THE PHILADELPHIA STATISTICS ARE FROM A STUDY OF 588 CASES OF CRIMINAL HOMICIDE INVOLVING 621 OFFENDERS. THE HOUSTON DATA ENCOMPASS 438 CASES INVOLVING 430 OFFENDERS AND 425 VICTIMS. COMPARISONS ARE DRAWN WITH REGARD TO THE RACE, ETHNIC GROUP, AND SEX OF VICTIM AND OFFENDER; THE METHOD OF ASSAULT; THE TIME AND PLACE OF THE INCIDENT; THE TYPE OF INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VICTIM AND OFFENDER; HOMICIDES INVOLVING HUSBANDS AND WIVES; AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VICTIM AND OFFENDER IN TERMS OF RACE, ETHNIC GROUP, AND SEX. IN ADDITION TO THE COMPARISON WITH THE PHILADELPHIA FINDINGS, THE HOUSTON DATA ARE COMPARED WITH DATA FROM AN EARLIER STUDY OF HOUSTON HOMICIDES FROM 1945 THROUGH 1949. HOMICIDE RATES IN HOUSTON ARE ABOUT DOUBLE THOSE IN PHILADELPHIA. BLACKS ACCOUNT FOR A SMALLER PROPORTION OF HOMICIDES IN HOUSTON THAN IN PHILADELPHIA. IN HOUSTON, BLACK HOMICIDE RATES ARE ABOUT SIX TIMES AS HIGH AS THOSE FOR 'OTHER WHITES,' WITH RATES FOR LATIN-AMERICANS FALLING IN BETWEEN. SHOOTINGS ACCOUNT FOR ALMOST TWO-THIRDS OF THE HOMICIDE DEATHS IN HOUSTON, COMPARED TO ONE-THIRD IN PHILADELPHIA. DEATH BY BEATING IS LESS FREQUENT IN HOUSTON THAN IN PHILADELPHIA. IN BOTH CITIES, CRIMINAL HOMICIDE MOST OFTEN INVOLVES A VICTIM AND OFFENDER WHO ARE MEMBERS OF THE SAME RACE, WHO KNOW EACH OTHER, WHO ARE MALE, AND WHO LIVE AT THE SAME ADDRESS OR WITHIN A MILE OR TWO OF EACH OTHER. SUPPORTING DATA ARE INCLUDED.