The city was dubbed “Murderapolis” in the mid-1990s when murder rates spiked, with 97 killings in 1995 alone. In a city with only 370,000 to 380,000 residents at the time, that put Minneapolis’ murder rate above New York’s. Though Minneapolis’ murder count has plummeted since then--there were 18 murders and non-negligent manslaughters in 2009--its overall crime rate is still more than three times the national rate.
The 11 Most Dangerous U.S. Cities
February 16, 2011
Crime rates in the United States have dropped significantly in the last two decades and continue to be on a steady downward trajectory, according to FBI figures. In 1991, there were 758 violent crimes per 100,000 Americans, compared to 2009's figure of 429. Property crime has diminished similarly, and is down to 3,036 per 100,000 people from 5,140 in 1991. Total crime numbers have also decreased over that period, despite population increases; 1.9 million violent crimes were reported in 1991, a figure that in 2009 stood at 1.3 million. Property crime has decreased even further, from 13.0 million incidents in 1991 to 9.3 million in 2009. Of course, crime remains a major problem in some of the largest urban areas, some of which have crime rates that are more than double, triple, or even quadruple the national figure.
An analysis of FBI data shows which cities in the United States have the highest overall incidence of crime, relative to the national rate. Below are the 11 U.S. cities with the greatest crime risk, according to an Onboard Informatics analysis of the most recent seven years of FBI crime reporting data. This data includes property crime, such as burglary and motor vehicle theft, as well as violent crime, like murder and robbery. An index score of 100 is equal to the national crime rate, meaning that Memphis, for example, with an index of 361, has a crime rate more than three times the national average.
Here are the 11 most dangerous cities in terms of crime risk:
City/ Crime Risk Index
1. St. Louis: 530
2. Atlanta: 484
3. Birmingham Alabama (tie): 380
3. Orlando (tie): 380
5. Detroit: 369
6. Memphis: 361
7. Miami: 346
8. Baltimore: 339
9. Kansas City, Missouri: 337
10. Minneapolis (tie): 331
11. Cleveland (tie): 331
Source: Onboard Informatics
Property crime is far more prevalent than violent crime in all of these cities, as with the rest of the nation, and nearly all of these 11 cities have also experienced significant drops in property crime in recent years. St. Louis, the city with the highest crime risk, has made major strides in the years covered by this index figure, with a property crime rate that has dropped from 13,187 per 100,000 residents in 2003 to 8,331 in 2009. In particular, the city's motor vehicle theft rate dropped by more than half in those seven years. Meanwhile, several of the cities among the top 11 experienced fluctuations or even growth in violent crime rates. Cleveland, for example, saw murder and aggravated assault rates grow from 2003 through 2009, though forcible rapes and aggravated assaults on the whole declined. Memphis saw the largest violent crime rate jump of the group, up to 1,806 per 100,000 residents in 2009 from 1,577 in 2003.
Of course, the above index figures do not provide a full picture of crime in any given city. For example, Birmingham and Orlando share an index rating of 380, but a statistical snapshot shows that the two cities deal with their own unique crime patterns. In 2009, Orlando had a greater incidence of larceny and theft than Birmingham, which itself experienced more forcible rapes and robberies.
It is also important to note that the above figures give an overall view of crime in these cities. Several other cities that have high rates of particular crimes are not among the 11 cities with the worst crime rates. For example, New Orleans and Richmond, Virginia had the highest murder rates in the country in 2009, according to the FBI. Likewise, Anchorage, Alaska, and Abilene, Texas, which are not among the cities with the most overall crime, still had the second- and third-highest rates of forcible rapes in 2009, behind No. 1 Minneapolis.
According to the FBI, a diverse array of factors can contribute to a city's crime rates, including population density, transportation trends, economic health, and even climate.
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Over a seven-year period ending in 2009, the crime risk in St. Louis was more than five times the national average, according to FBI crime reporting data. However, there is reason to believe that the city’s situation is improving; the St. Louis Police Department reported in January that major crimes in St. Louis in 2010 were down 9.2 percent from 2009 levels. |
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Atlanta’s crime risk is nearly five times the national average. The Big Peach poses more of a threat to property than to people; in 2009, violent crime rates in Atlanta were only slightly higher than the national figure. But property crimes were markedly higher, with motor vehicle theft 55 percent greater than the national rate and burglary 38 percent greater. |
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Orlando’s overall crime rate is nearly four times as high as the national rate, and in 2009 the violent crime rate in the greater Orlando area was nearly 60 percent higher than the national average. To help combat its street crime, Orlando police in 2008 began implementing a system of surveillance cameras installed around the city. The Orlando Police Department considers the camera program a success, and in 2011 hopes to add 60 more cameras to the 140 already installed around the city. |
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In 2009, the latest year on which the data is based, the murder and non-negligent manslaughter rate in the greater Birmingham metropolitan area was nearly twice the national rate of five per 100,000. Likewise, the rate of all property crime in that area was 50 percent higher than the national rate. |
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Detroit is the most populous of the 11 most dangerous cities and has a correspondingly high volume of crimes. In 2009, the number of violent and property crimes in the greater Detroit area totaled over 68,000, compared to Memphis’ 59,000. Motor City also has a high rate of arson--there were 624 reported acts of arson in Detroit in 2009. Cleveland was the next-closest city of the top 11, with 401. |
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FBI data puts Memphis among the cities with the highest crime rates, and the city is using data to fight back. In 2005, Memphis Police Department began Operation Blue CRUSH (Crime Reduction Utilizing Statistical History), which uses reporting data to identify and target crime “hot spots” around the city. The initiative also posts weekly crime data updates on the police department Web site. |
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The Miami Police Department says that, altogether, violent and property crimes dropped roughly 30 percent during the period covered by these rankings. The city also had the lowest number of forcible rapes, 65, of all the cities on this list in 2009, according to the FBI. However, in the greater Miami metropolitan area, the violent crime rate is still well above the national average, with 680 per 100,000 people, compared to the national figure of 429. |
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Though crime in Maryland’s largest city remains well above the national average, it is making headway by some measures. Baltimore saw 223 homicides in 2010, fewer than the 238 murders in 2009, 234 in 2008, and 282 in 2007, but the greater Baltimore area also had 722 reported violent crimes per 100,000 in 2009, 68 percent higher than the national average. |
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The Kansas City Police Department reports that 2009 saw lower rates of most types of violent and property crimes than in 2008. Most notably, motor vehicle theft was down 19 percent. But aggravated assault grew 4 percent in that period, and forcible rape increased by 11 percent. Altogether, the city’s crime rate is more than three times the national average. |
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Cleveland may be one of the 11 most dangerous cities, but its police department has reported a reduction in nearly all violent and property crimes since 2006. Between 2006 and 2010, the annual number of homicides has dropped 40 percent, and the number of motor vehicle thefts has dropped 46 percent. The only reported increase has been in burglary, which increased two percent over that period. |
