New Orleans Reclaims Title as Murder Capital of the U.S.

An analysis of new FBI statistics by the Times-Picayune shows that once again, New Orleans is the nation's murder capital. The newspaper determined that with 64 killings per 100,000 people in 2008, New Orleans had the highest per capita murder rate in the country.

Coming in second was St. Louis, who had 47 murders per 100,000 people. The state of Louisiana also had another city come in the nation's top ten - Baton Rouge, with 30 murders per 100,000. Baton Rouge gained population after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The per capita estimate for New Orleans was based on the FBI's estimate of the city's population at 281,440 as of July 1, 2008. The Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, however, lists the city's population for the first half of 2008 at 324,357. But even using the higher population figures, New Orleans still would easily claim the top spot with 55 murders per 100,000 people.