USAFacts]([link removed]
er-rates/)

- Cook County in Illinois had the highest total homicides =E2=80=94 805 =E2=
=80=94 at a rate of 15.8 per 100,000 people. It=E2=80=99s the largest count=
y in the Chicago metro area. The second-most were in California=E2=80=99s L=
os Angeles County with 659 homicides, a rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people.=C2=
=A0

- The homicide rate is generally a fairer way to understand these numbers b=
ecause it adjusts for population size. It keeps us from comparing a lower n=
umber in a small county to a larger rate in a county twice its size.

- The homicide rate per 100,000 people was highest in Shelby County, Tennes=
see, which is part of the Memphis metro area. The county had 372 homicides,=
or 40.9 per 100,000 people. St. Louis, Missouri, (which operates independe=
ntly of the county) had 106 homicides, or 37.6 per 100,000.

[Homicide rate and total homicides by large metros]([link removed]
ticles/which-cities-have-the-highest-murder-rates/)

- From 2018 to 2023, murder rates rose in 71 of 97 large metro counties. Th=
e largest net homicide rate increase was in Shelby County, Tennessee, incre=
asing by 16.6 homicides per 100,000. Washington, DC, followed with a rise o=
f 15.4. Third was St. Clair County, Illinois (part of the St. Louis metro a=
rea), up by 11.7 homicides.

- The largest percentage increases were +196.7% in Multnomah County, Oregon=
(home to Portland), +192.9% New York County, New York (Manhattan), and +15=
0.0% in Hennepin County, Minnesota (home to Minneapolis).

- [Provisional data]([link removed]) =
from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the national homi=
cide rate at 6.0 people per 100,000 in 2024, though this data is subject to=
change.=C2=A0

[Want to see more?]([link removed]
hest-murder-rates/)

[USAFacts]([link removed])

The US military in metrics and demographics

The US military had about [2.1 million troops]([link removed]
/how-many-troops-are-in-the-us-military/country/united-states/) as of March=
2025, a force that has gradually declined since the late 1980s. Nearly two=
-thirds of military members are on active duty, stationed in the US and abr=
oad. Let=E2=80=99s get to know the military from different data angles.
=C2=A0

[USAFacts]([link removed]
tary-a-demographic-overview/)

- Of the military personnel, nearly 1.3 million are active-duty troops, and=
about 765,000 are National Guard/Reserves.

[Active duty military troops]([link removed]
-are-in-the-us-military-a-demographic-overview/)

- By 2024, [active-duty military personnel]([link removed]
ow-many-people-are-in-the-us-military-a-demographic-overview/) were down 48=
.5% from their record high during the Vietnam War in 1968. They dropped aga=
in in 1991 at the end of the Cold War. Troop levels have remained relativel=
y stable since then, even during conflicts in Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq =
in 2003.

- From 2010 to 2023, racial diversity rose in the Army (2.9 percentage poin=
ts) and the Air Force (4.2 percentage points). It fell in the Navy (-0.5 pe=
rcentage points) and Marine Corps (-1.3 percentage points).
=C2=A0
- As of 2023, [women]([link removed]
the-us-military-a-demographic-overview/) comprised 17.7% of all active-duty=
military personnel, totaling 225,119 members. That=E2=80=99s up from 2005,=
when the share of women actively serving in all military branches was 14.6=
%.

- In March, about 177,000 troops, or 13.6% of active-duty troops, were stat=
ioned abroad (including US territories). Most were in Germany (about 35,000=
troops) and Japan (53,000).

- California, Virginia, and Texas each had more than 100,000 troops assigne=
d to bases in their state, accounting for 34.5% of active-duty troops. Twen=
ty-three states, including Washington, DC, have more than 10,000 troops.

[Want to see more?]([link removed]
e-us-military-a-demographic-overview/)

[USAFacts]([link removed])

Making sense of the tax code=C2=A0

There are thousands of people who don=E2=80=99t have to pay federal income =
taxes. Curious how that=E2=80=99s true? [Sign up for the Tax (De)code](http=
s://usafacts.org/economy/taxes/), a five-issue crash newsletter course in t=
he American tax system.

[USAFacts]([link removed])

Data behind the news

- Do visa holders pay taxes? Can refugees get on Medicaid? USAFacts just pu=
blished [this unique chart]([link removed]
-eligibility/) explaining benefits people with varying immigration statuses=
can get =E2=80=94 and duties they might pay.

- [Consumer Price Index]([link removed]
-price-index-monthly-cpi-report/) data from July and early August show that=
inflation has stayed elevated. We have the latest data on the [biggest inf=
lation-drivers]([link removed]
f-inflation-in-the-past-year/country/united-states/) of the past year.=C2=
=A0

- The nation=E2=80=99s debt has reached a record $37 trillion, the Treasury=
Department announced last week. Learn more about the federal budget [in th=
is video]([link removed]) with USAFacts founde=
r Steve Ballmer. =C2=A0

- On Friday, President Trump met with Russian President Putin=C2=A0to discu=
ss the war in Ukraine. Today, he met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. He=
re's [how much money]([link removed]
us-given-ukraine-since-russias-invasion/) the US has given Ukraine since Ru=
ssia's invasion.

- It=E2=80=99s everyone=E2=80=99s favorite part of Monday: [weekly fact qui=
z]([link removed]) time!=C2=A0

[USAFacts]([link removed])

One last fact

[Eighth-grade reading scores have declined in 38 states since 2019](https:/=
/usafacts.org/articles/covid-disrupted-decades-of-progress-in-math-and-read=
ing/)

[Eighth-grade reading scores]([link removed]
-decades-of-progress-in-math-and-reading/) fell in 38 states from 2019 to 2=
024. According to the Nation=E2=80=99s Report Card, eighth graders must sco=
re 281 to be proficient, which means a student can form an opinion about an=
author=E2=80=99s arguments. In 2024, the average eighth-grader had a readi=
ng score of 258.=C2=A0

[USAFacts]([link removed])

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