Special Report

This Is America's Most Dangerous Beach

hollykl / Flickr

Beachfront property is among the most expensive in the country. Among the highest priced homes in America are in places like Nantucket; the Hamptons on Long Island; Palm Beach, Florida; and Malibu in California. (These are America’s richest beach towns.)

Owning homes in these places does involve a level of risk. Among them are storms that can create flooding and do substantial water damage or destroy homes completely; climate change has made this an even larger threat. (These are American beaches that may soon disappear.)

There are other dangers, too, however, and America’s most dangerous beach is Venice Beach, part of Los Angeles.

That’s according to the nature and outdoor resource site Outforia’s recently released report “Dangerous Coasts: The United States’ Most Dangerous Beaches,” which goes well beyond weather considerations. The study considered crime, air pollution, water pollution, “surf zone” fatalities (principally drowning), lightning fatalities, shark attacks, and temperatures. The site used this data to create a composite score for American beaches running from 1 to 10, with 10 as the worst possible score.

There is no geographic pattern to the most dangerous beaches. Many are in states with large populations, particularly California and Florida. Plus, both have long coastlines. Florida’s coastline ranks second in length in the country, behind Alaska, and California ranks fifth, behind Louisiana and Maine.

Most of the other most dangerous beaches are along the East Coast, in states that include Delaware, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Click here to see America’s most dangerous beaches

Explaining why Venice Beach was ranked the worst in the country, Outforia noted “One of LA’s most well-known beaches tops the list as the most dangerous beach in the USA. With historical ties to gang activity and a particularly large homeless population, there is a high rate of crimes in the local area, contributing largely to the high danger score.”

DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images

25. Cape Henlopen
> City: Delaware Bay, DE
> Danger score: 2.54

[in-text-ad]

RICCARDO OGGIONI / iStock via Getty Images

23. Broadkill Beach
> City: Broadkill Beach, DE
> Danger score: 2.56 (tie)

dancestrokes / Getty Images

23. Black’s Beach
> City: San Diego, CA
> Danger score: 2.56 (tie)

Robert Kirk / iStock via Getty Images

22. Bethany Beach
> City: Bethany Beach, DE
> Danger score: 2.61

[in-text-ad-2]

TraceRouda / iStock via Getty Images

21. Laguna Beach
> City: Laguna Beach, CA
> Danger score: 2.67

DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images

20. Atlantic City Beach
> City: Atlantic City, NJ
> Danger score: 2.81

[in-text-ad]

Shackleford-Photography / iStock via Getty Images

19. Hillsboro Beach
> City: Hillsboro Beach, FL
> Danger score: 2.84

felixmizioznikov / iStock via Getty Images

18. Boynton Beach
> City: Boynton Beach, FL
> Danger score: 3.00

MMADIA / iStock via Getty Images

17. Palm Beach
> City: Palm Beach County, FL
> Danger score: 3.20

[in-text-ad-2]

Davel5957 / Getty Images

15. Ocean View Beach
> City: Norfolk, VA
> Danger score: 3.39 (tie)

Ron and Patty Thomas / E+ via Getty Images

15. Newport Beach
> City: Newport Beach, CA
> Danger score: 3.39 (tie)

[in-text-ad]

14. North Palm Beach
> City: Palm Beach County, FL
> Danger score: 3.42

Mark Krancer / iStock via Getty Images

13. Atlantic Beach
> City: Atlantic Beach, FL
> Danger score: 3.65

ULora / Getty Images

12. Miami Beach
> City: Miami, FL
> Danger score: 3.67

[in-text-ad-2]

Art Wager / E+ via Getty Images

11. Capistrano Beach
> City: Dana Point, CA
> Danger score: 3.68

NAPA74 / iStock via Getty Images

10. Hollywood Beach
> City: Hollywood, FL
> Danger score: 3.78

[in-text-ad]

Michael Warren / iStock via Getty Images

8. Belleair Beach
> City: Belleair Beach, FL
> Danger score: 4.00 (tie)

bennymarty / iStock via Getty Images

8. Malibu Beach
> City: Malibu, CA
> Danger score: 4.00 (tie)

mizioznikov / iStock via Getty Images

7. Deerfield Beach
> City: Deerfield Beach, FL
> Danger score: 4.16

[in-text-ad-2]

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

6. Emerald Isle
> City: Jacksonville, NC
> Danger score: 4.24

Tonya Staab / iStock via Getty Images

5. Carlsbad Beach
> City: Carlsbad, CA
> Danger score: 4.34

[in-text-ad]

Ruth Peterkin / iStock via Getty Images

4. Siesta Beach
> City: Siesta Key, FL
> Danger score: 4.50

Art Wager / Getty Images

3. Waikiki Beach
> City: Honolulu, HI
> Danger score: 4.51

2. Daytona Beach
> City: Daytona, FL
> Danger score: 7.18

[in-text-ad-2]

Xavier Arnau / Getty Images

1. Venice Beach
> City: Los Angeles, CA
> Danger score: 7.19

Is Your Money Earning the Best Possible Rate? (Sponsor)

Let’s face it: If your money is just sitting in a checking account, you’re losing value every single day. With most checking accounts offering little to no interest, the cash you worked so hard to save is gradually being eroded by inflation.

However, by moving that money into a high-yield savings account, you can put your cash to work, growing steadily with little to no effort on your part. In just a few clicks, you can set up a high-yield savings account and start earning interest immediately.

There are plenty of reputable banks and online platforms that offer competitive rates, and many of them come with zero fees and no minimum balance requirements. Click here to see if you’re earning the best possible rate on your money!

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.