Do you live in one of the murder capitals of New Jersey?
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 New Jersey 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 64 cities in the Garden State with over 5,000 residents.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
Cities With Highest Murder Rates In New Jersey
- Camden County Police Department
- Bridgeton
- Trenton
- Atlantic City
- Independence Township
- New Brunswick
- Eastampton Township
- Millville
- Ocean Township, Monmouth County
- Keyport
What city has the highest murder rate in New Jersey? The city with the highest murder rate in New Jersey is Camden County Police Department with 26.2 murders per 100,000 people.
What is the city in New Jersey with highest number of murders? The city in New Jersey with the highest number of murders is Newark with 39 murders.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town in New Jersey ranked. There were ‘only’ 64 cities in New Jersey where a city reported a murder to the FBI, meaning 265 places had no murder.
For more reading on the Garden State check out:
- Best Places To Live In New Jersey
- Cheapest Places To Live In New Jersey
- Most Dangerous Cities In New Jersey
The 10 Murder Capitals Of New Jersey For 2026
1. Camden County Police Department
Population: 72,435
Murders: 19 (3rd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 26.2 (Most)
More on Camden County Police Department: Movers
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Population: 26,634
Murders: 6 (8th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 22.5 (2nd Most)
More on Bridgeton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
/10
Population: 91,236
Murders: 20 (2nd Most)
Murders Per 100k: 21.9 (3rd Most)
More on Trenton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
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Population: 38,480
Murders: 7 (6th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 18.2 (4th Most)
More on Atlantic City: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
5. Independence Township
Population: 5,539
Murders: 1 (45th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 18.1 (5th Most)
More on Independence Township: Movers
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Population: 57,259
Murders: 9 (5th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 15.7 (6th Most)
More on New Brunswick: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
7. Eastampton Township
Population: 6,524
Murders: 1 (45th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 15.3 (7th Most)
More on Eastampton Township: Movers
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Population: 27,340
Murders: 4 (13th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 14.6 (8th Most)
More on Millville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
9. Ocean Township, Monmouth County
Population: 27,835
Murders: 4 (13th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 14.4 (9th Most)
More on Ocean Township, Monmouth County: Movers
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Population: 7,072
Murders: 1 (45th Most)
Murders Per 100k: 14.1 (10th Most)
More on Keyport: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Methodology: How we calculated the murder capitals of New Jersey
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 New Jersey for which FBI data was available for the most recent FBI Crime In The United States. That left us with 64 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 Camden County Police Department. It is our eleventh time ranking the places with the most murders per capita in New Jersey. We updated the list for 2026.
Summary: The Places With The Most Murders In New Jersey For 2026
If you’re looking at the places in New Jersey 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 New Jersey are Camden County Police Department, Bridgeton, Trenton, Atlantic City, Independence Township, New Brunswick, Eastampton Township, Millville, Ocean Township, Monmouth County, and Keyport.
For more New Jersey reading, check out:
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- Fastest Growing Cities In New Jersey
- Safest Places In New Jersey
- Best Cities For Singles In New Jersey
- Worst Places To Live In New Jersey
Murder Rates By City In New Jersey
| Rank | City | Population | Murders | Murders/100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Camden County Police Department, NJ | 72435 | 19 | 26.23 |
| 2 | Bridgeton, NJ | 26634 | 6 | 22.53 |
| 3 | Trenton, NJ | 91236 | 20 | 21.92 |
| 4 | Atlantic City, NJ | 38480 | 7 | 18.19 |
| 5 | Independence Township, NJ | 5539 | 1 | 18.05 |
| 6 | New Brunswick, NJ | 57259 | 9 | 15.72 |
| 7 | Eastampton Township, NJ | 6524 | 1 | 15.33 |
| 8 | Millville, NJ | 27340 | 4 | 14.63 |
| 9 | Ocean Township, Monmouth County, NJ | 27835 | 4 | 14.37 |
| 10 | Keyport, NJ | 7072 | 1 | 14.14 |
| 11 | Newark, NJ | 309708 | 39 | 12.59 |
| 12 | Fairfield Township, Essex County, NJ | 8150 | 1 | 12.27 |
| 13 | Runnemede, NJ | 8528 | 1 | 11.73 |
| 14 | Clayton, NJ | 9191 | 1 | 10.88 |
| 15 | Hamilton Township, Atlantic County, NJ | 28528 | 3 | 10.52 |
| 16 | Willingboro Township, NJ | 32211 | 3 | 9.31 |
| 17 | South Amboy, NJ | 10781 | 1 | 9.28 |
| 18 | Pine Hill, NJ | 11028 | 1 | 9.07 |
| 19 | Guttenberg, NJ | 11426 | 1 | 8.75 |
| 20 | Irvington, NJ | 60900 | 5 | 8.21 |
| 21 | Red Bank, NJ | 12737 | 1 | 7.85 |
| 22 | Carteret, NJ | 25827 | 2 | 7.74 |
| 23 | Paramus, NJ | 26745 | 2 | 7.48 |
| 24 | East Orange, NJ | 71138 | 5 | 7.03 |
| 25 | Somerville, NJ | 15122 | 1 | 6.61 |
| 26 | Union Township, NJ | 62290 | 4 | 6.42 |
| 27 | Mantua Township, NJ | 15851 | 1 | 6.31 |
| 28 | Paterson, NJ | 158903 | 10 | 6.29 |
| 29 | Franklin Township, Gloucester County, NJ | 16963 | 1 | 5.9 |
| 30 | Orange City, NJ | 34349 | 2 | 5.82 |
| 31 | Weehawken Township, NJ | 17617 | 1 | 5.68 |
| 32 | Perth Amboy, NJ | 56409 | 3 | 5.32 |
| 33 | Pleasantville, NJ | 20619 | 1 | 4.85 |
| 34 | Hazlet Township, NJ | 20663 | 1 | 4.84 |
| 35 | Teaneck Township, NJ | 42771 | 2 | 4.68 |
| 36 | Moorestown Township, NJ | 21647 | 1 | 4.62 |
| 37 | Lindenwold, NJ | 22184 | 1 | 4.51 |
| 38 | Manchester Township, NJ | 47488 | 2 | 4.21 |
| 39 | Glassboro, NJ | 24793 | 1 | 4.03 |
| 40 | Raritan Township, NJ | 25018 | 1 | 4.0 |
| 41 | Wall Township, NJ | 26547 | 1 | 3.77 |
| 42 | Elizabeth, NJ | 138500 | 5 | 3.61 |
| 43 | North Bergen Township, NJ | 59532 | 2 | 3.36 |
| 44 | Vineland, NJ | 60848 | 2 | 3.29 |
| 45 | Long Branch, NJ | 33113 | 1 | 3.02 |
| 46 | Garfield, NJ | 33129 | 1 | 3.02 |
| 47 | Gloucester Township, NJ | 67786 | 2 | 2.95 |
| 48 | Ewing Township, NJ | 34718 | 1 | 2.88 |
| 49 | Galloway Township, NJ | 37910 | 1 | 2.64 |
| 50 | Marlboro Township, NJ | 41344 | 1 | 2.42 |
| 51 | Jersey City, NJ | 297922 | 7 | 2.35 |
| 52 | West Orange, NJ | 48638 | 1 | 2.06 |
| 53 | Howell Township, NJ | 53988 | 1 | 1.85 |
| 54 | Hoboken, NJ | 57293 | 1 | 1.75 |
| 55 | Jackson Township, NJ | 62326 | 1 | 1.6 |
| 56 | Middletown Township, NJ | 66307 | 1 | 1.51 |
| 57 | Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ | 69921 | 1 | 1.43 |
| 58 | Passaic, NJ | 69938 | 1 | 1.43 |
| 59 | Lakewood Township, NJ | 144876 | 2 | 1.38 |
| 60 | Cherry Hill Township, NJ | 79950 | 1 | 1.25 |
| 61 | Clifton, NJ | 89870 | 1 | 1.11 |
| 62 | Hamilton Township, Mercer County, NJ | 93487 | 1 | 1.07 |
| 63 | Toms River Township, NJ | 102734 | 1 | 0.97 |
| 64 | Edison Township, NJ | 109086 | 1 | 0.92 |