The Most Dangerous City in Every State

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6. Pueblo, Colorado
> City violent crime rate: 983 per 100,000
> State violent crime rate: 343 per 100,000 (23rd lowest)
> City poverty rate: 25.1%
> City unemployment rate: 4.8%

Colorado’s violent crime rate of 343 incidents per 100,000 residents falls slightly below the national figure of 386 violent crimes per 100,000 Americans. The state has some of the safest places in the country, including Windsor, which has a violent crime rate of just 13 incidents per 100,000 people. Driving up Colorado’s violent crime rate is Pueblo, the state’s most dangerous city. Pueblo’s violent crime rate of 983 incidents per 100,000 residents is 89th worst of of the over 2,000 U.S. cities considered.

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7. Hartford, Connecticut
> City violent crime rate: 1,093 per 100,000
> State violent crime rate: 227 per 100,000 (5th lowest)
> City poverty rate: 31.9%
> City unemployment rate: 8.1%

Hartford is the only city in Connecticut with a violent crime rate above 1,000 incidents per 100,000 people. The most dangerous city in the state, Hartford’s violent crime rate is nearly five times the violent crime rate across Connecticut of 227 per 100,000.

Crime rates are often higher in low-income areas, and with a 31.9% poverty rate, Hartford is the poorest city in the state. In comparison, 10.1% of Connecticut residents and 15.1% of Americans nationwide live below the poverty line.

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8. Wilmington, Delaware
> City violent crime rate: 1,780 per 100,000
> State violent crime rate: 509 per 100,000 (9th highest)
> City poverty rate: 26.1%
> City unemployment rate: 6.5%

Delaware is one of the few U.S. states without a major city. The most populous place in the state is Wilmington, a city of just 72,000 residents. Wilmington also happens to be Delaware’s most violent place, with the 12th highest violent crime rate in the country. The city had 26 reported homicides in 2017. Of the 80 places with at least 25 reported homicides last year, Wilmington is one of just five with a population of under 100,000.

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9. Riviera Beach, Florida
> City violent crime rate: 1,385 per 100,000
> State violent crime rate: 430 per 100,000 (18th highest)
> City poverty rate: 23.6%
> City unemployment rate: 5.1%

Riviera Beach’s violent crime rate of 1,385 incidents per 100,000 is the highest of Florida’s more than 100 cities. The city is struggling with a recent uptick in violence tied to rivalries between local gangs and those in nearby West Palm Beach. Riveria Beach had nine murders in 2016, including a gang-related shooting death of a 15-year-old.

As has been the case nationwide, homicides comprised the smallest share of Riviera Beach’s violent crimes in 2016: The vast majority of its violent crimes in were aggravated assaults.

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10. Union City, Georgia
> City violent crime rate: 1,211 per 100,000
> State violent crime rate: 398 per 100,000 (21st highest)
> City poverty rate: 21.3%
> City unemployment rate: N/A

Union City is the most dangerous city in Georgia and one of the most unsafe in the United States. In 2016 Union City’s violent crime rate was 1,211 incidents per 100,000 residents, more than three times the country’s overall 386-per-100,000 rate and Georgia’s 398-per-100,000 rate.

According to criminologist John Roman, Violent crime tends to be more common in areas with high concentrations of idle young men lacking in opportunity, and a high poverty rate often indicates of a long-term dearth of economic opportunity. In 2016 21.3% of Union City’s population lived in poverty compared with 15.1% of the population in the United States and 17.8% of that in Georgia.