Anchorage, Alaska
2. Menfis, Tennessee Misisipi-Arkansas
3. Lubbock, Texas
4. Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia, Michigan
5. Springfield, Misuri
6. San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, California
7. Corpus Christi, Texas
8. Shreveport-Bossier City, Luisiana
9. Stockton, California
10. Bakersfield, California
How These Cities Ranked Most Dangerous
When it comes to looking at crime rates and trends in the most populous areas of the US, we decided it made more sense to compare Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) rather than single large cities. MSAs include both major "anchor" cities and outlying communities that have high social and economic integration with the anchor city. So combining them paints a more accurate picture of both crime and socioeconomic factors that impact residents' quality of life.
Interestingly, we found that when the crime rates of a large city proper are compared to those of its MSA, the number of crimes per 1,000 people tends to decrease.
To start with the most level playing field, we used FBI crime statistics to determine the rankings of the "most dangerous" metropolitan areas in the country. This data is not perfect, it is self-reported by law enforcement agencies every year, but it is the most comprehensive US crime data available.
We looked at both property crime and violent crime, calculating the rate of each per 1,000 people. That's where the ranking list comes from: If a metro area reported the highest weighted and normalized rates of violent and property crime per 1,000 residents, it landed at the top of the "most dangerous" list. Those with lower crime rates fell to the bottom.
If a metro area did not submit a full report to the FBI or did not meet our population threshold of at least 300,000 people, it was not considered for ranking.
Comentários