What Was Baltimore's Murder Count in 2024?

Baltimore recorded 256 homicides in 2024, according to data from the Baltimore Police Department. This represents a decline from 2023, when the city experienced 303 murders. The 2024 figure reflects ongoing fluctuations in the city's homicide rate, which peaked at 348 in 2021 before declining over subsequent years. The Baltimore Sun and local news outlets regularly report these figures as they are released by police.

How Baltimore Police Report Homicide Data

The Baltimore Police Department publishes crime statistics through its official records and incident reports. Annual homicide totals typically become available in the first quarter of the following year, though preliminary figures often circulate in December. The department uses the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) standards, which classify a homicide as the unlawful killing of one human being by another.

Local outlets including the Baltimore Sun, WBAL-TV, and WJZ-CBS Baltimore maintain running counts and year-over-year comparisons. These newsrooms often track homicides by neighborhood, time of day, and clearance status (whether police have made an arrest). The Sun publishes a detailed database searchable by victim name, date, and location.

Why 2024 Numbers Matter for Context

Understanding Baltimore's 2024 homicide count requires comparison with both historical trends and peer cities. At 256 murders in a city of roughly 585,000 residents, Baltimore's per-capita homicide rate remains significantly higher than the national average of approximately 6 per 100,000. For Baltimore, this translates to roughly 44 murders per 100,000 residents, though the exact rate depends on population estimates used.

The 2024 decline from 2023 follows a broader pattern: homicides peaked in 2021 at 348, then fell to 316 in 2022 and 303 in 2023. This downward trajectory reflects increased enforcement efforts, community violence intervention programs, and the work of the Gun Trace Task Force and other specialized units. However, the absolute number remains elevated compared to the early 2010s, when Baltimore averaged 200 to 240 murders annually.

Neighborhoods experience homicides unevenly. West Baltimore areas including Sandtown-Winchester, Gwynn Oak, and Harlem Park consistently account for a disproportionate share of the city's murders. East Baltimore neighborhoods including Belair-Edison and Greektown also report high counts. Downtown and Federal Hill, by contrast, experience far fewer homicides relative to their daytime populations.

Where to Access Official Data

For precise breakdowns by neighborhood, date, or demographic details, contact the Baltimore Police Department directly or request public records through the city's Mayor's Office. Annual Uniform Crime Reports are filed with the FBI and eventually published on the agency's crime data portal, though Baltimore's specific data is also available through local news databases.

The Baltimore Sun maintains one of the most accessible public records: a searchable database of homicides dating back years, updated as new cases are reported. This resource allows readers to filter by victim name, age, neighborhood, and date of death. WJZ-CBS Baltimore and WBAL-TV also publish interactive maps and annual summaries.

For researchers and policymakers, the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services publishes statewide crime statistics that include Baltimore's figures within the context of Maryland's 23 other jurisdictions. This comparison is useful for understanding whether Baltimore's trends reflect citywide dynamics or follow state-level patterns.

Clearance Rates and Investigation Status

Baltimore's homicide clearance rate—the percentage of murders solved through arrest—stood at approximately 32% in recent years, meaning roughly two-thirds of homicides remain unsolved. This figure is lower than the national average of around 51%. The low clearance rate reflects resource constraints, witness reluctance, and the difficulty of solving cases in neighborhoods with limited community-police trust.

Unsolved homicides represent ongoing investigations. The Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit and the State's Attorney's Office work cases over months or years. Cold case units occasionally reactivate older investigations. Understanding that a 2024 homicide count includes both recently solved and long-standing unsolved cases provides fuller context when reading news reports.

Interpreting Year-to-Year Changes

A decline from 303 to 256 murders (an 15% drop) is significant but does not indicate homicide has been eliminated or fully addressed. Baltimore's 2024 rate remains historically elevated compared to most major U.S. cities of similar size. Philadelphia, for example, recorded 255 homicides in 2024 with a population of 1.3 million, while Baltimore reached 256 with a population less than half that size.

The causes of year-to-year variation include gang activity, police enforcement intensity, community intervention program funding, and broader economic conditions. Single-year improvements do not guarantee sustained declines; homicides rose sharply in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic before trending downward.