America's 50 Most Dangerous Cities

As is the case nationwide, in Springfield, Missouri, aggravated assault drives the overall violent crime rate more than any other offense. Of the 2,571 violent crimes committed in the city in 2019, 1,885 were aggravated assaults. Overall, there were 1,519 violent crimes reported in Springfield for every 100,000 people in 2019.

Other, nonviolent forms of crime, such as burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft are also more common in Springfield than they are nationwide. There were 13,188 property crimes reported in Springfield in 2019, or 7,793 for every 100,000 residents. Meanwhile, the national property crime rate stood at 2,110 per 100,000 the same year.

Click here to see the full crime report for Springfield, Missouri.

There were 1,859 violent crimes reported in Baltimore, Maryland for every 100,000 people in 2019. For context, there were 367 violent crimes for every 100,000 people nationwide in 2019. As is the case across the United States, aggravated assault is the most common violent crime in Baltimore. Of the 11,101 violent crimes committed in the city in 2019, 5,573 were aggravated assaults.

Violent crime is far more common in Baltimore than it is in Maryland. There were 454 violent crimes reported per 100,000 residents in Maryland in 2019, far below the corresponding city figure.

Click here to see the full crime report for Baltimore, Maryland.

The violent crime rate in Memphis, Tennessee, is among the highest of any U.S. city. There were 12,367 cases of rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and murder reported in Memphis in 2019, or 1,901 for every 100,000 people — more than five times the violent crime rate nationwide of 367 incidents for every 100,000 people.

Specifically, homicide is considerably more common in Memphis than it is nationwide. There were 190 homicides committed in Memphis in 2019, or 29.2 for every 100,000 people. Meanwhile, the national murder rate was just 5 per 100,000 the same year.

Click here to see the full crime report for Memphis, Tennessee.

There were 1,927 violent crimes reported per 100,000 St. Louis residents in 2019, far more than the national rate of 367 violent crimes per 100,000 Americans and the second highest violent crime rate of any large city.

Poverty tends to be more prevalent in areas where crime is more common. In St. Louis, some 24.2% of residents live below the poverty line, far more than the national poverty rate of 14.1%.

Click here to see the full crime report for St. Louis, Missouri.

Detroit, Michigan, ranks as the most dangerous city in the United States. There were 13,040 reported in Detroit in 2019 — or 1,965 for every 100,000 people. For context, there were only 367 violent crimes for every 100,000 people nationwide in 2019.

Though the relationship between economic conditions and crime is complicated, crime rates are often higher in areas with limited employment opportunities. In Detroit, a relatively dangerous city, the annual unemployment rate stands at 8.8%, well above the comparable national jobless rate of 3.7%.

Click here to see the full crime report for Detroit, Michigan.