Once a year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation releases its Uniform Crime Report (UCR). The most recent version covers 2020, but the reports date back to 1930. The FBI says the report is created for law enforcement officials and “students of criminal justice, researchers, the media, and the public.” Much of the analysis of crime trends in America are based on the report.
The UCR divides crimes into a number of categories. The most serious of these is homicide. Non-violent crimes, like property crimes, are also included.
Crime across many categories increased last year. Among the reasons given were the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest around the country. These are not definitive and only account for part of the change from 2019.
Low-income communities in the United States are disproportionately burdened by crime. One study found that individuals with family incomes of less than $15,000 annually are three times more likely to be victimized by crime than those with family incomes of $75,000 or more.
To determine the most dangerous U.S. city, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed violent crime figures from the 2020 UCR. Violent crime includes murder, non-negligent manslaughter, rаpe, robbery and aggravated assault. The rate of violent crimes per 100,000 people was calculated using population data from the FBI.
We included cities that have more than 25,000 people, based on five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey (ACS). Limited data were available in the 2020 UCR for areas in Alabama, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Illinois, though cities in these states were not excluded from the analysis.
Additional information on the number of murders is also from the 2020 FBI UCR. Poverty rates are five-year estimates from the 2019 ACS.
The most dangerous city in America is Monroe, Louisiana. Here are the details:
- Violent crimes per 100k people: 2,969.1
- Number of violent crimes: 1,399 (91st highest of 1,287 cities)
- Murders reported in 2020: 19 (tied for 107th highest)
- Poverty rate: 36.8% (seventh highest)
Click here to see all of America’s most dangerous cities.
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