The United States has more documented serial killers than any other nation, though the cases are not evenly spread across the country.
A new state-by-state map highlights where the highest numbers have been recorded, with California standing out as the nation’s most frequently linked state.
According to data compiled by World Population Review, the Golden State has had 128 known serial killers, ahead of Texas with 90 and Florida with 76.
Ohio comes next with 50, followed by Illinois at 43, Missouri at 41 and New York at 39.
Washington ranks eighth with 33 known serial killers, while Oregon and Indiana complete the top ten with 32 and 30, respectively.
But the rankings shift sharply when population size is factored into the analysis.
By that measure, Wyoming rises to the top despite having only eight recorded serial killers.
Because of its relatively small population, the state has the highest historical ratio in the country — about one documented offender for every 73,584 residents.
Alaska ranks second with nine documented serial killers, or 12.21 per million residents, while Oregon places third with 32, equivalent to 7.49 per million.
Montana comes in fourth with eight known serial killers, or 6.99 per million residents, followed by Missouri with 41, or 6.54 per million.
West Virginia places sixth with 10 documented killers, equivalent to 5.66 per million people. Maine follows with eight, or 5.65 per million.
New Mexico ranks eighth with 12 documented serial killers, followed by Oklahoma with 23 and Nevada with 17.
Their population-adjusted ratios are closely clustered at 5.64 per million in New Mexico, 5.58 in Oklahoma and 5.18 in Nevada.
The figures reflect documented historical offenders associated with each state. They do not indicate how many serial killers are currently active or living in those locations.
Serial killings account for less than one percent of all homicides, with the overwhelming majority of documented US cases occurring decades ago.
The country experienced its peak between 1970 and 2000, when approximately 70 percent of recorded serial murders took place. The rate has steadily declined since the 1990s.
California is home to the most serial killers with 128, including Edmund Kemper, also known as the Co-ed killer. He killed at least eight women, including his own mother
Although serial killers have operated worldwide, most documented offenders have been active at least partly in the US. Historically, they have most commonly been lone men.
Financial gain is the leading recorded motive, accounting for 32 percent of cases, while 25 percent of offenders reportedly killed for pleasure.
Anger motivated another 18 percent, and gang activity accounted for six percent.
Many serial killers also favor a particular type of victim or method of attack.
Ted Bundy, for example, primarily targeted college-aged women and commonly strangled his victims.
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Across all documented cases in the US, shooting was the most prevalent killing method, followed by strangulation and stabbing.
Florida has the third most serial killers, including Aileen Wuornos murdered seven men along the state’s highways between 1989
Victims were divided almost evenly between men and women, with a median age of 30.
The US has recorded more serial killers than any other country, with 12,236 victims documented nationwide between 1990 and 2020, according to World Population Review.
California recorded the largest total with 1,777 victims, followed by Texas with 984.
However, those numbers do not account for the vast differences in state populations.
Nearly every state has been home to at least one notorious serial killer whose crimes continue to haunt the country.
California has been home to some of America’s most notorious murderers, including Joseph James DeAngelo, nicknamed the Golden State Killer, and Edmund Kemper, known as the Co-ed Killer.
The unidentified Zodiac Killer also terrorized the state during the late 1960s.
In Florida, Aileen Wuornos murdered seven men along the state’s highways between 1989 and 1990, while Illinois was terrorized by John Wayne Gacy, who killed at least 33 young men and boys during the 1970s.
Nearly every state has been home to at least one notorious serial killer whose crimes continue to haunt the country. In New York, David Berkowitz, known as the Son of Sam, killed six people and wounded seven others
Jeffrey Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, with most of his crimes committed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Texas was home to Dean Corll, known as the Candy Man, who abducted, tortured and murdered at least 28 teenage boys and young men in the Houston area between 1970 and 1973.
Dennis Rader, the self-proclaimed BTK Killer, murdered 10 people in and around Wichita, Kansas, between 1974 and 1991.
In New York, David Berkowitz, known as the Son of Sam, killed six people and wounded seven others during a shooting spree in 1976 and 1977.
Washington became synonymous with Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, who was convicted of murdering 49 women, primarily during the 1980s and 1990s.
Jeffrey Dahmer, meanwhile, murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, with most of his crimes committed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
