The FBI’s annual report “Crime in the United States” is out for the year 2018, and it provides a glimpse at the safety problems some of the country’s largest metro areas are facing.
According to the report, violent crime dropped 3.3 percent from 2017 to 2018. The U.S. Attorney General’s office attributes the decline in violent crime across the U.S. to the Project Safe Neighborhoods Program instituted in 2002, which provides federal resources to certain metro areas to fight violent crime.
The violent crime category in the FBI’s report includes murder and non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault — all of which involved force or the threat of force.
It’s important to keep in mind that the FBI report is comprised of information that is voluntarily supplied by law enforcement agencies, and not all agencies reported, nor did those reporting include information on all the available categories.
For many of the cities on the list, most of the violence is limited to more impoverished, historically disadvantaged neighborhoods that lack significant resources. There’s also the opioid epidemic, which is largely correlated with violence, crime and homelessness. The opioid epidemic cost the U.S. over $179 billion in 2018 alone. The Midwest and the South have the biggest meth consumption rates in the country, which are directly reflected in the violent crime statistics. Guns are also a pressing and mostly unaddressed issue in the U.S.
Something else to consider: the crime in question. For example, rape reporting isn’t the same as homicide reporting, or armed robbery, for instance. Rape is a crime that often goes unreported, which means the figures are likely much higher. There is a critical question that is often overlooked in reports about dangerous cities — where in the United States is it more dangerous to be a woman?
Here is a comparative look at the 37 U.S. metropolitan areas with a population of 200,000 or more with the highest reported violent crime rates per 100,000 inhabitants for 2018, according to the FBI.
1. Memphis, Tennessee-Mississippi-Arkansas
The metropolitan area of Memphis experienced a violent crime rate of 1,168.3 per 100,000 inhabitants. Getty Images
Population: 1,343,002
Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 1,142.5
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 17.2
Grind City’s crime rate went down between 2017 and 2018. There were 231 murders reported as opposed to the 291 the year before, and 680 rapes, as opposed to the 796 the previous year.
Like many cities across the country, a combination of gun violence, poverty, drug crime and other social factors are to blame. Memphis’s overall poverty rate is 26.9 percent, but that doesn’t reflect the discrepancies in neighborhoods of color and child poverty, which is a whopping 44.9 percent.
2. Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska has been called the “rape capital” of America. In 2017, 391 rapes were reported in the city of Anchorage. Getty Images
Population: 309,917
Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 1,263.6
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 8.4
Alaska is still not such a great land to be a woman, especially an indigenous woman. There were 620 rapes reported in 2018 — that’s up from 391 the year before. It’s a rate of 200.1 rapes per 100,000 persons. Several factors help make the state unusually unsafe for women, including high rates of alcoholism and poverty, abuse of methamphetamine and opioids, among others.
3. Albuquerque, New Mexico
In Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, murder hit a 20-year high in 2017. Getty Images
Population: 915,468
Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 1,084.7
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 9.5
Crime in New Mexico stayed more or less the same from 2017 to 2018, with a small increase in the murder rate from the year before (8.9 to 9.5). In 2017, New Mexico had the highest per capita rate of property crime in the country, and second-highest violent crime rate per capita in the country, after Alaska (and not including the District of Columbia).
Local law enforcement officials have been requesting additional resources to combat crime in the state’s largest city.
5. Wichita, Kansas
Wichita’s location at the intersection of I-35 and US 54 puts it at the crossroads of two major drug trafficking routes. Getty Images
Population: 638,135
Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 826
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 7.7
While the population decreased by 7,474 people from 2017 to 2018, the city’s violent crime and murder rates went up from the year before from 742.2 and 6.8, respectively. Wichita is located at the intersection of I-35 and US 54, which are two major drug trafficking routes leading up from the Southwest border.
This city in south-central Kansas is also a drug distribution hub and has a large market for local drug consumption. Wichita also has a relatively high poverty rate at 16.9 percent, a slight decrease from 17.1 percent the year before.
6. Stockton-Lodi, California
Stockton is the 13th largest city in California, with a population of 308,348. Getty Images
Population: 748,303
Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 795.1
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 6.9
While the city of Stockton’s population has grown (from 740,904 to 748,303), its violent crime rate went down from 808.6 in 2017, and its murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate dropped significantly from 9.2 in 2017 to 6.9 in 2018.
Stockton’s 29-year-old mayor, Michael Tubbs, initiated his universal basic income strategy in February of 2019 – the first of its kind in the U.S. Residents received $500 a month in additional income with no strings attached. After the first set of results was released, it showed most residents used the money to purchase groceries.
While the city’s crime rate is 22.4 percent, above the 11.8 percent national average — a quarter of the population still lives below the poverty line.
11. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, Maryland
In 2017, there were 413 murders and 1,048 rapes reported in the Baltimore metro area. Getty Images
Population: 2,799,376
Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 720.8
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 13.3
Baltimore has long held the unfortunate title of one of America’s most dangerous cities, in part due to gang violence. But last year its violent crime rate and murder rates went down. Nevertheless, the city had its fifth year in a row with 300 murders or more — something local law enforcement says its working on.
In 2018, there were 309 murders and 361 rapes in the city of Baltimore.
12. Gainesville, Florida
Population: 327,771
Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 713.3
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 5.2
Home to the University of Florida at Gainesville, the city has an astonishingly high rape rate with 95.5 rapes per 100,000 persons.
The city has a poverty rate of 23.1 percent, much higher than the national average of 11.8. However, those numbers don’t reflect the vast discrepancies between poorer neighborhoods and richer ones, especially historically economically disadvantaged communities of color in the southern U.S.
14. Flint, Michigan
Flint is one of the most dangerous cities for women, too, with a reported rape rate of 72 per 100,000 persons. Getty Images
Population: 405,750
Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 683.2
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 9.4
Once home to the largest General Motors plant in the country, Flint, Michigan’s decline has been tragic, and literally toxic, for its residents. The city has undergone a water crisis since 2014, when the city government switched the water supply from Lake Huron to Flint River, which contained hazardous amounts of lead, fecal matter, and other toxic chemicals and waste. Filmmaker Michael Moore set up a petition to arrest former Michigan governor Rick Snyder for his alleged complicity in the water crisis and subsequent alleged coverup.
For years, the city has been on the list of America’s poorest cities. It is also one of the most dangerous for women, with a reported rape rate with 83.3 rapes per 100,000 persons — and increase from 72 the year before.
18. Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana
In 2017, the metro area experienced a reported 1,792 aggravated assaults and 598 robberies. Getty Images
Population: 397,965
Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 602.8
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 14.3
The city of Shreveport witnessed a slight decrease in violent crime from 2017 to 2018. In the greater Shreveport-Bossier City area there were 57 homicides in the total area reporting. There were also 186 rapes. Louisiana had long held the nation’s highest incarceration rate, with much higher incarceration rates of black and Latinos. In 2018, however, Oklahoma had the most incarcerated people and Louisiana had the second largest number of incarcerated persons.
The poverty rate in Louisiana is 18.6 percent.
23. Modesto, California
Gang violence is a major issue in California’s Central Valley, which includes the Modesto metropolitan area. Getty Images
Population: 548,464
Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 576.2
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 7.3
Gang violence is a major factor in California’s Central Valley, especially for Latino youth. Modesto has a 17 percent poverty rate and a median household income of $54,024. From 2017 to 2018, the violent crime rate went down, from 605 to 576.2, while the murder rate went up, from 5 to 7.3.
24. Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia’s rape rate is 45 reported rapes per 100,000 persons. Getty Images
Population: 833,205
Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 567.9
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 7.3
Columbia is the capital city of South Carolina. It has a rape rate of 50.3 reported rapes per 100,000 persons. The city has a poverty rate of 22.3 percent.
Like in many of the cities on the list, most of the violence is limited to poorer, historically disadvantaged neighborhoods that lack significant resources.
27. New Orleans-Metairie, Louisiana
The I-10 corridor runs through New Orleans, making it a stop on a major transit route for trafficking in persons and drugs. Getty Images
Population: 1,275,532
Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 563.8
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 15.5
The Big Easy got a bit easier when it comes to crime in 2018. There were 198 murders in 2018, down from 218 in 2017.
Louisiana has a relatively high rape rate at 69.1 rapes per 100,000 persons. Similar to Mobile, Alabama, the I-10 corridor also runs through New Orleans and is a major transit route for trafficking in persons and drugs.
The state of Louisiana has a poverty rate of 18.6 percent, well over the national average of 11.8, while the city of New Orleans has a 25.4 percent poverty rate.
28. Springfield, Missouri
The area has an extremely high rape rate of 93.1 reported rapes per 100,000 persons. Getty Images
Population: 465,708
Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 562.6
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 5.4
Springfield, Missouri’s strategic location on the I-44 corridor makes it a central point for human and drug trafficking, which are inherently violent and dangerous.
The city also has a relatively high rape rate at 87.8 rapes per 100,000 persons.
The state of Missouri has one of the highest poverty rates in the nation at 13.2 percent, and Springfield city has a 25.7 percent poverty rate.
30. Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas
The metro area features a poverty rate of 22.9 percent. Getty Images
Population: 398,704
Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 554
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 7.8
Beaumont and Port Arthur are cities in southeastern Texas, close to the Louisiana border. While Port Arthur used to be part of the so-called “Golden Triangle” of cities that benefited from oil, its decline since the early 20th century has been steady and drastic.
From 2017 to 2018 the population dropped by a little over 11,000, but the violent crime rate stayed about the same and the murder rate increased by 1.2 percentage points.
Today, Beaumont and Port Arthur remain industrial areas with economies dependent on oil revenues. Beaumont-Port Arthur has a poverty rate of 17.1 percent. Beaumont also sits on the I-10 corridor, a major southeastern U.S. drug trafficking route.
32. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, Michigan
Getty Images
Population: 4,325,220
Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 535.1
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 8.0
For the Detroit-Dearborn-Livonia area, and including Wayne County, the crime rates are much higher. Per 100,000 inhabitants in these three areas, the violent crime rate is 1,001.8 per 100,000 persons, the murder rate is 16.8 percent and the rape rate is a whopping 90.5 per 100,000 persons. For the larger reporting area, the rape rate is 60.5 per 100,000 persons.
36. Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama is on the I-10 corridor, a major U.S. drug and human trafficking highway. Getty Images
Population: 430,335
Violent crime rate (per 100,000 inhabitants): 526.6
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter (per 100,000 inhabitants): 8.6
Mobile’s population grew by 15,493, but its homicide rate was nearly cut in half from 2017-2018, and the area’s violent crime rate also went down from 619 to 526.6 the previous year. Strategically, Mobile is on the I-10 corridor, a major U.S. drug and human trafficking highway. Alabama is also one of the poorest states in the nation and has an 18 percent poverty rate.
