It is almost a guarantee if you have heard of serial killers that you have wondered at least once, how many serial killers are currently active? That can be a hard question to answer, but we shall do our best to break it down for you.
The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) states that there are 30 – 50 active serial killers at all times on average. That is only within the United States, though, and does not consider the rest of the world. Looking at the world as a whole, it is estimated there could be up to 3000 active serial killers at any time.
Serial Killers Per State
| State | Serial Killer Victims | Serial Killer Victims Per 100,00 People |
| Alabama | 164 | 3.3237 |
| Alaska | 51 | 7.0407 |
| Arizona | 156 | 2.0744 |
| Arkansas | 103 | 3.3949 |
| California | 1628 | 4.1097 |
| Colorado | 155 | 2.63 |
| Connecticut | 122 | 3.4339 |
| Delaware | 14 | 1.4137 |
| Florida | 845 | 3.8506 |
| Georgia | 365 | 3.3703 |
| Hawaii | 10 | 0.711 |
| Idaho | 37 | 1.9891 |
| Illinois | 629 | 5.0042 |
| Indiana | 341 | 5.0105 |
| Iowa | 53 | 1.673 |
| Kansas | 153 | 5.2447 |
| Kentucky | 134 | 2.9906 |
| Louisiana | 300 | 6.4837 |
| Maine | 30 | 2.2148 |
| Maryland | 185 | 3.0501 |
| Massachusetts | 195 | 2.8211 |
| Michigan | 381 | 3.8129 |
| Minnesota | 68 | 1.1916 |
| Mississippi | 75 | 2.5283 |
| Missouri | 311 | 5.0413 |
| Montana | 41 | 3.7788 |
| Nebraska | 76 | 3.8935 |
| Nevada | 105 | 3.2959 |
| New Hampshire | 10 | 0.7288 |
| New Jersey | 207 | 2.3325 |
| New Mexico | 64 | 3.0404 |
| New York | 628 | 3.2539 |
| North Carolina | 266 | 2.4857 |
| North Dakota | 11 | 1.4285 |
| Ohio | 433 | 3.6962 |
| Oklahoma | 195 | 4.8867 |
| Oregon | 170 | 3.9632 |
| Pennsylvania | 420 | 3.2802 |
| Rhode Island | 25 | 2.3551 |
| South Carolina | 162 | 3.0694 |
| South Dakota | 7 | 0.7807 |
| Tennessee | 179 | 2.5777 |
| Texas | 893 | 3.0037 |
| Utah | 77 | 2.3257 |
| Vermont | 11 | 1.7649 |
| Virginia | 238 | 2.7662 |
| Washington | 390 | 5.002 |
| West Virginia | 37 | 2.0929 |
| Wisconsin | 118 | 2.0162 |
| Wyoming | 27 | 4.6466 |
Active Serial Killer Statistics
Top 10 States With Highest Total Victims
- California: 1,608 victims
- Texas: 893 victims
- Florida: 845 victims
- Illnois: 629 victims
- New York: 628 victims
- Ohio: 433 victims
- Pennsylvania: 420 victims
- Washington: 390 victims
- Michigan: 381 victims
- Georgia: 365 victims
Souce: WorldPopulationReview.com
Why Are There So Many Active Serial Killers?
With the advancements of modern forensics, it comes as a surprise to some people that there are so many active serial killers. As forensics has evolved, so have killers and criminals of all types. They have learned how to hide victims better, leave less forensic evidence, and choose their victims better. All of these helps make it harder for law enforcement to track down active serial killers.
Luckily though, serial killers only account for around 2% of all serial killings, according to Thomas Hargrove. He is the founder of the Murder Accountability Project, a nonprofit that analyzes homicide data. In their study, they put forth the statistic that serial killers commit 2% of all murders.