Most Dangerous Cities in the United States

With more and more people resorting to violent measures to obtain quick bucks, the crime rates in cities across the globe are on a rapid increase. Moreover, the crime rates in the US are also on the rise. In 2006, St. Louis was found to be the most dangerous city in America, however, today the title belongs to some other city.

Today, the list of top 10 most dangerous cities in the United States varies from one research data to another. There are all kinds of statistics available which say St. Louis, Missouri is the most dangerous city, while some say its New Orleans, LA, then some say its Camden, N.J. It differs from one study to another, probably because of the different factors taken into consideration while ranking the cities as dangerous. Factors such as number of assaults, rapes, murders, robberies, motor vehicle thefts and other such felonies are taken into consideration.

In this article we will have a look at the most dangerous cities in America as per the list provided by Forbes.com in 2009. Forbes' has come to the conclusion after referring to the FBI's uniform crime report as issued in 2008. FBI's crime report takes into consideration crimes such as forcible rape, aggravated assaults, murder, non-negligent manslaughter and robbery. The FBI crime data came from cities 500,000 residents.

Rank 1: Detroit, Michigan
According to Forbes, Detroit of Michigan currently holds the title of being the most dangerous city in the United States. With the highest number of murders taking place in the city and its long history of felonies, Detroit takes the first place. With a population over 1,900,000, the city witnesses about 1,220 violent crimes per 100,000 people.

Rank 2: Memphis, Tennessee
With a population of about 1,300,000 people and violent crime per 100,000 as 1,218, Memphis of Tennessee stands at second place on Forbes list. However, current statistics for Memphis, that is from January 2010 to the end of May 2010, say that overall crime was down by 30%, when compared to the statistical data of 2006.

Rank 3: Miami, Florida
Miami, a major city situated on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida has a population of 2,401,971. The number of crimes per 100,000 people was 998, giving this city the third place in the list of most dangerous cities in the United States.

Rank 4: Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, well-known for its wide options for gambling, shopping, fine dining, extravagant casinos and entertainment, takes fourth place in America's most dangerous cities list. With a population of 1,834,533, this city has a crime rate of 887 per 100,000 people.

Rank 5: Stockton, California
The 13th largest city in California, Stockton with its population of 684,406, features a crime rate of 885 people per 100,000, making it the fifth most dangerous city to live in America.

Rank 6: Orlando, Florida
The city of Orlando is the 27th largest metropolitan area in the United States and is a major city in Florida. With a population of 2,020,346 and a crime rate of 845 per 100,000, Orlando bags the sixth place in the most dangerous city list.

Rank 7: Little Rock, Arkansas
With a population number of 659,776, this city has a recorded crime rate of 831 crimes per 100,000 people.

Rank 8: Charleston, South Carolina
The oldest city of the state of South Carolina and also the second largest city, Charleston with its population of 616,999 and crime rate of 824 per 100,000 ranks eighth.

Rank 9: Nashville, Tennessee
This city has a crime rate of 817 per 100,000. Nashville stands at number nine, with its 1,492,983 population.

Rank 10: Baltimore, Maryland
With a population of 2,652,974 this city has a recorded crime rate of 791 crimes per 100,000 giving this city the tenth place is America's top 10 dangerous cities.

Crime has always and is constantly aiming at paralyzing the community. With the current unemployment rates on the rise, it's only obvious that crime will increase even further. With no job, people resort to quicker means to make money, even if it means to take the life of others around.

We need to work on crime and poverty prevention. The above mentioned list was published by Forbes in 2009. The current statistical data for the most dangerous cities in the United States will vary.