The Most Dangerous Metropolitan Areas to Live in the U.S.

The latest FBI “Crime in the United States” report is out. Overall, figures reveal a ten-year trend showing a drop in violent crime.

The Most Dangerous Metropolitan Areas to Live in the U.S.

The FBI’s annual report “Crime in the United States,” which was released at the end of September, offers a window into the safety of U.S. metropolitan areas.

The report showed a 0.2 percent decrease in the estimated number of violent crimes in 2017 after two consecutive years of increases. The five-year trend shows that crime has risen; the 2017 estimated violent crime total was 6.8 percent above the 2013 level. However, the ten-year trend shows a 10.6 percent drop in violent crimes. So crime levels fluctuate, but over the long term they’re trending down.

The violent crime category in the FBI’s report includes murder and non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault – all of which involved force or the threat of force.

It’s important to keep in mind that the FBI report is comprised of information that is voluntarily supplied by law enforcement agencies. It’s also important to remember that crime is often confined to the poorest neighborhoods and is often a function of generations of segregation, poverty, and social neglect, which can lead to involvement in illicit activities. The Midwest and the South have the biggest meth consumption rates in the country, which are directly reflected in the violent crime statistics.

Something else to take into account: the crime being considered. For example, rape as an indicator of danger is distinct from homicide, and it is a crime that often goes unreported, meaning the figures are likely much higher. There is a critical question that is often overlooked in reports about dangerous cities – where in the United States is it more dangerous to be a woman?

Here is a comparative look at the U.S. metropolitan areas with a population of 300,000 or more with the highest reported violent crime rates per 100,000 inhabitants for 2017, according to the FBI.

1) Memphis, Tennessee-Mississippi-Arkansas

Population: 1,346,961

Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 1,168.3

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 16.3

Grind City’s crime rate went up between 2016 and 2017. In addition to 291 reported murders, 796 rapes were reported.

2) Anchorage, Alaska

Population: 313,465

Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 1,162.8

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 8.9

It’s a dangerous place to be a woman, and in particular, an indigenous woman. There were 391 rapes reported in 2017. For years Alaska has been the so-called “rape capital” of America. There are numerous contributing factors for the unusually high incidence of violent crime, including high rates of alcoholism, poverty, abuse of methamphetamine and opioids, among others.

3) Albuquerque, New Mexico

Population: 915,069

Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 1,084.9

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 8.9

Crime has been on the increase in this southwestern city. In 2017, New Mexico had the highest per capita rate of property crime in the country, and second highest violent crime rate per capita in the country, after Alaska (and not including the District of Columbia).

In the state’s largest city, murder hit a 20-year high in 2017. Like many areas of the U.S., a combination of gun violence, poverty, drug crime, and other social factors are to blame.

4) Rockford, Illinois

Population: 337,935

Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 819.4

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 6.2

Violent crime went down in 2017 in the third largest city in Illinois. Rockford’s poverty rate is well above the national average of 12.3 percent, at 22.7 percent.

5) Stockton-Lodi, California

Population: 740,904

Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 808.6

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 9.2

Stockton is the 13th largest city in California, with a population of the city itself at 308,348. In 2012, the city filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy, which meant major spending cuts across numerous sectors, including law enforcement and public services.

Although the city saw a decrease in murders and aggravated assault from 2016 to 2017, the numbers remain high. By comparison, Santa Ana, California has 29,071 more people but a violent crime rate of only 233.2 incidents per 100,000.

6) Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, Arkansas

Population: 741,067

Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 798.6

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 11.7

Crime in Arkansas has been on the increase for the past two decades. In 2017 in the Little Rock metro area, 87 people were murdered and there were 453 reported rapes.

While the official poverty rate in the U.S. was 12.3 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the poverty rate in Little Rock was well above that at 18.5 percent.

7) Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, Maryland

Population: 2,811,573

Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 782.5

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 14.7

Baltimore has long held the unfortunate title of one of America’s most dangerous cities, in part due to gang violence.

In 2017, there were 413 murders and 1,048 rapes reported in the metro area.

8) Wichita, Kansas

Population: 646,209

Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 724.2

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 6.8

Wichita is located at the intersection of I-35 and US 54, which are two major drug trafficking routes leading up from the Southwest border.

The capital of Kansas is also a drug distribution hub and has a large market for local drug consumption. Wichita also has a high poverty rate at 17.1 percent, as opposed to the national rate of 12.3 percent.

9) Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Indiana

Population: 2,026,454

Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 694.5

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 8.3

In 2018, the Indianapolis City-County Council recognized gun violence and violent crime as a public health danger. There were a record number of homicides in 2017, and 2018 is already looking like it’s going to be a deadlier year for the midwestern city.

10) Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wisconsin

Population: 1,575,520

Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 680.5

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 7.9

The Cream City is also one of the country’s most violent cities. And it is also one of the poorest large cities in the country, with a poverty rate of 28.4 percent.

11) Corpus Christi, Texas

Population: 458,865

Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 632

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 6.5

In 2017, there were 232 reported rapes in the city of Corpus Christi alone, as well as 1,590 aggravated assaults.

12) Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, Tennessee

Population: 1,902,780

Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 624.9

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 7.8

In 2017, there was a marked increase in crime from the year before in the Music City. There were 149 murders and 894 reported rapes.

13) Mobile, Alabama

Population: 414,842

Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 619

Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 15.4

Last year, among those violent incidents, were 64 murders and 179 reported rapes. Mobile is on the I-10 corridor, a major U.S. drug and human trafficking highway. Alabama is also one of the poorest states in the nation.