10 Most Dangerous Cities In America in 2013

Every year the FBI compiles a big database of crime in the United States of America. It then uses those data points from the database to rank the most dangerous cities in America. Using that list, we have picked ten cities that have stood out the most in terms of violent crimes.

Here is a list of America’s most dangerous cities in 2013 according to the FBI:

1. Detroit, Michigan

It should not surprise anyone that Detroit is on this list. In 2009, violent and property crimes totaled around 68,000. In 2010, there were about 2,137 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. To break down the violent crimes further, Detroit has a rate of over 48 murders per 100,000 residents. To put it into perspective just how high that is, the national average is 4.7 per 100,000 residents. Although Detroit remains a top candidate for the most dangerous city in the US, there is a glimmer of hope as the crime rate dropped by 10 percent last year.

2. Flint, Michigan

Just an hour away from Detroit is Flint. Flint was a booming economic powerhouse in the late 1950s with a population of 200,000 people—making it the second largest city in Michigan at the time. But Flint has experienced a rapid decline since then. A series of economic setbacks coupled with urban decay caused many working class families to flee for greener pastures. Now the population of Flint is just over 100,000 residents, many of whom live in poverty. The city has a high prevalence of reported rapes. The city averages 83 forcible rapes per 100,000 residents while the national average is 26.8.

3. Atlanta, Georgia

The crime risk in this city is about five times that of the national average. The highest types of crime in this city include property and motor vehicle theft crimes. The vehicle theft is 55% greater than the national average, with burglary being 38% greater than the national rate. Atlanta also has rather high murder rate, as it is 17.7 per 100,000 residents.

While it is nowhere near Detroit’s 48, it is well above the national average and is something to be cognizant of. However, the thing to be most concerned about is aggravated assault, as Atlanta has one of the highest rates per 100,000 residents. They consistently have about 600 to 700 reports of aggravated assault per 100,000 residents per year, three times the national average.

But even with all this danger, there are some good years. In the last year Atlanta crime rate has fallen by 40%, with violent crimes such as rape and homicide dropping 55% and 72% respectively.

4. Orlando, Florida

The crime rate is close to three times that of the national rate. Violent crime rates are very high in this city; you can expect to see about 1,076 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. Orlando also has one of the highest crime rates per square mile, meaning no matter where you go, you will run into trouble. The city is making attempts to improve the crime rates by installing more surveillance cameras in the city, and while Orlando is slowly making its way to the bottom of the “most dangerous cities in the US” list, it will take a lot more work to completely get off the FBI’s list.

5. Birmingham, Alabama

Overall, Alabama is a relatively safe state. Its state average for violent crimes is 4.2, which is lower than the national average. However, Birmingham itself is a different story. This city tops one of the largest cities for rape and property crimes. Birmingham averages 1,483 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. Birmingham had 62 homicides total in 2011, which isn’t incredibly high when compared with some others on the list. However, it also has a very high property crime rate, averaging out at three times the national average for property crime. If you live in Birmingham, you will have a 1 in 12 chance of getting robbed and a 1 in 67 chance of being a part of a violent crime.

6. St. Louis, Missouri

Although the crime risk has decreased by 9.2% in 2010 compared to 2009, this city still has a high crime rate compared other cities in America. Murder rates have decreased, but the murder rates still remain the 4th highest in the nation with 35.5 murders per 100,000 residents. Robbery rates are the 5th highest in the nation with 668.7 robberies per 100,000 residents. Budget cuts have reduced the number of street- patrolling officers, making it difficult to improve crime rates in this city.

7. Memphis, Tennessee

There were about 1,584 violent crimes per 100,000. Memphis is known for all different types of violent crimes but the bulk of the reports are for aggravated assault, making up a total of 1,035 of the 1,584 violent crimes. However its violent crimes have decreased in the last couple of years due to the launch of Operation Safe Community (OSC), a roadmap with 15 strategic plans to take the streets back from the criminals. However, even with OSC, Memphis’s property crime rate is still twice the national average.

8. Miami, Florida

The Miami metropolitan areas violent crime rate is above the national average. There are about 680 violent crimes per 100,000 people, however over 90% of those violent crimes are aggravated assault, which means the homicide and rape rates are very low. Miami has a large number of robberies, reporting about 494.4 robberies per 100,000 people. This is four times higher than the national average. Though the amount of crimes in Miami is low compared to the others on the list, the city more than makes up for it by having one of the highest crimes per square mile; Miami averages 500 crimes per square mile. That means that a lot of crime is happening in a small space, so it is unlikely that you can live there without witnessing a crime.

9. Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore reported about 1,417 violent crimes per 100,000 people. It also has a murder rate of 31.3 murders per 100,000 people, which is much higher than the national average. However the rates of rapes, robbery, and assault are also very high, being about two to three times higher than the national average. The property crime rate, however, isn’t as scary as most of the other cities on this list, having only 490 property crime reports per 100,000 residents. This is about 1.7 times the amount of the national average, which is very low compared to the other cities on the list.

10. Kansas City, Kansas

The crime rate in Kansas City is more than three times the national average. The city reported 1,200 violent crimes per 100,000. The rape rate is twice as high as the national average. The property crime is a little more than Baltimore, reaching 550 property crimes reported per 100,000 residents. The property crimes are primarily made up of theft and burglary. However it is the motor vehicle theft that is actually the highest when compared to the national crime rate. On the bright side, Kansas City has one of the lowest crimes per square mile, with just under 100 crimes per square mile. That is five times less than Miami.

While there are cities in America that are certainly plagued by crime, one can take solace in the fact that crime and murder rates in even the most dangerous American cities still comes nowhere close to comparing to the most dangerous cities in the world.