In this article, we will be taking a look at the 25 most dangerous cities in the U.S.. To skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to see the 5 most dangerous cities in the US.
America is a paradox; on one hand, it is home to the most powerful military in the world and is the biggest economy in the world by far, not to mention the most technologically advanced country in the world. However, the one thing that cannot be ignored is the crime problem in many cities in the U.S., including some of the biggest cities there. In 2021, according to the FBI, murders in the U.S. rose by 4% as compared to the previous year even though overall violent crime fell by 1%. This fall was largely driven by a drop in robbery of 9% though this also may be due to the FBI switching to a new system and Axios mentioning that around 40% of total law enforcement failed to report statistics for 2021.
These statistics in fact support the belief that overall crime in the U.S. isn’t much higher than other developing nations, it is just more lethal. More than 75% of Americans feel safe walking alone at night, which shows that perceived crime isn’t high either in the country. While the overall violent crime rate has declined from over 500 per 100,000 people in 2000 to 395.7 per 100,000 people in 2021, a decrease of over 20%, the U.S. is still home to the highest rate of violent deaths per 100,000 people as compared to other high income, developed nations. In fact, according to a study by the University of San Francisco, the overall firearm death rate is 11.4 times higher in the U.S. than other high income countries. Unfortunately, this study showed that 91.6% of all women killed by guns were in the U.S. as were 96.7% of children aged 0-4 who were killed by guns. This historic gap between the U.S. and other high income countries continues to this day and is unlikely to improve any time soon, which creates a dire picture for the most dangerous cities in the U.S.
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One of the reasons behind this is that the U.S. has the highest guns per capita of any country in the world, with a 2017 estimate of 120.5 civilian firearms per 100 persons, almost twice that of second-placed Falkland Islands and more than 4 times that of fifth placed Serbia. The second amendment in the U.S. constitution states “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” The population has taken this quite to heart, especially in some of the most dangerous cities in the U.S., which is one of the reasons why the U.S. has more school shootings than any other country in the world.
Crime always has a direct impact on business, and lack thereof. There are plenty of studies which suggest that fear of victimization can result in consumers, workers and entrepreneurs to change how they operate which can result in a higher cost of business and the area’s economic development. The higher cost is often because of higher insurance while operating in a higher risk area, while higher costs are also a result of higher chance of robbery or damage to property. If an area has a higher level of crime, both violent and property, the chances of a business failing or relocating are higher too. This makes higher crime areas unattractive for potential investors. Further, high risk areas have lower footfall which again impact the potential growth of businesses.
In absolute terms, Los Angeles has the highest number of violent crimes in the country, followed by Detroit, Memphis, Phoenix and Baltimore. To determine our ranking of the most dangerous cities in the U.S., we consulted FBI statistics on both violent and property crimes in 2019, the latest year for which data is available, with the database containing over 500 cities. We then calculated the crime rate per 100,000 people for both statistics, giving 70% weightage to violent crime and 30% weightage to property crime, as the former is more dangerous. We then filtered out cities with a population of at least 100,000 people. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the cities to potentially avoid in the U.S., starting with:
25. Cincinnati, OH
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 845
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 4,303
Cincinnati is the second-most dangerous city in Ohio. However, it is home to the nation’s most dangerous neighborhood.
24. Rockford, IL
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,174
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 3,327
Only 4% of American cities have a higher crime rate than Rockford with some of the blame for this being apportioned to low incomes in the city as a result of the 2009 recession.
23. Beaumont, TX
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,047
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 3,616
Beaumont has a high crime rate with over 5,000 violent and property crimes being committed combined.
22. Dayton, OH
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 962
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 4,040
According to WDTN, Dayton ranked as the fifth deadliest city in the U.S., with most homicides in the city being drug-related.
21. Peoria, IL
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,044
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 3,749
The Cottage District in Peoria is the area with the highest crime in Peoria.
20. Washington, D.C.
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 977
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 4,246
Despite being home to the headquarters of some of the biggest federal law enforcement agencies including the FBI, Washington D.C. still faces crime in less affluent neighborhoods.
19. Minneapolis, MN
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 926
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 4,517
The impact of George Floyd’s murder by police led to riots in 2020 and beyond, which in turn increased the prevalence of crime in the city. However, Minneapolis has improved its crime statistics recently.
18. Nashville, TN
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,073
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 4,041
7,400 incidences of violent crime in Nashville ensured that it is counted among the most dangerous cities in the U.S.
17. Baton Rouge, LA
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 936
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 5,290
Baton Rouge faced significant levels of violence after police killed Alton Sterling in 2016, which was followed by three police officers being killed by a lone shooter. Specific areas in Baton Rouge, especially low-income areas and areas with high levels of drug use, are more prone to higher levels of crime.
16. Lubbock, TX
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,008
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 4,606
Drugs are one of the reasons why crime in Lubbock is so high, though improvement in this respect has ensured that the city has fallen down the list, compared to 2011 when it was ranked sixth according to Forbes.
15. Stockton, CA
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,397
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 3,944
Stockton has a higher level of poverty which has a direct correlation with the level of crime in the city.
14. Tulsa, OK
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 987
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 5,311
Tulsa is home to the one of the worst racial attacks in U.S. history with support from the government, but the city is facing a reckoning with crime right now with almost 4,000 incidences of violent crime being recorded in the city.
13. Anchorage, AK
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,245
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 4,261
The most dangerous city in Alaska, Anchorage may be seeing its crime rate decrease slightly year on year but a lot more still needs to be done to reduce the level of crime in the city.
12. North Charleston, SC
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 966
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 6,019
North Charleston is not among the most dangerous cities in the U.S. in terms of violent crime alone, but property crime in the city is quite high. As is true for any major city, North Charleston has some areas which are more prone to crimes.
11. San Bernardino, CA
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,319
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 4,190
The second-most dangerous city in California is San Bernardino, which in terms of violent crime alone is the most dangerous city in California, with its property crime ranking ensuring that it isn’t further up in our list of the most dangerous cities in the U.S.
10. Chattanooga, TN
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,070
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 5,557
Chattanooga’s crime rate is significantly higher than the U.S. average, with almost 2,000 violent crimes recorded in a city of over 180,000 people.
9. Wichita, KS
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,141
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 5,322
Violent crimes in Wichita are around 2.5 times the national average and is the most dangerous city in the state of Kansas. Murdock is the most dangerous area in Wichita.
8. New Orleans, LA
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,145
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 5,293
New Orleans is probably one of the most unique, distinct cities in the U.S., but the presence of gangs and drug traffickers diminishes the outlook of the city significantly. Homicide cases have risen consistently over the last five years though most of the crime is concentrated in specific areas occupied by games.
7. Cleveland, TN
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,517
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 4,467
Cleveland is one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S., a crime occurs in Cleveland at an average of every 2 hours and 29 minutes. In the city, your house is 300% more likely to be robbed as compared to the national average, a sobering statistic highlighting the danger of living in Cleveland.,
6. Baltimore, MD
Total violent crimes per 100,000 people: 1,859
Total property crimes per 100,000 people: 4,311
Drugs and poverty is a potent combination, and Baltimore can attest to this. Since Freddy Gray’s killing in police custody, crimes have continued to rise in Baltimore, at levels unseen for around a quarter of a century.
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Disclosure: None. 25 most dangerous cities in the U.S. is originally published at Insider Monkey.
