Special Report
Memphis, TN Is Among the Most Dangerous US Metro Areas

Published:
Last Updated:
The U.S. violent crime rate — an annual, population-adjusted measure of cases of rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and homicide — climbed by 5% in 2020. The increase was driven by a rise in aggravated assault and, most notably, a historic 29% surge in homicides that made 2020 the deadliest year in the United States since the mid-1990s.
Despite the largest single-year increase in homicides on record, the overall violent crime rate in 2020 remains relatively low by historical standards. There were 1.3 million violent crimes reported in the U.S. in 2020, or 399 for every 100,000 people. For context, the violent crime rate ranged between 523 and 758 incidents per 100,000 throughout the 1990s.
Of course, crime is a local phenomenon influenced by a wide range of factors. As a result, violent crime rates in the U.S. can vary considerably from place to place — and in some metro areas, rates of violence far exceed the nation-level highs recorded in decades past.
The Memphis, Tennessee, metro area ranks as the most dangerous city in the United States. More than 18,000 violent crimes were reported in the metro area in 2020, or 1,359 for every 100,000 people — more than three times the U.S. violent crime rate. The number of homicides committed in Memphis climbed by 38%, from 237 in 2019 to 327 in 2020. At 24.2 per 100,000 people, the homicide rate in Memphis is the second highest of any U.S. metro area.
Deadly violence continues to rise in Memphis. The city has reported more homicides so far in 2021 than it had over the comparable period the previous year. City leaders have plans to curtail criminal violence in the city, but reportedly need hundreds more police officers to execute those plans. The department is reportedly offering a $15,000 signing bonus in order to aid in the recruitment effort.
Metro areas are ranked on their violent crime rate using data from the FBI’s 2020 Uniform Crime Report. Additional data on specific crimes are also from the 2020 FBI UCR. Poverty rates are one-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey.
Rank | Metro area | Violent crimes per 100,000 people, 2020 | Total violent crimes, 2020 | Murders per 100,000 people, 2020 | Total murders, 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Memphis, TN | 1,359 | 18,324 | 24.2 | 327 |
2 | Monroe, LA | 1,309 | 2,605 | 11.6 | 23 |
3 | Anchorage, AK | 1,171 | 3,576 | 5.9 | 18 |
4 | Pine Bluff, AR | 1,098 | 950 | 27.7 | 24 |
5 | Detroit, MI | 1,088 | 18,894 | 22.3 | 387 |
6 | Danville, IL | 1,050 | 785 | 17.4 | 13 |
7 | Albany, GA | 1,008 | 1,469 | 15.8 | 23 |
8 | Albuquerque, NM | 1,006 | 9,296 | 9.4 | 87 |
9 | Alexandria, LA | 968 | 1,464 | 14.5 | 22 |
10 | Little Rock, AR | 939 | 7,014 | 13.1 | 98 |
11 | Lubbock, TX | 919 | 2,985 | 9.5 | 31 |
12 | Florence, SC | 860 | 1,764 | 19.0 | 39 |
13 | Fairbanks, AK | 841 | 277 | 9.1 | 3 |
14 | Sumter, SC | 812 | 1,140 | 19.9 | 28 |
15 | Saginaw, MI | 795 | 1,501 | 17.5 | 33 |
16 | Lake Charles, LA | 789 | 1,663 | 9.0 | 19 |
17 | Rockford, IL | 771 | 2,566 | 10.8 | 36 |
18 | Gainesville, FL | 760 | 2,516 | 5.1 | 17 |
19 | Corpus Christi, TX | 738 | 3,176 | 10.0 | 43 |
20 | Stockton, CA | 723 | 5,517 | 11.0 | 84 |
21 | Pueblo, CO | 722 | 1,216 | 10.7 | 18 |
22 | Macon, GA | 708 | 1,624 | 19.2 | 44 |
23 | Odessa, TX | 697 | 1,180 | 11.2 | 19 |
24 | Bakersfield, CA | 692 | 6,216 | 12.9 | 116 |
25 | Shreveport, LA | 683 | 2,683 | 21.6 | 85 |
26 | Milwaukee, WI | 678 | 10,688 | 13.1 | 206 |
27 | Amarillo, TX | 673 | 1,787 | 6.8 | 18 |
28 | Springfield, IL | 667 | 1,369 | 5.8 | 12 |
29 | Rapid City, SD | 665 | 957 | 10.4 | 15 |
30 | Niles, MI | 664 | 1,013 | 5.2 | 8 |
31 | Battle Creek, MI | 664 | 886 | 10.5 | 14 |
32 | Kalamazoo, MI | 663 | 1,763 | 7.5 | 20 |
33 | Farmington, NM | 661 | 817 | 3.2 | 4 |
34 | Jonesboro, AR | 660 | 893 | 9.6 | 13 |
35 | South Bend, IN | 655 | 2,121 | 9.3 | 30 |
36 | Houston, TX | 632 | 45,368 | 9.2 | 662 |
37 | Springfield, MO | 632 | 2,993 | 5.5 | 26 |
38 | Billings, MT | 627 | 1,152 | 8.2 | 15 |
39 | Jackson, TN | 625 | 1,115 | 9.5 | 17 |
40 | New Orleans, LA | 624 | 7,960 | 21.7 | 277 |
41 | Nashville, TN | 616 | 12,137 | 7.7 | 152 |
42 | Fort Smith, AR | 615 | 1,541 | 4.4 | 11 |
43 | Chattanooga, TN | 613 | 3,487 | 7.9 | 45 |
44 | Beaumont, TX | 606 | 2,372 | 8.9 | 35 |
45 | Kokomo, IN | 604 | 498 | 9.7 | 8 |
46 | Lawton, OK | 603 | 759 | 12.7 | 16 |
47 | Merced, CA | 599 | 1,660 | 8.7 | 24 |
48 | Fresno, CA | 597 | 5,948 | 9.4 | 94 |
49 | Tulsa, OK | 591 | 5,947 | 9.3 | 94 |
50 | Hot Springs, AR | 583 | 582 | 9.0 | 9 |
Start by taking a quick retirement quiz from SmartAsset that will match you with up to 3 financial advisors that serve your area and beyond in 5 minutes, or less.
Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests.
Here’s how it works:
1. Answer SmartAsset advisor match quiz
2. Review your pre-screened matches at your leisure. Check out the advisors’ profiles.
3. Speak with advisors at no cost to you. Have an introductory call on the phone or introduction in person and choose whom to work with in the future
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.