Unsolved Murders by State: Where to Find the Numbers

For unsolved murders by state, start with the Crime Solvers Central statistics dashboard, which breaks down individual unsolved homicide cases by state, decade, age, sex and solve rate. For the share of homicides police solve each year (the clearance rate), use FBI data.

Updated November 15, 2026 · Crime Solvers Central, an independent, volunteer-run cold case site

Explore missing persons and unsolved homicides by state, decade, age, sex and solve rate. A few summary numbers are free; full breakdowns are for members.

Open the statistics dashboard

Two kinds of numbers

Clearance rates are the share of homicides that police "clear" each year, usually by an arrest. They come from police reports to the FBI and are published in the FBI's Crime Data Explorer. A low clearance rate means more murders go unsolved.
Case counts are lists of the individual unsolved homicides, with the victim, date and place. They show where unsolved cases are and how old they are, and they are what families, reporters and researchers usually need.

Where to find unsolved murder statistics

Crime Solvers Central: the statistics dashboard and the Unsolved Murders Database, built from the individual cases on the site.
FBI Crime Data Explorer: national and state homicide counts and clearance data reported by police agencies.
Murder Accountability Project: a nonprofit that publishes homicide and clearance data from FBI and state records.
State and city police: some publish their own homicide and clearance numbers.

Using the Crime Solvers Central dashboard

By state and province: see how many unsolved homicides and missing persons each state has, listed alphabetically for the U.S. then Canada.
By decade: see how old the unsolved cases are.
By age and sex of the victim.
Solve rate: how many cases on the site have been solved.
Then open the individual cases behind the numbers from each state's page.

Reading the numbers carefully

Not every agency reports to the FBI every year, so national and state totals can be incomplete for some years.
A "cleared" case isn't always a conviction: it usually means an arrest, or that police identified the offender but couldn't arrest them.
Case lists on any website are not complete; they include the cases that have been found and published. Compare more than one source.

For journalists and researchers

You are welcome to cite the dashboard's numbers. Each database page has a suggested citation, and the numbers are updated nightly.

Explore missing persons and unsolved homicides by state, decade, age, sex and solve rate. A few summary numbers are free; full breakdowns are for members. See membership options.

Open the statistics dashboard

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find unsolved murder statistics by state?

The Crime Solvers Central statistics dashboard breaks down individual unsolved homicide cases by state, decade, age and sex, and the FBI Crime Data Explorer and the Murder Accountability Project publish homicide and clearance data by state.

What is a homicide clearance rate?

The share of homicides police clear in a year, usually by arrest. It is reported to the FBI by police agencies. A lower clearance rate means more cases go unsolved.

Why are unsolved murder numbers different between sources?

Sources count different things: clearance rates from police reports to the FBI, or lists of individual cases. Not every agency reports every year, and no case list is complete.

Can journalists cite the Crime Solvers Central statistics?

Yes. Each database page has a suggested citation, and the numbers are updated nightly.

More help for families

Crime Solvers Central is an independent, volunteer-run case research and advocacy site, not a law enforcement agency. In an emergency call 911. Questions? Contact us.