California has had the highest total number of serial killer victims of any U.S. state, with an estimated 1,777 victims, followed by Texas and Florida. Per capita, smaller states like Alaska and Montana rank much higher in serial killer victim rates than the big population states.

Quick answer

  • Most total serial killer victims: California, with about 1,777 known serial killer victims, more than any other state in the U.S.
  • High per‑capita rates: States like Alaska, Louisiana, and Montana have far higher serial killer victim rates when adjusted for population.

Total numbers vs. per capita

When people ask “which state has had the most serial killers,” they usually mean total victims, which strongly tracks with population size.

  • California leads the nation in total known serial killer victims (around 1,777), with Texas (984) and Florida (933) next.
  • Because big states have more people, they naturally tend to show higher raw counts of both killers and victims.

However, looking at per‑capita rates tells a different story.

  • Alaska shows one of the highest serial killer victim rates, around 8.6 victims per 100,000 people for the 1992–2019 period.
  • Research highlighted in recent reporting also points to rural states like Montana and Kansas as producing more serial killers per million residents than many large urban states.

Top states by total serial killings (HTML table)

Below is an HTML table with some of the states that have recorded the most serial killer victims in total, not adjusted for population.

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Rank</th>
      <th>State</th>
      <th>Estimated serial killer victims (1990s–2010s era)</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>1</td>
      <td>California</td>
      <td>1,777</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>2</td>
      <td>Texas</td>
      <td>984</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>3</td>
      <td>Florida</td>
      <td>933</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>4</td>
      <td>Illinois</td>
      <td>680</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>5</td>
      <td>New York</td>
      <td>677</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>6</td>
      <td>Ohio</td>
      <td>505</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>7</td>
      <td>Pennsylvania</td>
      <td>462</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>8</td>
      <td>Michigan</td>
      <td>425</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>9</td>
      <td>Georgia</td>
      <td>409</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>10</td>
      <td>Washington</td>
      <td>396</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

(All figures are approximate compiled totals of known serial killer victims and depend on how different datasets define and count serial killings.)

Why these numbers are tricky

Talking about serial killers is inherently a serious topic, and the data itself has limits.

  • Definitions vary: some sources define serial killers as those with two or more victims, others use three or more, and they may differ on what counts as a separate “event.”
  • Many cases are unsolved or reclassified, so any ranking is based on known and recorded cases, not the full reality.

Recent discussions in crime research and true‑crime communities also note that serial killings have dropped sharply since their 1970–1990 peak, even in states historically associated with famous serial killers.

TL;DR:
If you mean total known serial killer victims, California is at the top by a wide margin. If you mean risk relative to population, smaller states like Alaska and Montana have some of the highest serial killer victim rates instead.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.