California’s Danger Zones: 6 Counties With Highest Homicide Rates

Alameda County tops the list, mainly because of Oakland’s homicide rate of 27.6 per 100,000 people.

Police respond to a multiple shooting during a Juneteenth celebration near Lake Merritt in Oakland, Calif., on June 19, 2024. Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group via AP

Alameda County, home to Oakland, ranked No. 1 in homicides in the state per capita in 2023, according to a report released earlier this month, by the California Attorney General’s office.

Meanwhile, Merced County—in the central region of the state—which topped the list in 2022, showed a sharp decrease in homicides and fell out of the state’s top five.