Most Dangerous & Safest Counties in Alabama

Alabama has 61 counties with crime data. The county with the highest homicide rate is Lowndes County at 46.0 per 100K , while the safest is DeKalb County at 3.4 per 100K .

40 of 61 counties (66%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100K. All rates are per 100,000 residents and come from County Health Rankings, which compiles data from the CDC, FBI, and other federal sources.

Metric

Most Dangerous Counties in Alabama

Top 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
1 Lowndes County 46.0 per 100K +475.4%
2 Macon County 44.8 per 100K +459.8%
3 Dallas County 41.5 per 100K +418.5%
4 Wilcox County 39.5 per 100K +393.8%
5 Montgomery County 26.2 per 100K +227.5%
6 Jefferson County 26.0 per 100K +225.1%
7 Hale County 21.3 per 100K +166.6%
8 Bullock County 21.0 per 100K +162.6%
9 Sumter County 20.7 per 100K +158.4%
10 Russell County 19.9 per 100K +149.1%

Safest Counties in Alabama

Bottom 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
61 DeKalb County 3.4 per 100K -57.6%
60 Baldwin County 3.9 per 100K -51.6%
59 Shelby County 4.0 per 100K -50.4%
58 Cullman County 4.0 per 100K -49.8%
57 Marion County 4.8 per 100K -40.6%
56 Marshall County 4.9 per 100K -39.1%
55 Chilton County 5.1 per 100K -35.9%
54 Geneva County 5.4 per 100K -32.6%
53 Franklin County 5.4 per 100K -32.3%
52 Blount County 5.9 per 100K -26.4%

All 61 Counties Ranked

Every county in Alabama ranked by homicide rate. Click any county for its full profile.

# County Homicides
1 Lowndes County 46.0 per 100K +475.4%
2 Macon County 44.8 per 100K +459.8%
3 Dallas County 41.5 per 100K +418.5%
4 Wilcox County 39.5 per 100K +393.8%
5 Montgomery County 26.2 per 100K +227.5%
6 Jefferson County 26.0 per 100K +225.1%
7 Hale County 21.3 per 100K +166.6%
8 Bullock County 21.0 per 100K +162.6%
9 Sumter County 20.7 per 100K +158.4%
10 Russell County 19.9 per 100K +149.1%
11 Conecuh County 17.9 per 100K +124.3%
12 Mobile County 17.8 per 100K +122.1%
13 Butler County 17.6 per 100K +120.6%
14 Talladega County 17.4 per 100K +117.9%
15 Monroe County 16.6 per 100K +108.1%
16 Marengo County 15.7 per 100K +96.8%
17 Pike County 13.8 per 100K +72.4%
18 Coosa County 13.5 per 100K +69.0%
19 Washington County 13.4 per 100K +67.0%
20 Escambia County 13.2 per 100K +64.6%
21 Barbour County 13.1 per 100K +64.3%
22 Choctaw County 11.8 per 100K +47.5%
23 Crenshaw County 11.6 per 100K +44.5%
24 Chambers County 11.4 per 100K +43.0%
25 Cleburne County 11.4 per 100K +42.6%
26 Morgan County 10.9 per 100K +36.3%
27 Henry County 10.7 per 100K +34.3%
28 Calhoun County 10.0 per 100K +24.6%
29 Houston County 9.8 per 100K +23.1%
30 Clarke County 9.7 per 100K +21.5%
31 Tallapoosa County 9.5 per 100K +18.6%
32 Elmore County 9.4 per 100K +17.0%
33 Walker County 9.1 per 100K +14.3%
34 Lee County 8.9 per 100K +11.7%
35 Lawrence County 8.7 per 100K +8.1%
36 Tuscaloosa County 8.6 per 100K +7.0%
37 Winston County 8.4 per 100K +5.6%
38 Madison County 8.3 per 100K +3.9%
39 Etowah County 8.1 per 100K +0.9%
40 Autauga County 8.1 per 100K +0.6%
41 Coffee County 7.8 per 100K -1.9%
42 Bibb County 7.7 per 100K -4.2%
43 Jackson County 6.9 per 100K -14.2%
44 Dale County 6.7 per 100K -16.5%
45 Covington County 6.5 per 100K -18.5%
46 Colbert County 6.4 per 100K -19.8%
47 St. Clair County 6.3 per 100K -20.9%
48 Randolph County 6.3 per 100K -21.0%
49 Limestone County 6.3 per 100K -21.8%
50 Cherokee County 6.1 per 100K -23.8%
51 Lauderdale County 6.0 per 100K -25.4%
52 Blount County 5.9 per 100K -26.4%
53 Franklin County 5.4 per 100K -32.3%
54 Geneva County 5.4 per 100K -32.6%
55 Chilton County 5.1 per 100K -35.9%
56 Marshall County 4.9 per 100K -39.1%
57 Marion County 4.8 per 100K -40.6%
58 Cullman County 4.0 per 100K -49.8%
59 Shelby County 4.0 per 100K -50.4%
60 Baldwin County 3.9 per 100K -51.6%
61 DeKalb County 3.4 per 100K -57.6%

About This Data

All figures are estimates from the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CDC, FBI, NCHS), published by the U.S. Census Bureau. Values are subject to sampling variability and margin of error.

Rankings are within Alabama only and may differ from national rankings. For more information, see our methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most dangerous county in Alabama?
The county with the highest homicide rate in Alabama is Lowndes County, at 46.0 per 100,000 residents. This is 475% above the national rate of 8 per 100K.
What is the safest county in Alabama?
The county with the lowest homicide rate in Alabama is DeKalb County, at 3.4 per 100,000 residents.
How does Alabama's crime rate compare to the national average?
40 of 61 counties in Alabama (66%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in Alabama has the most firearm fatalities?
Wilcox County has the highest firearm fatality rate in Alabama at 63.8 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in Alabama has the most drug overdose deaths?
Walker County has the highest drug overdose death rate in Alabama at 51.0 per 100,000 residents.