Pueblo, CO Is Among the Most Dangerous US Metro Areas

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.

Pueblo is the only Colorado metro area — and one of only 10 in the Western U.S. — to rank among the 50 most dangerous cities in the country. There were 1,216 violent crimes reported in the area in 2020, or 722 for every 100,000 people. Violence in the Pueblo metro area is being driven by gang activity and firearms. There were over 200 shootings in the city proper in 2020 — including 161 drive-by shootings — and four gang-related homicides.

As is often the case in metro areas with high rates of criminal violence, Pueblo is home to a disproportionately large share of residents facing severe financial hardship. The local poverty rate of 17.9% is considerably higher than the comparable 12.3% national rate.

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.