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Organized crime during the 1920s played a major role in both the wretchedness and the economic and cultural development of major communities both in the United States and the United Kingdom.

By city, state or region in the United States

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Organized crime in Atlantic City during the 1920s was controlled by a political machine, led by Enoch L. "Nucky" Johnson, the Treasurer of Atlantic County. Johnson managed hundreds of casinos and speakeasies and oversaw bootlegging all over the city and the county. A well-connected invidual, Johnson also controlled the city and county governments and established ties to politicians, like Warren Harding, Harry M. Daugherty, Frank Hague and Walter Edge. During his reign, Atlantic City reached, according to many historians, its heyday. The city became a center of culture, economy and nightlife, attracting celebrities from around the world and becoming the nation's premier location for holding conventions and other events. Despite rampant criminal activity, the city was relatively safe. As a result, Johnson was successful in maintaining Republican Party dominance.

Johnson's personal trademark was a red carnation on his lapel and he was known for his generosity among the city's poor and immigrant inhabitants. His political influence exceeded well beyond Atlantic City and Atlantic County, influencing federal patronage and presidential campaigns.

Johnson is credited with organizing two successful election campaigns for Walter Edge and contributing in the election of Warren Harding as President of the United States. On 1929, Johnson hosted the Atlantic City Conference, a major meeting of organized crime leaders throughout the United States, including Lucky Luciano and Al Capone.

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago, Illinois was a major center of organized crime throughout the 1920s. At the start of the decade, the organized crime in the city was dominated by the the local branch of the Sicilian Mafia, the South Side Gang and the North Side Gang. Corruption was rampant, as the Unione Siciliana, a fraternal group composed of Italian immigrants, controlled a significant portion of the city's Democratic Party politics and answered directly to the bosses of Chicago's Sicilian Mafia. In fact, many leaders in the group were made members in the city's Sicilian organized crime syndicate.

After the death of Unione president Mike Merlo, the city's Sicilian Mafia was absorbed by the South Side Gang, the Unione was renamed the Italian-American National Union and the city's gangs began fighting for control of it. After members of the South Side Gang murdered North Side Gang leader Dean O'Banion, his successor attempted to assassinate Johnny Torrio, the South Side Gang's boss. Severely weakened by that attempt and fearing for his life, Torrio handed control to his young protégé, Al Capone.

Capone reorganized his gang and started eliminating his rivals one by one, masterminding the infamous Saint Valentine's Day Massacre to eliminate his greatest rival, Bugs Moran. The massacre marked a significant blow on the North Side Gang and, by the end of the decade, Capone had unofficially taken Chicago over.

Although many historians consider the decade a high point in Chicago's economy, the era was also characterised by many mob wars, whose casualties included innocent citizens, even children, in addition to mobsters.

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland, Ohio prospered during the 1920s with organized crime as one of the main reasons. Unlike most gangs at the time, the gangs operating in Cleveland were hesitant to begin their own bootlegging operations. Groups composed of newcomers, such as Moe Dalitz, took over and, by 1925, local organized crime had evolved into the Cleveland crime family. Even after its formation, the family experienced a number of violent internal feuds, which lasted until 1930, when it was reorganized by Frank Milano.

Florida

Organized crime flourished throughout the U.S. state of Florida during the early 1920s, when the state was experiencing a major real estate bubble, the Florida land boom of the 1920s. Rampant bootlegging and a lax law enforcement attitude is considered a factor in the development of major seaside Florida communities, notably Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa.

Galveston, Texas

The 1920s in Galveston, Texas marked the start of the city's open era. The seaside resort reached its peak economically and spiritually, becoming a nationally known resort, attracting celebrities throughout the world.

At the start of the decade, the city was controlled by Irish American power broker and gang leader Ollie Johnson Quinn. Quinn and his partner Dutch Voight owned numerous casinos and clubs in the city, fighting with Johnny Jack Nounes, leader of the rival Downtown Gang.

Quinn mentored young Salvatore V. "Sam" Maceo, a charismatic Italian American businessman. Fortuitous arrests of the city's crime kingpins allowed Maceo and his brother, Rosario Maceo, to take control of the city, reorganizing its underworld, taking over its government and establishing numerous nightclubs and gambling dens, including the infamous Hollywood Dinner Club and the Balinese Room.

The city's success as a resort was particularly evident in later years with Galveston reaching its definite peak around the late 1930s.

Newport, Kentucky

Newport, Kentucky adopted a Sin city-like image during the 1920s in a similar way Atlantic City or Galveston did. Prohibition under the Volstead Act of 1919 resulted in widespread illegal sale of alcohol. Many gangsters began bootlegging alcohol into the city to supply citizens and businesses. Speakeasies, bribery, and corruption became a norm in Newport. A well known Newport crime boss was gambler and National Crime Syndicate member Ed Levinson.

Despite serious opposition from the church, illegal activities in Newport continued for years to come.

New York City

Organized crime flourished in New York City during the 1920s. Organized crime historians consider the city during the 1920s a "capital of criminal activity". Due to massive immigration waves during the early 20th century, the city had been home to organized crime much prior the decade. Jewish, Italian and Irish immigrant gangs with lack of education had been active in the city at the start of the '20s. These included New York's Sicilian Mafia, the Irish Mob, Jewish gangs operating out of its ghettos and other independent bootleggers.

The Sicilian Mafia consisted of old-fashioned gangsters, Mustache Petes, notably Toto D'Aquila, Joe Masseria, Ciro Terranova and Salvatore Maranzano. These "bosses" typically didn't associate themselves with Jewish or Irish gangsters and had maintained ties back to Sicily. After numerous bloody feuds between the city's Sicilian gangs, organized crime in the city was taken over by Joe Masseria. Sicilian Mafia Don Vito Cascio Ferro sent Salvatore Maranzano to seize power from Masseria and the Castellammarese War began. Masseria was soon murdered at a restaurant in Coney Island; Masseria's second in command, Lucky Luciano had arranged the hit in a deal with Maranzano. However, Maranzano suspected Luciano would betray him and began planning to kill him; Luciano had been informed and soon had Maranzano murdered as well. Luciano took over and established the Five Families and the Commission, a governing body for the newly formed American Mafia.

The small Jewish gangs based out of the ghettos were united by Arnold Rothstein. Due to his business-like mind, Rothstein served as an inspiration and mentor for many mobsters, including Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel. However, by the mid-1920s, Rothstein was only involved in financing the operations of these gangsters, who had already started their own bootlegging operations and aligned themselves with the Sicilian Mafia. Rothstein was murdered on 1928. Although there is little, if any, evidence Masseria or other Sicilian crime bosses were involved in his murder, Rothstein's death contributed greatly in the rise of the Sicilian-American Mafia.

The Irish Mob was also a major force in New York City's organized crime, although its presence declined evidently as the years passed. Leading New York Irish mobsters of the 1920s included Big Bill Dwyer, John Thomas "Legs" Diamond, Richard Lonergan, Bill Lovett and Owen Madden.

West Coast of United States

Organized crime had a strong presence in the Western United States during the 1920s.