Topeka ahead of nation’s ‘murder capital’ with per capita homicide count

TOPEKA (KSNT) – Topeka police recently marked a grim new milestone for the Capital City with the announcement that the all-time homicide count has been broken.

In 2023, the Topeka Police Department is investigating 31 homicide cases with the most recent being reported on Oct. 15. This broke a previously established record set in 2017 for 30 homicides. As Topeka reaches this new record, how does it stack up when compared with other cities in Kansas along with other U.S. cities with traditionally high homicide counts?

The new ‘murder capital’ of Kansas?

Earlier this year, Chicago was named the “murder capital” of the U.S. with 697 homicides in 2022. The city with the highest homicide rate per capita was New Orleans at 74.3 per 100,000 people at 280 reported homicides in 2022. Chicago’s per capita rate was only 26.2.

While Topeka doesn’t have the title for the most homicides of 2023 among Kansas’ cities, its per capita rate is the highest in the state at 24.7 per 100,000 people. Wichita, which has 38 homicides so far this year, only has a per capita rate of 9.6 per 100,000 people.

KSNT 27 News obtained the below information from local associated police departments. Population statistics are current as of 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Wichita

Population – 396,192

Homicides – 38

Per capita – 9.6

Overland Park

Population – 197,726

Homicides – 0

Per capita – 0

Kansas City, Kansas

Population – 153,345

Homicides – 19

Per capita – 12.4

Topeka

Population – 125,449

Homicides – 31

Per capita – 24.7

Lawrence

Population – 95,794

Homicides – 3

Per capita – 3.13

Shawnee

Population – 69,198

Homicides – 1

Per capita – 1.4

Lenexa

Population – 58,617

Homicides – 1

Per capita – 1.7

Manhattan

Population – 53,829

Homicides – 1

Per capita – 1.8

Salina

Population – 46,231

Homicides – 2

Per capita – 4.32

Comparing Topeka’s per capita rate with Chicago’s reported homicides for 2023 reveals Topeka is ahead of the nation’s murder capital by several points. The Chicago Police Department’s most recent crime report, which covers reported murders up to Oct. 15, shows 491 reported homicides. This gives Chicago a per capita rate of 18.4 for 2023, behind Topeka’s 24.7.

For more crime news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app.