Daily Digit: Believe it or not, Chicago is not the murder capital of the U.S.

Daily Digit is the story behind the numbers that make our world work. Today we’re looking at the so-called murder capital of the U.S. With 653 murders reported in 2017, it’s no secret that Chicago is a violent city. But when adjusting for its large population, Chicago has fewer deaths per capita than many other cities. St. Louis has had the nation’s highest murder rate for the past four years, followed by Baltimore, Detroit, New Orleans and Baton Rouge. While the St. Louis murder rate has been the highest per capita, Chicago’s murder totals have been the nation’s highest since 2012. Fortunately, that total has been on the decrease since 2016.