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10 Most Dangerous Cities in the US

auntiehill

auntiehill

The Blooness
Premium Member
I think what I find most surprising is that most of these are "small" cities; I was expecting to see Dallas, Houston, Los Angles, Miami.... but Flint? Stockton?

I looked up Houston's murder rate for last year: in the city limits, which has a population of approx. 2.25 million people, there were 267 murders. The city claims there were roughly 11.8 murders for every 100,000 people. Yet, Detroit, with less 900,000, has more murders than Houston. That's frightening. Have you noticed more crime in your area? How does your home town stack up? Is your home town on this list?

Full article here.


1. Flint, Mich.
Population: 109,245
Violent Crime Per 1,000: 22
2010 Murders: 53
Median Income: $27,049 (46.1% below national average)
Unemployment Rate: 11.8% (2.8% above national average)
The number of violent crimes committed in Flint increased for all categories considered for this list between 2009 and 2010. Perhaps most notably, the number of murders in the city increased from 36 to 53. This moves the city from having the seventh highest rate of homicide to the second highest. The number of aggravated assaults increased from 1,529 to 1,579, a rate of 14.6 assaults per 1,000 residents, placing the city in the No. 1 rank for rate of assaults. Flint police chief Alvern Lock stated late last year that he believed the city's violence stemmed from drugs and gangs. Flint has a relatively small median income of about $27,000 per household. The city also has a poverty rate of 36.2%.

2. Detroit
Population: 899,447
Violent Crime Per 1,000: 18.9
2010 Murders: 310
Median Income: $26,098 (48% below national average)
Unemployment Rate: 12.7% (3.7% above national average)
The city crippled the most in America's post-industrial era is almost certainly Detroit. The Motor City has suffered from high rates of unemployment, homelessness, and crime. The city has one of the ten highest rates for three of the four types of violent crime identified by the FBI. Detroit has the sixth highest murder rate, the fifth highest robbery rate, and the second highest rate of aggravated assault. In 2005, a major reorganization of the city's police department took place after a federal investigation identified inefficiencies within the system. According to an article in The United Press, opponents of Detroit Mayor David Bing called for further intervention by the Justice Department in several shootings that occurred last year.

3. St. Louis
Population: 355,151
Violent Crime Per 1,000: 17.5
2010 Murders: 144
Median Income: $34,801 (30.7% below national average)
Unemployment Rate: 9.3% (0.3% above national average)
Violent crime in St. Louis fell dramatically between 2009 and 2010, and has decreased since 2007. Despite this, crime rates remain extremely high compared with other cities. In 2010, the city's murder rate and rate of aggravated assault were each the third worst in the country. With regards to both violent and nonviolent crime, St. Louis was rated the most dangerous city based on FBI data released six months ago. As of December 2010, the murder rate in St. Louis was 6.3 times that of the state of Missouri. The city's gunshot murder rate for residents between 10 to 19 years old is also the second highest in the country, behind only New Orleans, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

4. New Haven, Conn.
Population: 124,856
Violent Crime Per 1,000: 15.8
2010 Murders: 22
Median Income: $38,279 (23.8% below national average)
Unemployment Rate: 9.6% (0.6% above national average)
New Haven has historically had the highest rate of violent crime on the east coast. The impoverished, crime-ridden parts of the city stand in stark contrast to affluent Fairfield county to the West, and elite Yale University, which is located within the city itself. The number of murders in the city doubled last year. New Haven has the eighth highest rate of robbery and the fourth highest rate of assault in the U.S. The New Haven Police Department is considering adding cameras at every intersection in one of the neighborhoods where shootings are the most common.

5. Memphis, Tenn.
Population: 673,650
Violent Crime Per 1,000: 15.4
2010 Murders: 89
Median Income: $34,203 (31.8% below national average)
Unemployment Rate: 9.9% (0.9% above national average)
Memphis has high rates for all the violent crimes considered for 24/7 Wall St.'s rankings. It has the sixth highest rate in the country. Incidents of violent crime in the city dropped slightly less than 15% between 2009 and 2010 though. Memphis Mayor AC Wharton attributes this decrease to Operation Safe Community, a citywide plan developed in 2005. The plan consists of a number of strategies meant to increase crime prevention, through toughening punishments for criminals, and the effectiveness of the city's legal system, through changes such as expanding court programs so that they operate consistently and at full capacity.

6. Oakland, Calif.
Population: 409,723
Violent Crime Per 1,000: 15.3
2010 Murders: 90
Median Income: $51,473 (2.4% above national average)
Unemployment Rate: 11% (2% above national average)
Oakland's violent crime dropped about 5.5% between 2009 and 2010, from about 6,800 to 6,260. The city nevertheless has the tenth-highest rate of rape, the ninth-highest murder rate, and the second highest robbery rate in the country. In 2010, there were 7.12 robberies for every 1,000 Oakland residents. According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Mayor Jean Quan has attempted to combat break-ins and theft by creating programs to keep potential wrongdoers off the streets by starting late-night basketball programs. It it unclear if these policies have worked.

7. Little Rock, Ark.
Population: 192,922
Violent Crime Per 1,000: 15.2
2010 Murders: 25
Median Income: $38,992 (22.3% below national average)
Unemployment Rate: 6.8% (2.2% below national average)
Little Rock has one of the highest rates of aggravated assault and forcible rape in the country. Since 2009, reported assaults has increased while reported forcible rapes have decreased. According to Lt. Terry Hastings of the Little Rock Police Department, quoted by local station FOX16, Little Rock was "down almost 12 percent across the board on crime" in 2010. This may be accurate for many crimes, and especially nonviolent crimes, however, according to FBI data, violent crime increased from 2009 to 2010.

8. Baltimore
Population: 639,929
Violent Crime Per 1,000: 14.6
2010 Murders: 223
Median Income: $38,772 (22.7% below national average)
Unemployment Rate: 7.4% (1.6% below national average)
Baltimore had the eighth-highest rate of violent crime per capita in 2010 among cities with 100,000 or more residents, and the second-highest east of the Mississippi. The number of violent crimes has dropped slightly in the past year -- from 9,600 to 9,300 -- but the Maryland city has some of the worst rates of dangerous offenses in the country. This includes the tenth-worst aggravated assault rate -- and the fourth-worst murder rate in the country.

9. Rockford, Ill.
Population: 156,180
Violent Crime Per 1,000: 14.5
2010 Murders: 20
Median Income: $36,990 (26% below national average)
Unemployment Rate: 13.3% (4.3% above national average)
Rockford has unusually high violent crime rates for a city of its size. Most notably, the city has the fourth highest rate of aggravated assault in the country, with 10.5 cases for every 1,000 citizens in 2010. During the same period, 20 murders occurred, almost double the number in 2000. Quoted by the Rockford Register Star in 2007, Winnebago County Sheriff Dick Meyers said that he believed the city's "location worked against [it,]" as Rockford receives traffic from the drug markets in Madison, Chicago, and Milwaukee, resulting in heightened rates of violence.

10. Stockton, Calif.
Population: 292,047
Violent Crime Per 1,000: 13.8
2010 Murders: 49
Median Income: $45,730 (8.9% below national average)
Unemployment Rate: 18.4% (9.4% above national average)
b
With a jobless rate of 18.4%, up from 18.1% a year ago, Stockton, California has one of the worst unemployment problems in the country. The huge percentage of unemployed residents may have contributed to horrible crime rates in the city, which is located 40 miles east of Oakland and San Francisco. Stockton was rated one of the most miserable cities to live in the country by Forbes in March, 2010. Violent crime was one of the chief measurements for its ranking. Of the 267 cities with populations over 100,000, Stockton has the 27th highest number of murders per 1,000 people and the 12th most aggravated assaults per 1,000. Last year, recognizing the crime problems in the city, the state temporarily diverted hundreds of California Highway Patrol officers to aid the city's overwhelmed police department.
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I am quite shocked by these high numbers especially when I compare them to where I live.

Tasmania has a population of around 500,000. The totally murders statewide is usually less than 10 a year. In 1996, there were 37 murders in Tasmania but 35 of those were as a result of a lone gunman massace of Port Arthur (35 victims).

These cities have a far higher murder rate than Tasmania had even in its very worst year. For example St Louis, which has a population around 150,000 smaller than Tasmania's, has a murder total that is 15 times greater than the yearly murder total in Tasmania and when compared to Tasmania's worst year it is still 4 times greater.

Why are the crime rates so high in these cities? It can't just be a result of poverty or unemployment? Tasmania's median income is lower than some of these cities, though our unemployment rate is lower than all the cities.
 
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Miss Chicken said:
Why are the crime rates so high in these cities? It can't just be a result of poverty or unemployment? Tasmania's median income is lower than some of these cities, though our unemployment rate is lower than all the cities.
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A lot of the violent crime is drug related where I live.
 
Representin' the Louie! W00T!

Seriously, these figures are kind of meaningless. Rockford (where I have also spent time - very nice city) is on the list with 20 murders because they're dealing in percentages. But almost all of this crime is restricted to certain parts of the city, and certain segments within the city (i.e., drug dealers and users). Unless I deliberately wander into those areas, I'm pretty safe.
 
Miss Chicken said:
Why are the crime rates so high in these cities? It can't just be a result of poverty or unemployment? Tasmania's median income is lower than some of these cities, though our unemployment rate is lower than all the cities.
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That's a very good question. In fact, violent crime rates have been dropping since the 70's, other than a brief rise in the 90's, and no one knows why that's the case either. There have been many ideas proposed, but when someone does the research, those ideas aren't supported by the data. If we could figure out why it's dropping we might be closer to figuring out why it's higher in those cities.

The article goes with the conclusion that it's just poverty, but several of those cities on the list don't have particularly high unemployment or low incomes than other cities. Even the small amount of data shown doesn't seem to support the conclusion in the first couple of paragraphs. It looks like the author just started from that assumption and didn't bother to examine it.

As for why it's dropping, I've heard all kinds of ideas. Here are a few examples: Roe v. Wade resulted in a lot of unwanted children that would have grown up to be criminals being aborted. Improvements in criminal science have helped law enforcement catch and imprison more of the right people, so more criminals are in prison. The baby boomers were the troublemakers, and as they've aged, they've gotten to old/fat/tired to commit crimes. And a bunch more I can't remember at the moment. I have no idea what the real reason is, but whatever it is I suspect it's actually a lot of things.
 
watermelony2k said:
Mr. B said:
Miss Chicken said:
Why are the crime rates so high in these cities? It can't just be a result of poverty or unemployment? Tasmania's median income is lower than some of these cities, though our unemployment rate is lower than all the cities.
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A lot of the violent crime is drug related where I live.
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Gang violence?
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But what social conditions lead to gangs being formed? and why are drugs such a problem (at least when compared to some other cities)?
 
Jeez, what a shock. Poverty and high unemployment in every single one of these towns. Imagine my surprise.

Hope the big corporations are paying attention to what the future of this country looks like as they ship more and more of our jobs overseas, using tax breaks that WE paid for.

Desperate people do desperate things in order to survive.
 
Miss Chicken said:
watermelony2k said:
Mr. B said:
A lot of the violent crime is drug related where I live.
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Gang violence?
Click to expand...

But what social conditions lead to gangs being formed? and why are drugs such a problem (at least when compared to some other cities)?
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Societal conditions, like broken homes, alcoholism, drug use, abuse, etc; lack of opportunity in jobs and education, feeling isolated by or in one's community.

Maybe all of these. Maybe none of these. If I knew the definitive answer, I'd be making a hell of a lot more money than I am now.

Sometimes, mere location is what makes a town a center for drug activity. In places with isolated terrain, a small population, high unemployment, large areas between neighbors, meth labs spring up. In places near the Mexico border, pot and cocaine are the prevalent drugs. Sometimes, merely being a convenient stopping place between large cities is enough---like Rockford, for instance.
 
Societal conditions, like broken homes, alcoholism, drug use, abuse, etc; lack of opportunity in jobs and education, feeling isolated by or in one's community.
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The thing is that most of those conditions also exist in Tasmania. We are the less educated and poorest Australian state but we have the lowest crime rate of any Australian state.

The main reason the unemployment rate is low is because the unemployment figures doesn't include those single young women on Supporting Parent Benefit and because many of the more educated Tasmanians seek work in other states. Even those who are working get lower wages than elsewhere in Australia (wages are only about 70% of what they are in Sydney). There is also a lot of under-employment in Tasmania, people with part-time or casual jobs who would like more work if they could get it.

About 35% of Tasmanians are on government benefits, which is the highest of any state. We also have one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates (though it is lower than the Northern Territory).

Drug abuse isn't a huge problem but alcohol abuse is.

It would be hard to find any Australian state that is more boring for its youth than Tasmania is.
 
watermelony2k said:
Mr. B said:
Miss Chicken said:
Why are the crime rates so high in these cities? It can't just be a result of poverty or unemployment? Tasmania's median income is lower than some of these cities, though our unemployment rate is lower than all the cities.
Click to expand...
A lot of the violent crime is drug related where I live.
Click to expand...
Gang violence?
Click to expand...
New Orleans doesn't really have a 'gang problem' in the traditional sense like cities such as LA do. They do exist here and there are a lot of drug related murders... drug deals gone bad and the like. A lot of the gun crime here is one hoodlum shooting another over a trivial disagreement. Most of the murder victims have an "extensive criminal history."
 
Well, the majority of those cities have a large population of many different ethinicities, low employment, poverty, and these cities are also, themselves, poor, where a not lot of development is coming into the city. No surprises on the majority of those cities.

What type of society is Tasmania? Is it mainly English with a few smatterings of Aboriginals, or is it like what we have here? Where we have many different ethnicities in the same city.
 
Tasmania is mainly white but 5% of our population identifies as being aboriginal (though many people would say these are white Aboriginals). The Aboriginal community does tend to have a higher rate of unemployment, are less educated and more likely to be prison that the non-Aboriginal community.

We have about 1000 Sudanese in Tasmania, most of them in Hobart. Hobart has a population of around 200,000. There is also other black Africans but I am not sure of the exact numbers.

Tasmania, at one point, had the largest Hmong population in Australia. They fitted in well and many of them were market gardeners and sold they wares at the Saturday market which made them popular with Hobartians. Unfortunately, as their children became young adults there were few job opportunites for them. While most native-born Tasmanians accept that many of their children will have to go to the mainland, most of our ethnic groups are not as accepting of this. The Hmong community decided that keeping their families intact was important, so they bought land in Queensland and most of them left. They were sad to leave a community that had been accepting of them, and Hobartians were sorry to see them go. There are now only about 7 Hmong families left, still selling vegetables at the Saturday market.

In all likelihood the Sudanese will face the same problem one day.
 
RoJoHen said:
Rockford is a total shithole.
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It really is. There's nothing redeeming about that "city," outside of the Rockford Register-Star, which is really one of the better-run print operations around.
 
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