Did You Know? #32

What city is the most dangerous in the United States?

Based on the FBI’s Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report, median income and poverty rates for these cities from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for 2011, and average 2012 unemployment rates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Flint Michigan is the most violent city with 2,729 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. The city of just 101,632 people had 63 total murders and 1,930 aggravated assaults, both the highest relative to the city’s population. Flint also had nationwide highs in burglary rates and arson per 100,000 people. Rounding out the top five:

2. Detroit, Michigan - Detroit’s murder rate of 54.2 per 100,000 residents was the second highest in the country last year and it's 2012 unemployment rate was a whopping 18.6%, much higher than the 8.1% across the nation last year. 
3. Oakland, California - There were 1,085.9 robberies per 100,000 residents in Oakland in 2012, higher than any other city.
4. St. Louis, Missouri - There were 1,120.6 aggravated assaults per 100,000 people in St. Louis in 2012, higher than all but three other cities. Moreover, the murder rate of 35.5 cases per 100,000 was the fifth highest of all cities.
5. Memphis, Tennessee - Memphis had the third highest rate of aggravated assault in 2012, with 1,151.9 cases per 100,000 residents. According to a recent survey, roughly 43% of Memphis area residents reported feeling unsafe walking at night, the highest percentage of all the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the country.