In the US, crime is on the rise and only getting worse. 2021 saw a 7% rise in homicides, and since 2014, there has been an 80% surge in fatal shootings in major cities due to gun violence. Memphis, St. Louis, and Oakland rank among the most hazardous cities in the United States in 2023, according to new data. A lot of individuals are worried that their towns may not be secure anymore.
Sadly, violent crime is still a frequent feature in the media and isn’t just eye candy. For the first time since 2016, violent crime increased nationally, and the largest cities in the nation can occasionally be seen as vivid examples of this trend.
According to sources, Memphis, the city at the top of our list, has experienced a string of violent episodes, such as the kidnapping and murder of a kindergarten teacher and a shooting spree that left three people wounded and four people dead.
The following cities are listed as the top ten most dangerous in the United States:
- Memphis, Tennessee
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Oakland, California
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Baltimore, Maryland
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Detroit, Michigan
- Lubbock, Texas
- Chicago, Illinois
- Stockton, California
1. Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, which was formerly the centre of American auto manufacture, has seen urban deterioration, population loss, and economic downturn, all of which have raised the city’s crime rates.
Rate of violent crime: 2,178.7 per 100,000 people
Rate of property crime: 4,302 per 100,000 people
High rates of property crime and violence associated with gangs are notable issues.
Despite only having 600,000 residents, Detroit is a city that experiences hundreds of crimes every day. Consequently, Detroit’s crime rate is many times higher than the US national average.
2. Oakland, California
Violent crime in the city grew by 15% and property crime by 28% between January 1 and July 23 of this year. In an emergency, you shouldn’t rely on a police officer to arrive quickly. Living in Oakland is becoming more and more dangerous as crime rates are rising this year, police are woefully understaffed, and response times to urgent calls are pitifully delayed. The crime rate in Oakland, which has a population of 433,823, is 6,459 per 100,000 people, which is 150% more than the state’s average and 175% more than the national average.
Prior to the recent upsurge in crime, Oakland had significantly higher per-capita crime than San Jose and San Francisco, the other two most populous Bay Area cities. The disparity is now becoming more pronounced.
3. Memphis, Tennessee
According to the Crime Commission, Memphis’s crime rates have increased “across the board” during the first three months of 2023. Due to its 628,127 residents and a crime rate that is 237% greater than the US average, Memphis, Tennessee, has been named the most dangerous city in the US.
“Three main categories account for the disturbing increases in reported crime: vehicle thefts, vehicle break-ins, and crimes committed with guns,” stated President Bill Gibbons of the Memphis Shelby County Crime Commission in a statement that was attached to the data release. ”
Between 2022 and 2023, the murder rate increased by 34.4%.
Rape rates increased by 41.3% between 2022 and 2023.
Aggravated assault rates increased 5.9% between 2022 and 2023.
From 2022 to 2023, the robbery rate increased by 4.8%.
4. St. Louis, Missouri
Unexpectedly, St. Louis is a well-liked travel destination for tourists, who primarily come from within the United States but are also from other countries. With 239,210 residents, the city has a crime rate that is 234% greater than the national average. Remarkably, in 2020, St. Louis had 7,847 crimes per 100,000 residents, with 6,107 violent crimes and 17,399 property crimes.
St. Louis was known for being a deadly city for many years. Indeed, it was the capital of American homicide for a number of years until 2022, when New Orleans overtook it. It’s obvious that St. Louis has a significant issue with violent crime.
The most frequent crimes in St. Louis are said to include homicide, assault, auto theft, theft, and gun violence.
5. New Orleans, Louisiana
The reason so many people travel to New Orleans is because of its distinctive history and culture, which date back to the decades when it was occupied by the French. However, there is more to this metropolis than meets the eye. There is a lot of violence in New Orleans, especially violent crime. The Lower 9th Ward, Wake Lake Forest, and Pines Village are the three most dangerous neighborhoods in New Orleans.
With 376,971 residents, it has a crime rate that is 150% more than the national average at 5,864 per 100,000.
The residents deal with assault, robbery, petty theft, scams, and carjacking on every single day.
6. Albuquerque, New Mexico
Across all American localities, from the smallest towns to the biggest cities, Albuquerque has one of the highest rates of crime. with 58 crimes committed against every 1,000 residents. The most frequent crimes experienced by the inhabitants are homicides, rapes, vandalism, assaults, break-ins, robberies, auto thefts, and sabotage. The odds of someone being a victim of either violent or property crime in this area are one in seventeen.
One of the cultural centres of the Southwest is Albuquerque, which has unique museums like the Turquoise Museum and fantastic ones like the Albuquerque Museum. That being said, the city has a reputation for being somewhat dangerous, with 968.5 crimes committed against every 100,000 residents. Also, the rate of violent crime is more than twice as high as the national average.
7. Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore, Maryland, an American city, is well known for having a much higher crime rate than the country as a whole. In August 2023, Baltimore City reported 29 homicides and 49 non-fatal shootings. In Baltimore, the majority of homicides occur in a limited handful of extremely impoverished neighborhoods.
The Baltimore Police Department reports that since 2015, there have been at least 300 homicides in Baltimore annually. Over the previous five years, Baltimore has had at least 1,647 homicides.
8. Lubbock, Texas
Texas’s most hazardous city, Lubbock, has the highest rates of violent crime. In 2020, the metro region saw about 3,000 violent crimes reported, or 919 per 100,000 residents.
9. Chicago, Illinois
There have been some alarming Chicago-related news reports recently. According to the most recent crime statistics, there will be 3,926 crimes on average—mostly violent crimes—per 100,000 people in 2022. The city is 67% riskier than the national average due to its population of 2,746,388 and crime rate of 3,926 per 100,000 residents.
Major crime increased by 41% in 2022 over 2021. One hundred days into 2023, the law-abiding people of the city may expect another unsettling year ahead.
Chicago’s homicide rate was placed seventh by the New York Times, behind Detroit, Milwaukee, Atlanta, and St. Louis. Even though the first quarter of 2023 is only halfway over, however, unless a significant change is made, the Chicago Police Department’s crime data indicates that the estimate will increase by the end of the year.
10. Stockton, California
In Stockton, where there are 313,604 residents, 4,380 violent offences were reported. In Stockton, there are 1,397 violent crimes for every 100,000 residents. In Stockton, there are roughly 1,158 robberies, 34 homicides, 181 rapes, and 3,007 violent assaults per year.
