Serial Killers by State

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Introduction

Every state in the U.S. has produced at least one serial killer. According to the FBI, a serial killer is a person who has murdered three or more people, in separate events. The span of time within which the murders occur is important because it helps to distinguish serial murder from mass murder.

More serial killers have originated in the United States than in any other country. Although the United States only contains 4.25% of the world’s total population, it has contained 67.58% of all known serial killers, with 3,204 documented serial murderers. In Alaska for instance, despite the relatively small population, it has had the highest density of serial killings occurring within its borders since 1900.

According to the FBI, serial killers act for a number of reasons, although their motives are usually limited to a handful of causes: anger, thrill, attention-seeking, financial gain, and sex.

Serial Killing Statistics by State

#StateSerial KillersSerial Killer Victims
1New York18677
2California151,777
3Texas8984
4Illinois7680
5Ohio7505
6Indiana6349
7Louisiana6344
8Pennsylvania5462
9Georgia4409
10Kentucky4212
11Massachusetts4200
12South Carolina4198
13Washington4396
14Alabama3199
15Connecticut3134
16Iowa353
17Maryland3213
18Michigan3425
19Missouri3350
20Oklahoma3200
21Wisconsin3118
22Arkansas2143
23Delaware216
24Minnesota281
25New Jersey2232
26New Mexico272
27North Carolina2295
28Oregon2175
29South Dakota210
30Utah286
31Alaska164
32Arizona1188
33Colorado1161
34District of Columbia1169
35Florida1933
36Hawaii113
37Idaho145
38Kansas1181
39Maine135
40Mississippi198
41Montana147
42New Hampshire114
43North Dakota113
44Rhode Island125
45Tennessee1208
46Vermont111
47Virginia1272
48West Virginia143
49Nebraska082
50Nevada0117
51Wyoming032

Serial Killers by State

New York is the state with the most serial killers, with a total of 18 serial killers born in the state. California comes in as the second state with the most serial killers, with 15, followed by Texas with 8, and Illinois and Ohio with 7 each. Indiana and Louisiana both have had 6 serial killers born in their state, while Pennsylvania is the eighth state with the most serial killers, with 5.

Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, South Carolina, and Washington each have 4 serial killers, while Alabama, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin all have 3 serial killers each. The remaining states have one or two serial killers born in the state, except for Nebraska, Nevada, and Wyoming, which have none.

Most Serial Killers by State

The ten states with the most serial killers are New York, California, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Kentucky. The ten states with the most serial killers are :

1. New York – 18
2. California – 15
3. Texas – 8
4. Illinois – 7
5. Ohio – 7
6. Indiana – 6
7. Louisiana – 6
8. Pennsylvania – 5
9. Georgia – 4
10. Kentucky – 4

Famous Serial Killers

The United States has seen its fair share of notorious serial killers. Among the most famous is Ted Bundy, who confessed to 30 homicides committed in seven states between 1974 and 1978. John Wayne Gacy, also known as the “Killer Clown,” was responsible for the murders of at least 33 young men and boys in Illinois during the 1970s. Jeffrey Dahmer, known as the “Milwaukee Cannibal,” committed the rape, murder, and dismemberment of 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991.

Other notable serial killers include Gary Ridgway, also known as the “Green River Killer,” who confessed to 49 murders of women and girls in Washington State; Aileen Wuornos, who killed seven men in Florida in the late 1980s; and David Berkowitz, also known as the “Son of Sam,” who terrorized New York City in the summer of 1976 with a series of shootings that left six dead.

Source

The data on the number of serial killers by state comes from Mapfact.com, which provides data on the number of serial killers in each state and the total number of victims they have claimed. The data on the number of victims of serial killings comes from the Radford/FGCU Serial Killer Database, which collects data on the characteristics of serial killers and their victims, as well as the methods and motives of their crimes.

Serial Killers by State

Alabama

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3

Ranked in the US

#14

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199

Ranked in the US

#22

Three serial killers came from Alabama: Joseph Paul Franklin, Cleophus Prince Jr., and Nannie Doss. This makes Alabama the fourteenth state with the country's highest number of serial killers and in total, the state had 199 serial killer victims. Joseph Paul Franklin, a white supremacist, is suspected to have murdered more than twenty individuals in the 1970s and early 1980s. Cleophus Prince Jr. was convicted of six murders in California between 1990 and 1991. As for Nannie Doss, she confessed to killing 11 people between the 1920s and 1950s, including four of her five husbands. She was dubbed the "Giggling Granny".

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Alaska

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1

Ranked in the US

#31

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64

Ranked in the US

#38

One serial killer came from Alaska and there were 64 serial killer victims in this state. Robert Hansen, also known as the "Butcher Baker", was an American serial killer who operated in and around Anchorage, Alaska in the 1970s and early 1980s. He kidnapped women, flew them into the Alaskan wilderness, and then hunted and killed them. He was known for his skill as a hunter and used it to stalk his victims like prey. He was eventually caught and convicted of multiple murders in 1983 and died in prison in 2014.

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Arizona

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1

Ranked in the US

#32

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188

Ranked in the US

#24

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Arkansas

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2

Ranked in the US

#22

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143

Ranked in the US

#29

Two serial killers are from Arkansas making Arkansas the twenty-second state with the highest number of serial killers in the U.S. In total, there were 143 serial killer victims in this state. The first serial killer is Mack Ray Edwards, who was convicted of killing at least 6 children in California in the 1950s. He was never formally charged with additional murders but he is suspected of killing many more children. He died by suicide in prison in 1971. The other serial killer born in Arkansas is Chester Turner who was born in 1966 and was convicted of killing 10 people between 1987 and 1998 in California. In 2014, he was charged with the murder of four other victims and was sentenced to death for his crimes in 2007.

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California

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15

Ranked in the US

#2

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1,777

Ranked in the US

#1

The second state with the highest number of serial killers is California with fifteen serial killers coming from California. The state also has the highest number of serial killer victims in the country with 1,777 serial killer victims. One of the most notorious serial killers operating in Northern California is the Zodiac Killer. He is believed to have killed at least 5 people and injured 2 others in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He gained notoriety for taunting the police and the media with cryptic letters and codes. Despite an extensive investigation, the identity of the Zodiac Killer remains unknown to this day.

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Colorado

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1

Ranked in the US

#33

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161

Ranked in the US

#28

Colorado is the thirty-third state with the most serial killers with one serial killer coming from Colorado. There were 161 serial killer victims in total in this state. The name of Colorado’s serial killer was Scott Lee Kimball and he was convicted of the murder of four individuals that were committed while he was working as an FBI informant. Kimball pleaded guilty to two of the murders and was sentenced to 70 years in prison. He died in prison in 2021.

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Connecticut

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3

Ranked in the US

#15

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134

Ranked in the US

#30

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Delaware

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2

Ranked in the US

#23

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16

Ranked in the US

#46

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District of Columbia

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1

Ranked in the US

#34

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169

Ranked in the US

#27

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Florida

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1

Ranked in the US

#35

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933

Ranked in the US

#3

Florida is the thirty-fifth state with the most serial killers with one serial killer born in Orlando, Florida in 1946. Yet the state has the third-highest number of serial killer victims in the country with 933 serial killer victims. The name of Florida’s serial killer was Paul John Knowles but was known as the "Casanova Killer" because of his charm and good looks, which he used to lure his victims. Knowles killed at least 18 people in a cross-country killing spree in 1974, before being captured and killed in a shootout with police in Georgia.

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Georgia

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4

Ranked in the US

#9

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409

Ranked in the US

#9

The ninth state with the highest number of serial killers is Georgia with four serial killers coming from this state. Georgia also ranks ninth in terms of serial killer victims with 409 victims. Georgia’s most infamous serial killer was Wayne Williams, also known as the “Atlanta Monster”. Williams was convicted of killing two adults but is suspected of killing at least 23 children and young adults in the late 1970s and early 1980s. After a controversial investigation and trial, Williams was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. However, he still maintains his innocence to this day.

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Hawaii

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1

Ranked in the US

#36

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13

Ranked in the US

#48

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Idaho

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1

Ranked in the US

#37

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45

Ranked in the US

#41

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Illinois

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7

Ranked in the US

#4

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680

Ranked in the US

#4

The fourth state with the highest number of serial killers is Illinois with seven serial killers coming from this state. Illinois also ranks fourth in terms of serial killer victims with 680 victims. One of the most infamous is John Wayne Gacy who was convicted of killing at least 33 teenage boys and young men in the 1970s. Gacy was known for luring his victims into his home, where he sexually assaulted and murdered them before burying their bodies or dumping them in nearby rivers. He was arrested in 1978 and sentenced to death for his crimes. He was executed by lethal injection in 1994.

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Indiana

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6

Ranked in the US

#6

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349

Ranked in the US

#12

Indiana is the sixth state with the highest number of serial killers with six serial killers being born in this state. Indiana ranks twelfth in terms of serial killer victims with 349 victims. One of Indiana’s most notorious serial killers is Herb Baumeister. He is believed to have killed at least 11 men in the 1980s and 1990s. Baumeister was known for luring his victims to his home, where he would strangle them and bury their bodies on his property. In 1996, his crimes were discovered and he fled to Canada where he committed suicide. Baumeister was the subject of the book "The I-70 Strangler" by Brian Lee Tucker.

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Iowa

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3

Ranked in the US

#16

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53

Ranked in the US

#39

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Kansas

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1

Ranked in the US

#38

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181

Ranked in the US

#25

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Kentucky

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4

Ranked in the US

#10

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212

Ranked in the US

#18

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Louisiana

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6

Ranked in the US

#7

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344

Ranked in the US

#13

Louisiana is the seventh state with the highest number of serial killers with six serial killers born in this state. Louisiana ranks thirteenth in terms of serial killer victims with 344 victims. Derrick Todd Lee is one of the most infamous serial killers from Louisiana. He is suspected of having killed at least seven women in the Baton Rouge area and was known for stalking his victims before breaking into their homes and attacking them. Lee was eventually caught through DNA evidence and was sentenced to death in 2004. He died in prison in 2016.

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Maine

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1

Ranked in the US

#39

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35

Ranked in the US

#43

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Maryland

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3

Ranked in the US

#17

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213

Ranked in the US

#17

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Massachusetts

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4

Ranked in the US

#11

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200

Ranked in the US

#20

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Michigan

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3

Ranked in the US

#18

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425

Ranked in the US

#8

Michigan is the eighteenth state with the highest number of serial killers with three serial killers born in this state. Yet, Michigan ranks eighth in terms of serial killer victims with 425 victims. John Norman Collins is one of the most notorious serial killers from Michigan. He was convicted of killing one young woman and is suspected of killing six others in the late 1960s. Collins was known for targeting college-aged women in the Ann Arbor area and was eventually caught and sentenced to life in prison.

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Minnesota

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2

Ranked in the US

#24

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81

Ranked in the US

#36

Minnesota is the twenty-fourth state with the highest number of serial killers and had 81 serial killer victims. The two serial killers who were born in this state were Carl Panzram who spent much of his life traveling and committing crimes all over the country, and Paul Michael Stephani. The latter was also known as the "Weepy-Voiced Killer" because he would call the police and confess to his crimes in a high-pitched, crying voice. Stephani is suspected of killing at least three women in the Minneapolis area in the early 1980s. He was caught and sentenced to 40 years in prison where he died in 1998.

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Mississippi

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1

Ranked in the US

#40

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98

Ranked in the US

#33

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Missouri

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3

Ranked in the US

#19

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350

Ranked in the US

#11

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Montana

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1

Ranked in the US

#41

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47

Ranked in the US

#40

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Nebraska

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0

Ranked in the US

#49

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82

Ranked in the US

#35

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Nevada

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0

Ranked in the US

#50

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117

Ranked in the US

#32

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New Hampshire

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1

Ranked in the US

#42

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14

Ranked in the US

#47

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New Jersey

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2

Ranked in the US

#25

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232

Ranked in the US

#16

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New Mexico

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2

Ranked in the US

#26

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72

Ranked in the US

#37

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New York

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18

Ranked in the US

#1

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677

Ranked in the US

#5

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North Carolina

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2

Ranked in the US

#27

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295

Ranked in the US

#14

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North Dakota

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1

Ranked in the US

#43

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13

Ranked in the US

#49

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Ohio

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7

Ranked in the US

#5

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505

Ranked in the US

#6

The fifth state with the highest number of serial killers is Ohio with seven serial killers coming from this state. Ohio ranks sixth in terms of serial killer victims with 505 victims. One of Ohio’s notorious serial killers is Anthony Sowell who is also known as the “Cleveland Strangler”. He was convicted of killing 11 women in the Cleveland area between 2007 and 2009. Ultimately, Sowell was arrested and sentenced to death. He died in prison from a terminal illness in 2021.

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Oklahoma

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3

Ranked in the US

#20

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200

Ranked in the US

#21

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Oregon

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2

Ranked in the US

#28

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175

Ranked in the US

#26

Oregon is the twenty-eighth state with the highest number of serial killers with two serial killers born in this state named Dallen Bounds and Randall Woodfield. The former was convicted of killing four women in the early 1990s, while the latter was known as the "I-5 Killer" and was convicted of killing at least seven women and girls in the late 1970s. Both men are currently serving life sentences in prison for their crimes. Additionally, Oregon ranks twenty-sixth in terms of serial killer victims with 175 victims in total.

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Pennsylvania

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5

Ranked in the US

#8

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462

Ranked in the US

#7

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Rhode Island

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1

Ranked in the US

#44

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25

Ranked in the US

#45

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South Carolina

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4

Ranked in the US

#12

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198

Ranked in the US

#23

South Carolina is the twelfth state with the highest number of serial killers, with four being born in this state. In terms of serial killer victims, South Carolina ranks twenty-third with 198 victims. One of South Carolina’s most notorious serial killers is Donald Henry Gaskins, also known as "Pee Wee" Gaskins. Gaskins was convicted of killing at least 12 people in the 1960s and 1970s, but he claimed to have killed over 100 people. He was known for his violent and sadistic nature and was eventually sentenced to death and executed in 1991.

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South Dakota

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2

Ranked in the US

#29

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10

Ranked in the US

#51

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Tennessee

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1

Ranked in the US

#45

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208

Ranked in the US

#19

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Texas

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8

Ranked in the US

#3

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984

Ranked in the US

#2

The third state with the highest number of serial killers is Texas with seven serial killers coming from this state. Texas ranks second in terms of serial killer victims with 984 victims. One of the most notorious serial killers who operated in Texas was Henry Lee Lucas who was known for his strange behavior and ability to manipulate others, including law enforcement. He was convicted of killing eleven people and was eventually sentenced to death which was commuted to life in prison by then-governor George W. Bush. Lucas died in prison in 2001

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Utah

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2

Ranked in the US

#30

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86

Ranked in the US

#34

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Vermont

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1

Ranked in the US

#46

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11

Ranked in the US

#50

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Virginia

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1

Ranked in the US

#47

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272

Ranked in the US

#15

Virginia is the forty-seventh state with the highest number of serial killers with one serial killer born in this state named Gary Ray Bowles. He was born in Virginia but he committed most of his murders in Florida where he was convicted of killing six men in 1994. Bowles was known for his violent tendencies and had a history of criminal behavior. He was sentenced to death and executed in 2019. Additionally, Virginia ranks fifteenth in terms of serial killer victims with 272 victims in total.

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Washington

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4

Ranked in the US

#13

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396

Ranked in the US

#10

Washington is the thirteenth state with the highest number of serial killers, with four being born in this state. In terms of serial killer victims, the state of Washington ranks tenth with 396 victims. One of Washington’s most notorious serial killers is Robert Lee Yates who was a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot. He is known for murdering at least 13 women in Spokane, Washington, between 1975 and 1998. Yates targeted sex workers and other vulnerable women and often disposed of their bodies in remote locations. He was arrested in 2000 and later pleaded guilty to 13 counts of first-degree murder. He is currently serving a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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West Virginia

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1

Ranked in the US

#48

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43

Ranked in the US

#42

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Wisconsin

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3

Ranked in the US

#21

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118

Ranked in the US

#31

Wisconsin is the twenty-first state with the highest number of serial killers, with three being born in this state. In terms of serial killer victims, Wisconsin ranks thirty-first with 118 victims. Jeffrey Dahmer is one of Wisconsin’s most notorious serial killers. He is known for the rape, murder, and dismemberment of 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991. Dahmer was arrested in 1991 and later pleaded guilty to 15 counts of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison but was beaten to death by another inmate in 1994. Dahmer's crimes were particularly gruesome, as he often kept body parts and even consumed some of his victims.

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Wyoming

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0

Ranked in the US

#51

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32

Ranked in the US

#44

No serial killers were born in Wyoming ranking the state fifty-second in the country. However, there were 32 serial killer victims in total in Wyoming.

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FAQs

What state has the most serial killers ?

New York has the highest number of serial killers that were born in the state, with 18 serial killers.

What are the top ten states with the most serial killers ?

The top ten states with the most serial killers are New York, California, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Kentucky.

What are the top 10 serial killers ?

The top ten serial killers in the United States include Gary Ridgway, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Aileen Wuornos, Dennis Rader, Richard Ramirez, David Berkowitz, Gary Heidnik, and Robert Hansen.

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