Do you live in one of the murder capitals of Idaho?
We all watch the news with horror when we hear about a homicide that happens not that far away from us. While a murder just blocks or even a couple of towns away from your house would make anyone uneasy, in the long run, most likely, where you live is relatively safe.
To find the cities in Idaho with the most murders and the highest murder rates per capita, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the FBI crime data on murders for the 10 cities in the Gem State with over 13,000 residents.
What city has the highest murder rate in Idaho? The city with the highest murder rate in Idaho is Jerome with 7 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in Idaho with highest number of murders? The city in Idaho with the highest number of murders is Twin Falls with 3 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in Idaho ranked. There were ‘only’ 10 cities in Idaho where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 20 places had no murder.
7 per 100k · #1 highest murder rate in Idaho
Located in
Jerome County, Idaho
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
6 per 100k · #2 highest murder rate in Idaho
Located in
Elmore County, Idaho
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
5 per 100k · #3 highest murder rate in Idaho
Located in
Twin Falls County, Idaho
Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The city had a population of 44,125 as of the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
4 per 100k · #4 highest murder rate in Idaho
Located in
Bonneville County, Idaho
Idaho Falls is a city in and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, United States, and is the largest city in Eastern Idaho. As of the 2010 census, the population of Idaho Falls was 56,813, with a metro population of 136,108. As of 2016, the population was estimated at 60,211.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
3 per 100k · #5 highest murder rate in Idaho
Located in
Canyon County, Idaho
Nampa ) is the largest city of Canyon County, Idaho. The population of Nampa was 81,557 at the 2010 census making it the second-most populous city in Idaho. Nampa is located about 20 miles west of Boise along Interstate 84, and six miles west of Meridian. Nampa is the second principal city of the Boise-Nampa metropolitan area. The name “Nampa” may have come from a Shoshoni word meaning either moccasin or footprint.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2 per 100k · #6 highest murder rate in Idaho
Located in
Madison County, Idaho
Rexburg is a city in Madison County, Idaho, United States. The population was 25,484 at the 2010 census, up from 17,257 in 2000. The city is the county seat of Madison County and its largest city. Rexburg is the principal city of the Rexburg, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Fremont and Madison Counties. The city is home to Brigham Young University-Idaho, a private institution operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
2 per 100k · #7 highest murder rate in Idaho
Located in
Kootenai County, Idaho
Post Falls is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho, between Coeur d’Alene and Spokane, Washington. It is both a suburb of Coeur d’Alene, to the east; and a bedroom community to Spokane, to the west. The population was 27,574 at the 2010 census, up from 17,247 in 2000 census, making it Idaho’s tenth largest city. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated 2014 population is 30,123.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 per 100k · #8 highest murder rate in Idaho
Located in
Canyon County, Idaho
Caldwell is a city in and the county seat of Canyon County, Idaho, United States. The population was 46,237 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
1 per 100k · #9 highest murder rate in Idaho
1 per 100k · #10 highest murder rate in Idaho
Located in
Ada County, Idaho
Meridian is a city located in Ada County in the US state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census, the population of Meridian was 75,092 making it the third largest city in Idaho after Boise and Nampa. A 2015 estimate placed the population at approximately 90,739. Meridian is the state’s fastest-growing city, with an 81.5 percent increase in population since 2000.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Idaho’s statewide median.
On the map
Where Idaho’s murders happen
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of Idaho
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in a state are the most dangerous, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we used Saturday Night Science to compare the hard numbers from the FBI’s last year of reporting. Specifically, we analyzed the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of murders in each city annually.
We only looked at every single city in Idaho for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 10 cities to rank.
We took the number of murders per capita as the ranking factor. The place with the most murders per capita based on the most recent data is Jerome. It is our eleventh time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in Idaho. We updated the list for 2026.
The full plate
Murder Rates By City In Idaho
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jerome | 13,399 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | Mountain Home | 16,927 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | Twin Falls | 55,932 | 3 | 5 |
| 4 | Idaho Falls | 68,716 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | Nampa | 118,950 | 3 | 3 |
| 6 | Rexburg | 40,164 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | Post Falls | 46,835 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | Caldwell | 71,115 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | Boise | 235,223 | 3 | 1 |
| 10 | Meridian | 140,353 | 1 | 1 |
Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report. 10 Idaho cities that reported a murder.
Summary
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In Idaho For 2026
If you’re looking at the places in Idaho with the most murders, and where residents have the highest chances of being killed themselves, this is an accurate list. Again, these statistics are an indication of where crimes occur, not a statement about the effectiveness of the law enforcement in the areas they serve.
The cities with the highest murder per capita in Idaho are Jerome, Mountain Home, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls, Nampa, Rexburg, Post Falls, Caldwell, Boise, and Meridian.
