Too Young to Die: Counties Ranked for Highest Youth Homicide Rates

The Violence Policy Center has released an annual study that compares rates of homicide victimization for Californians ages 10 to 24 by county, race, ethnicity, weapons used, circumstance, and location. According to the stats, Monterey County has the highest youth murder rate for the second year in a row with a rate of 24.36 per 100,000. That being said, Monterey’s rate did drop from 31.24 per 100,000 in 2009. It’s also worth noting that out of the 680 homicide victims between ages 10 to 24, 89% were male and 53% were Hispanic. Josh Sugarmann, who co-authored the study, commented:

“The homicide rates for youth and young adults across California show the urgent need for effective violence-prevention strategies that stress tailored, localized approaches that engage local leaders and community stakeholders."

Here the top 10 counties with the highest rates:

1. Monterey County, 24.36 per 100,000
2. Alameda County, 18.41 per 100,000
3. San Joaquin County, 18.36 per 100,000
4. Tulare County, 18.06 per 100,000
5. Merced County, 13.44 per 100,000
6. Contra Costa County, 12.94 per 100,000
7. Fresno County, 11.61 per 100,000
8. San Francisco County, 11.52 per 100,000
9. Madera County, 11.39 per 100,000
10. Los Angeles County, 11.35 per 100,000

Read more about the study here.