Guide
Overview
Most wanted lists are published by law enforcement to get the public's help finding fugitives, and they run from the FBI's Ten Most Wanted, kept since 1950, down to county sheriffs who post a dozen local warrants. A wanted list is not the same as a warrant search. The lists are curated and short, while the warrants are in the court and sheriff records, and a person can have an active warrant without ever appearing on a list. This page leads to the federal lists and to the state and county most wanted pages for each state.
Tips on federal fugitives go to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov, to the United States Marshals through their tip line, and rewards are paid on many federal cases. Local tips go to the agency that posted the list or to the regional Crime Stoppers program, which takes them anonymously.
Official sources on this page were checked on September 25, 2026.
Guide
Federal fugitive lists
The FBI runs the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, the Most Wanted Terrorists list, and lists for cyber crime, kidnappings and missing persons, and violent crimes, each with a poster, the charges and the reward. The United States Marshals Service, which makes the most federal arrests, keeps its 15 Most Wanted and the lists of its regional fugitive task forces. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Secret Service and the Postal Inspection Service each post their own.
- FBI Most WantedTen Most Wanted, terrorists, cyber, kidnappings and violent crime lists, checked September 25, 2026
- United States Marshals fugitivesThe 15 Most Wanted and task force fugitives, checked September 25, 2026
- DEA fugitivesDrug Enforcement Administration wanted list by division, checked September 25, 2026
- ATF most wantedBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives fugitives, checked September 25, 2026
Guide
State and county lists and warrant searches
State police and state bureaus of investigation post statewide lists, and county sheriffs and city police post local ones, often with the warrant number and the charge. To find out whether a specific person has an active warrant, the sheriff's warrant search, the court clerk's case search and the state's own warrant lookup, where one exists, are the records to check, and the criminal records page for each state explains which are public. Sex offender registries are separate and searchable by address state by state.
Guide
Federal Most Wanted
DEA Fugitives
Guide
Submit Tips
Straight answers
Most Wanted Fugitives Database, questions
How do I check if someone has a warrant?
Search the county sheriff's warrant list, the court clerk's case search and the state warrant lookup where one exists. Most wanted lists are short and curated and do not show every warrant.
How do I report a tip on a fugitive?
Federal fugitives to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov, or to the United States Marshals tip line. Local fugitives to the agency that posted the list or to Crime Stoppers, which takes tips anonymously.
Is there a reward for most wanted fugitives?
Often. The FBI, the Marshals and the DEA state the reward on each poster, and Crime Stoppers programs pay rewards for tips that lead to an arrest.