The 5 Most Dangerous Cities in the United States

Tammy Sons
Thrive Global
Published in
3 min readAug 3, 2017

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American cities differ in several aspects, one of the being the rates of crime. The rate of crime in an urban setting will be important to factor to consider whether you want to live or work in the city. This is applicable to those who simply wish to do so temporarily or on a more permanent basis. If you choose to live in one city over another, you have to be willing to cope with its positive and negative aspects.

You have to be careful in your choice especially if you have people that depend on you. That said, there are many factors which make one city more habitable than another. These factors are complicated but have a common indicator; crime rate. The following are the 5 highest crime rate cities in America in 2017.

St Louis
St. Louis is arguably the most dangerous American city. It is located in the Missouri in the Midwest. The city has often been quoted to have the highest crime rates in the country at almost 60 in 2017. The city has a population of 317,095 and records the highest murder rates in the nation.

In 2016, there were almost 200 murder incidences in St Louis. This number is too high for such a modest population meaning that it is fairly dangerous to consider living or working there. Murder rates are often a fair indicator of the extent to of general criminality.

Baltimore
Baltimore is the second most dangerous city in the United States. It is located in the eastern side of the country in Maryland. The city is known for violent crimes including homicides and theft. The rate of homicides in Baltimore was recorded at nearly 60 in 2016.

The city has a population of about 500,000 people indicating that the crime rate is above average. It is worth noting that the population of the city has been declining largely due to the rate of crime.

Detroit
Detroit is a dangerous city located in Michigan State. The city is notorious for having one of the highest crime rates in the United States. In 2016, there were 308 homicides in a population of about 600,000 people making it relatively high.

Other common crimes reported in Detroit include carjacking, nonfatal shootings, and robberies. The city has been making active efforts to reduce the rate of crime. A look at the crime trend reveals that the efforts may be paying off.

Milwaukee
Milwaukee is a dangerous city to live or work in. It has the highest rates of crimes in Wisconsin. The rate of crime homicide has increased about ten times over the past one year. The city has a population of about 600,000 people and reported over 600 murders in 2016.

This trend was also evident in 2015 and 2014. Aside from murder, arson, and robberies are also commonplace in the city. Politicians have reported that growing inequalities could be responsible for this worrying trend.

Kansas City
The fifth most dangerous city to live in is Kansas City which is located in Missouri. With a population of about 480,000 people, Kansas City has one of the highest rates of crime in Missouri and the United States. In 2016, there were 201 incidents of homicides in the city. The city also has some of the highest levels of robbery and arson in the country.

Conclusion
The list above has presented 5 highest crime rate cities in America in 2017. Choosing an American city to work or live in should be a careful process. This is because the wrong choice can greatly harm your business or livelihood prospects. Many people from high crime rate cities are simply escaping a natural like for life off the grid also.

While it may be inevitable to settle in some cities due to difficult circumstances, you should consider cities that are not on this list. Moreover, more governmental resources should be allocated to these cities to reduce the crime rates.

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Tammy Sons
Thrive Global

Tammy enjoys writing about horticulture, life off the grid, and anything outdoors. Loves junk stores, antiques, and spending time with family. CEO of TN Nursery