U.S. Leads World in Serial Killer Numbers, Wyoming Tops State Rankings

A recent analysis shows that the United States is responsible for 66.2% of the world’s documented serial killers, totaling 3,615 individuals, a figure that dwarfs the next highest countries, Russia and the United Kingdom. When adjusted for population, Wyoming leads with 13.59 killers per million residents, while Alaska, Oregon, Montana and Missouri complete the top five. States with large populations, such as California, Texas and Florida, have the highest absolute numbers but fall to the middle of the per-capita list. commentator James Thompson of PokerTube observes a western regional clustering of these cases and urges attention to behavioral red flags for prevention. The piece also references infamous killers—including David Berkowitz, Ted Bundi, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer and Rex Heuermann—to illustrate the varied backgrounds of these criminals.