The murder rate in Chicago, which led all U.S. cities in homicides in both 2001 and 2003, has declined slightly during the last four years. The city’s rate remains nearly three times the rate in New York but lower than the rate in other large cities in the Midwest. Of cities with a population of 100,000 or more, Gary, Ind., had the highest murder rate in the country, while Madison, Wis., was among those with the lowest rates.

Note: The 2001 figure for New York does not include 2,823 reportedly killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reports; analyzed by The Chicago Reporter.