These cities and towns are most dangerous in the US, study finds
(NEXSTAR) – While violent crime has dropped to pre-pandemic levels nationwide, the FBI announced, changes weren’t the same across the board. The crime rates remained elevated in dozens of cities around the country.
Personal finance site MoneyGeek used the FBI crime data to look at crime rates in 302 large cities and 1,010 small cities and towns around the country. They looked at both violent crime and property crime, and used research by the University of Miami and the University of Colorado Denver to determine the cost of crime in each area.
After crunching the numbers, the large city with the highest cost of crime was Birmingham, Alabama. The violent crime rate – which includes instances of murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault – in Birmingham was 1,682 per 100,000 residents. The property crime rate – which includes burglary, larceny, and vehicle theft – was 4,173 per 100,000 residents.
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Birmingham didn’t have the highest rate of violent crime, however. Memphis, Tennessee; Detroit, Michigan; and Little Rock, Arkansas all saw more violent crimes per capita.
Memphis, along with Tacoma, Washington, and St. Louis, Missouri, had the highest property crime rates.
The large cities with the highest cost of crime per capita are:
| Rank | City | Crime cost per capita |
| 1. | Birmingham, Alabama | $11,392 |
| 2. | New Orleans, Louisiana | $11,094 |
| 3. | St. Louis, Missouri | $11,055 |
| 4. | Detroit, Michigan | $9,281 |
| 5. | Memphis, Tennessee | $9,056 |
| 6. | Baltimore, Maryland | $8,160 |
| 7. | Little Rock, Arkansas | $7,781 |
| 8. | Cleveland, Ohio | $7,397 |
| 9. | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | $7,029 |
| 10. | Kansas City, Missouri | $6,398 |
| 11. | Pueblo, Colorado | $5,979 |
| 12. | Oakland, California | $5,710 |
| 13. | San Bernardino, California | $5,691 |
| 14. | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | $5,570 |
| 15. | Atlanta, Georgia | $5,502 |
Small towns and cities, with populations between 30,000 and 100,000, oftentimes have fewer crime-fighting resources than their big city neighbors. In these places, fewer crimes may occur, but the cost of crime can be an even bigger burden.
The small towns and cities with the highest cost of crime in the U.S. are:
| Rank | City | Crime cost per capita |
| 1 | Monroe, Louisiana | $8,902 |
| 2 | Petersburg, Virginia | $8,867 |
| 3 | Saginaw, Michigan | $8,856 |
| 4 | Florence, South Carolina | $8,521 |
| 5 | Alexandria, Louisiana | $7,955 |
| 6 | Pine Bluff, Arkansas | $7,935 |
| 7 | Portsmouth, Virginia | $7,253 |
| 8 | Houma, Louisiana | $6,920 |
| 9 | Rocky Mount, North Carolina | $5,647 |
| 10 | North Little Rock, Arkansas | $5,494 |
| 11 | Fairbanks, Alaska | $5,273 |
| 12 | York, Pennsylvania | $5,177 |
| 13 | Atlantic City, New Jersey | $4,975 |
| 14 | Riviera Beach, Florida | $4,932 |
| 15 | Flint Township, Michigan | $4,874 |
Looking for somewhere safer to move? MoneyGeek also listed the cities with the lowest cost of crime per capita. Thousand Oaks, California, earned the top spot, followed by Fishers, Indiana; Pembroke Pines, Florida; Pearland, Texas; and Gilbert, Arizona.
They also named the safest small town in every state.
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