During an exclusive interview on Fox News, Bret Baier confronted Illinois Governor JB Pritzker over his assertion that Chicago does not have the highest murder rate among major U.S. cities. The exchange, which aired on Wednesday, was highly contentious, with Baier presenting data that contradicted Pritzker’s claims. According to the data, Chicago had the highest number of murders in 2024 among all major U.S. cities, with 573 homicides, compared to New York City’s 377 and Houston’s 322. This placed Chicago at the top in terms of absolute numbers, while its per capita rate of 21.5 homicides per 100,000 residents ranked it sixth nationally.
Pritzker, however, maintained that Chicago’s murder rate had been cut in half over the last four years and that violent crime had declined significantly. He argued that the governor should focus on the overall trend rather than the absolute numbers. However, Baier clarified that the data was specifically about murders, not all violent crimes, and emphasized that Chicago’s rate was among the highest in the nation. The governor attempted to deflect the issue by citing the city’s crime reduction efforts, but the anchor pressed the point, highlighting the discrepancy between Pritzker’s statements and the statistical evidence.
Additional context came from the research nonprofit Wirepoints, which reported that while St. Louis had the highest murder rate per capita in 2024, Chicago’s absolute number of murders remained the highest among major cities. The Missouri city, which is much smaller than Chicago, saw 149 murders in 2024, compared to Chicago’s 573. Despite St. Louis’ higher per capita rate, Chicago’s absolute numbers underscore the severity of the issue in the nation’s third-largest city. The debate over crime statistics and their interpretation has intensified amid growing concerns about public safety and political accountability.
The disagreement between Baier and Pritzker has sparked broader discussions about the accuracy of crime data and the effectiveness of current policies in addressing urban violence. Critics argue that the focus on per capita rates may obscure the scale of the problem in large cities, while others emphasize the importance of relative metrics to highlight disparities. The conversation also reflects deeper political tensions, with some accusing Democratic leaders of underperforming in addressing crime, while others caution against overgeneralizing the data. As the situation in Chicago continues to evolve, the dispute over statistics underscores the challenges of balancing public safety with political responsibility.