How Many Serial Killers Are Active In The US

6 days ago

4 min read

In this blog we explore common questions people have about serial like how man serial killers are active in the US, which state has the most serial killers, why they kill, and whether there are black serial killers.

Get ready to learn about the world of serial killers. You're sure to learn something you didn't know about them.

How many serial killers are active in the us?

The exact number of serial killers operating in 2024 is unknown, but the FBI estimates that there are 15 to 50 active serial killers at any time.

During the 1970s and 1980s there was a period of time where the number of active serial killers was growing, which peaked in 1987. But 2018 only had 12 known active serial killers.

What state has the most serial killers?

According to Crime Capsule, California is the state where most serial killings take place with 1,507 victims. California has nearly double the people killed by serial killers as second place Florida at 778.

This doesn’t show a fully accurate picture because California has a far larger population than many states.

Alaska leads the way with 15.65 victims killed per one million people, Followed by Nevada at 12.19 victims per million, and Florida with 9.92 victims per million.

Notice that most of these places are high tourist areas where people go to have fun, get their big break, or escape from the normal activities of life. So be careful when you’re on vacation and in new surroundings.

What country has the most serial killers?

According to Radford University Serial Killer the United States is kicking the worlds ass and taking first place in the MRDR Olympics with 3,690 known serial killers. The UK takes second place with 196 serial killers and Russia takes third with 164 serial killers

United States 3,690
United Kingdom 196
Russia 164
Japan 138
India 130
South Africa 129
Canada 125
Germany 99
Italy 95
Australia 92

Why do serial killers kill?

Serial killers kill for a number of reasons including:

Sexual Compulsion: Some serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer and Samuel Little kill people as part of a sexual ritual.
Money: Hitmen are technically serial killers but they have no motive besides someone paid them to commit the murder.
During Commission Of A Crime: Many people become serial killers because they are committing other crimes and someone is in the wrong place at the wrong time. These are more crimes of convenience than a desire to kill.
Compassionate Killing: There are many doctors and nurses who have become serial killers because they believe they are putting people out of their misery. Some serial killers patient's desire to die like Dr. Kevorkian's patients, but Harold Shipman killed 284 English elderly patients and earned the nickname Dr. Death despite no evidence the patients requested to die.
Mental Illness: Some serial killers suffer from mental illnesses like schizophrenia. The voices or hallucinations can cause people to do things that they might not have if they were on proper medications. Ed Gein is one of the people who might fall in this category.

As you can see the reasons can be varied, but there tend to be a combination of psychological and parental influences that cause someone to become a killer.

Why were there so many serial killers in the 70s?

Serial killers became more prevalent in the 1970s because of numerous societal changes and many of today’s advance police methods make it much harder for people to evade detection.

Hippie culture, the anti-establishment mentality, and drug use led to more people having mental health crises, plus cities were getting much more populated which added a sense of anonymity. Combine that with hitchhiking and increased mobility to make it easier to find victims.

Combine all this with the lack of DNA testing and shared databases, and you have a perfect recipe for the "golden age of serial murder."

It should be noted that other violent crimes were also on the rise during this time.

Which zodiac sign has the most serial killers?

According to CVLT NATION, Geminis ( born between May 21 – June 21) have the most serial killers with 11 serial killers and a total of 124 victims between them.

Virgos(Aug 23-Sept 22, 380 victims), Scorpios (Oct 23- Nov 21, 269 victims), and Pisces (Feb 19- March 20, 172 victims) are tied with 10 serial killers each.

Capricorn has 8 serial killers, Aries have 7 serial killers, Sagitarius have 6, Libra have 5, Aquarius and Taurus have 4, Leo have 3, and Cancer have 2.

How many black serial killers are there?

There are at least 20 black serial killers. The most prolific was Samuel Little, but others include, Maury Travis, Elton Manning Jackson, Eddie Lee Mosley, John Floyd Thomas, Jake Bird, Harrison Graham, Roberta Elder, Debra Brown, Henry Louis Wallace, Chester Turner, Paul Durousseau, Craig Price, Zebra Killers, Carl Eugene Watts, Wayne Williams, Lonnie Franklin Jr, .Derrick Todd Lee, Mark Goudeau, and Anthony Sowell.