This State Has Produced The Most Serial Killers

Every state in the U.S. has produced at least two serial killers, according to the University of South Florida, but some states have had far more of them than others. Serial killing is defined by the FBI as "the unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events."

On the other hand, there are different ways to measure the "most" known serial killers per state. There is of course the actual number of serial killers who are known to have operated in each state. The other way serial killings are measured is by the rate of serial killings measured against the population, according to World Population Review.

But either way you look at it, the good old USA has produced the most serial killers in the world — more than 2,700, Fact Site reported, adding that for comparison, the nation with the second-highest number of serial killers is England, with only 145 serial murderers. But that's kind of comparing grapes to watermelons, considering the size of England versus the size of the US.

According to the Serial Killer Shop, California is the state with the highest number of serial killers, with more than 120 having come from The Golden State. In 2021, those serial murderers are reported to have killed 1,628 people, World Population Review reported. That's an absolute number. But what about serial killers per capita?

While California has reportedly produced the most serial killers and the most victims in the United States, Alaska takes the award for most serial killers per capita. With a population of just 724,357, the so-called Last Frontier state has lost 51 people to serial murder, according to World Population Review.

That may not sound like much to us in the lower 48. Compare that with California, or even Texas, with 893 serial murder victims, or Florida's 845 serial killings. But percentage-wise, the number of people who've been killed in Alaska is just over seven out of every 100,000 residents of the state. For reference, World Population Review reports the ratio in the states with the most serial killer victims — California, Texas and Florida – is about half that, at three to four people out of 100,000 falling victim to a serial killer.

Fortunately, the number of serial killers has dropped dramatically since peaking in the 1980s. According to Vox, the number of serial killers operating in the U.S. has declined by 85 percent since the days of prolific murderers like Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Alaska's own Robert Hansen.  

Still, due to the variety of developmental factors that result in a person becoming a serial killer, it's virtually impossible to eradicate them altogether. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, "Preventing serial homicide would require a massive, coordinated effort by law enforcement and legal, mental health, and social service institutions; such an effort is unlikely."