The Most Dangerous Cities In The United States

The United States is full of great cities. Unfortunately, some of these cities have a dark side. This article will take a look at some of the most dangerous cities in the United States. Some of the cities on this list might surprise you.

1. St. Louis, Missouri

The #1 most dangerous city in the United States is St. Louis, Missouri. Some of you might be surprised to see St. Louis at #1, but after looking into the statistics, it is no shocker. St. Louis received the lowest possible score on the U.S. crime index receiving a 1 out of 100. The chances of you being a victim of a violent crime in St. Louis are 1 in 48 which is extremely high since it is only 1 in 189 throughout the rest of the state.  

In 2017, there were 91.5 violent crimes per 10,000 people reported in St. Louis and the number has continued to rise. There were also 205 murders that year which might not seem that high compared to other cities, but after you adjust it to St. Louis’ population, it becomes the highest murder rate in the country. It turns out that the cities murder rate is 67 per 100,000 people. The national average is only 5 per 100,000. St Louis has also seen an increased number of robberies and assaults as well.

2. Detroit, Michigan

Anyone who has been keeping up with Detroit over the last couple of years were probably expecting to see it somewhere on this list. Detroit has had many hardships over the last decade or so. The city has an insane unemployment rate with many people fleeing the city. Crime has actually decreased a bit in Detroit but that isn’t saying much since it is still ranked the second most dangerous city in the United States.

Detroit is a very poor city. A staggering 40% of its population live under the poverty line. With so many people out of work, many residents turn to crime as a source of income. Detroit’s crime rate is 140% higher than the national average. The city’s violent crime rate is 1,759.60 per 100,000 residents. There were also 261 murders in Detroit during 2018. This number sounds high, but this is actually a decrease from the previous year. Hopefully, Detroit’s crime rate will continue to drop and we will see the city become successful once again in the not so distant future.

3. Memphis, Tennessee

When most people think of Memphis, they probably think of it as being the home of Elvis or country music. The truth is, Memphis has seen a pretty big jump in crime over the last few years. The city now has the third-highest violent crime rate in the entire country. Much like Detroit, Memphis has seen a major increase in poverty over the years. Many experts believe this is one of the leading factors for the high rate of criminal activity happening in the city.

There were around 653,000 violent crimes in Memphis in 2017, 181 coming from homicides. This means that the chances of Memphis residents becoming a victim of a violent crime is 1 out of 50. If you include property crimes the number increased to a shocking 1 out of 12. The good news is most of the crime does not take place in touristy areas such as downtown. Most of the crime takes place in bad neighborhoods. This is still a horrible problem but anyone planning a visit Memphis shouldn’t worry about becoming a victim since it is rare for crime to seep into the historic areas of the city.

4. Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore has had a reputation for being prone to crime for many years now. Many popular television shows such as The Wire have depicted the mean streets of Baltimore. Many of the crimes committed in Baltimore seem to revolve around drugs. It is another city that suffers from a high poverty rate. Residents struggle to find employment causing many to resort to drug dealing and robbery just to make ends meet.

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Baltimore has the highest robbery rate in the entire country. There were over 8,850 robberies in 2017 alone. This means there were over 950 robberies for every 100,000 people. There were also over 2,000 violent crimes per 100,000 people that same year as well as 340 recorded murders. As stated before, most of these crimes are due to drug activity. Many addicts are forced to rob people in order to get their fix and many drug dealers fight each other for territory. Hopefully, the city can get a hold of the drug and crime problem soon making it a great place to visit once again.

5. Oakland, California

Oakland is the most dangerous city in California making it one of the most dangerous in all of America. Over the last 50 years or so, Oakland has seen its fair share of crime. The city has a major drug and gang problem. Many rival gangs fight for high drug trafficking areas spread out all over the city. The large amount of drugs being brought into Oakland by drug cartels is another issue facing the city.

Oakland’s robbery rate gives Maryland a run for its money.  The chances of you getting robbed in Oakland is 1 out of 91. It is the most common crime that occurs in the city. The violent crime rate is much higher than the national average with 1,442.50 per 100,000 residents falling victim. The good news is Oakland is starting to see a slow improvement. The homicide rate is the lowest its been in years and the city is seeing a drop in violent crime. That being said Oakland still a lot of work to do since it is still labeled as one of the most dangerous cities in America.

These cities are just a few of the most dangerous cities in the U.S. Keep in mind that these cities are prone to change as more information comes out as the year goes on. Cities like Chicago might replace one of these cities once the 2019 statistics are released. Feel free to let us know what you think of this list in the comments below.