# Group ranks most dangerous U.S. cities **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 21, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092 "2005-11-21T16:24:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/1 "2005-11-21T16:24:17Z")
From [http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/11/21/camden.crime.ap/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/11/21/camden.crime.ap/index.html) **Listed as the most dangerous cities are:** Camden, New Jersey Detroit, Michigan St. Louis, Missouri Flint, Michigan Richmond, Virginia Baltimore, Maryland Atlanta, Georgia New Orleans, Louisiana Gary, Indiana Birmingham, Alabama. \*\*At the other end of the scale, the safest are named as: \*\* Newton, Massachusetts Clarkstown, New York Amherst, New York Mission Viejo, California Brick Township, New Jersey Troy, Michigan Thousand Oaks, California Round Rock, Texas Lake Forest, California Cary, North Carolina. Interesting, I didn’t find the criteria they used for what qualifies as a city. Camden is basically a Philly suburb. It is the home of the Battleship NJ & the NJ state aquarium. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/2 "2005-11-21T22:34:22Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > \*\*At the other end of the scale, the safest are named as: \*\* > Newton, Massachusetts > Clarkstown, New York > Amherst, New York > Mission Viejo, California > **Brick Township, New Jersey** > Troy, Michigan > Thousand Oaks, California > Round Rock, Texas > Lake Forest, California > Cary, North Carolina. Fifth?! Hmpf…my town has been in the top three for _years_ now. Looks like we’re slipping. Ah well…guess I can’t complain that much. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/3 "2005-11-21T22:48:56Z")
I’d be sad if Detroit_weren’t_ mentioned in the same breath as other dangerous areas. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/4 "2005-11-21T23:32:35Z")
I live in Troy, Michigan, which is on that list of “most safest U.S. cities.” It’s interesting how it’s on that list, despite being a suburb of Detroit, which thunks in at #2 on the “most dangerous list.” ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2005, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/5 "2005-11-21T23:53:14Z")
> [@Hal Briston](#): > > Fifth?! Hmpf…my town has been in the top three for _years_ now. Looks like we’re slipping. Ah well…guess I can’t complain that much. I thought you would like that part Hal. I never realized Brick counted as a city though. As of the census of 2000, there are 76,119 people, 29,511 households, and 20,775 families residing in the township. I am amazed. When I moved to NJ I think it had around 20,000. Jim ---
**Author:** ![PigBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@PigBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigBoy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/6 "2005-11-22T00:09:48Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > Interesting, I didn’t find the criteria they used for what qualifies as a city. They’re using all places with a population of at least 75,000, with some exceptions due to the way crime rates were reported, most notably Chicago. Here’s the link to some information plus the lists to 25 places and some categorized lists: [http://www.morganquitno.com/safecity.htm](http://www.morganquitno.com/safecity.htm) I always look at this list for Ohio’s cities. Nearly all of the state’s major cities always end up on at least one variation of the “most dangerous” list, and this year seems to be no exception. On the bright side, it’s never bad enough to get a whole metropolitan area on the most dangerous metro areas list. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/7 "2005-11-22T00:33:39Z")
The safest city, Newton, MA, isn’t really a city. It is a very expensive suburb of Boston that butts right up against Boston. There is no real way of knowing when you come in or leave it compared to the neighbors it borders. You could be in a dangerous area just by driving a few miles. The safety rating is just a quirk of economics and land boundaries. I think the “cities” should have been more standalone to make the list. Wealthy suburbs shouldn’t count in my mind especially if the main city has a much higher crime rate. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/8 "2005-11-22T02:16:11Z")
Well, we might could cross New Orleans off the list now…umm, well, nevermind… ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/9 "2005-11-22T03:20:22Z")
> [@PigBoy](#): > > They’re using all places with a population of at least 75,000, with some exceptions due to the way crime rates were reported, most notably Chicago. Here’s the link to some information plus the lists to 25 places and some categorized lists: [http://www.morganquitno.com/safecity.htm…snip…](http://www.morganquitno.com/safecity.htm%E2%80%A6snip%E2%80%A6). Thanks for the link; it turns up this gem. **CITIES OF 500,000 OR MORE POPULATION: (32 cities)** **Safest 10:** 1 San Jose, CA 2 El Paso, TX 3 Honolulu, HI **4 New York, NY** 5 Austin, TX 6 San Diego, CA 7 Louisville, KY 8 San Antonio, TX 9 Fort Worth, TX 10 Jacksonville, FL **Most Dangerous 10:** 1 Detroit, MI 2 Baltimore, MD 3 Washington, DC 4 Memphis, TN 5 Dallas, TX 6 Philadelphia, PA 7 Columbus, OH 8 Nashville, TN 9 Houston, TX 10 Charlotte, NC I am impressed with NYC, our largest city is #4 for safety. No other truly large city is in the top 10. Jim ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/10 "2005-11-22T04:08:50Z")
Hell, I’m GLAD Chicago’s not in either 10. Safety’s for the suburbs. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/11 "2005-11-22T15:02:52Z")
This [cities of 500,000 or more) is the one that Baltimore radio stations are reporting. Yay! Baltimore’s the #2 most dangerous city in the US! Whee! So glad I left the boredom and safety of Alberta. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![coffeecat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coffeecat/32/3405_2.png) [@coffeecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffeecat)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/12 "2005-11-22T16:32:20Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > The safest city, Newton, MA, isn’t really a city. It is a very expensive suburb of Boston that butts right up against Boston. There is no real way of knowing when you come in or leave it compared to the neighbors it borders. You could be in a dangerous area just by driving a few miles. The safety rating is just a quirk of economics and land boundaries. > > I think the “cities” should have been more standalone to make the list. Wealthy suburbs shouldn’t count in my mind especially if the main city has a much higher crime rate. I’m in Brookline, a similar suburb of Boston, (rich town, broke doper) and we stay safe by having more police (and Dunkin’ Donuts!) per capita than you’ve ever seen in your life. You also know exactly when you cross over from Boston: the litter stops, the roads become lined with trees, and the streetlights become a lot more quaint and attractive. **Coffeespouse** once pointed out a pretty, tan pigeon a stone’s throw from our doorstep, which led to the running joke that the town hires people to lie in wait at the border, kidnap the pigeons that wander across, and spraypaint them in tasteful pastels instead of that dingy gray. I suspect Newton works the same way. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/13 "2005-11-22T16:40:33Z")
Woo. I feel a huge surge of pride, what with having grown up in a town sort of nestled between Camden and Philly. (Interesting note: Camden, NJ, is maybe twenty minutes from Moorestown, NJ, which was recently [and inexplicably, IMO] decreed the _best_ town in the nation in which to live.) ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/14 "2005-11-22T17:24:39Z")
Memphis has dropped to number four, but we’ve got a good draft this year and I really think we can come back. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go commit an act of senseless violence in the name of civic pride! ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/15 "2005-11-22T17:48:57Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > Safest 10: > 1 San Jose, CA > **2 El Paso, TX** That surprises me greatly. El Paso is a border town, with a very substantial low-income population. It’s not a pleasant place to visit, much less live. My brother’s wife had to live there for several months, and it was downright frightening. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/16 "2005-11-22T19:25:20Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > No other truly large city is in the top 10. What’s your criteria for this? ---
**Author:** ![Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Van_Horowitzski)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/17 "2005-11-23T19:40:07Z")
OVERALL (330 METROPOLITAN AREAS): Safest 25: 1 Logan, UT-ID **2 Fond du Lac, WI** 3 Glens Falls, NY **4 Appleton, WI 5 Sheboygan, WI** 6 Columbus, IN **7 La Crosse, WI-MN 8 Oshkosh-Neenah, WI** 9 Bangor, ME 10 Bismarck, ND **11 Eau Claire, WI** 12 State College, PA 13 Binghamton, NY **14 Wausau, WI** 15 Fargo, ND-MN 16 Nassau-Suffolk, NY M.D. 17 Portland, ME 18 Rockingham County, NH M.D. 19 Edison, NJ M.D. 20 Williamsport, PA 21 Owensboro, KY 22 Houston, TX 23 Jefferson City, MO 24 Harrisonburg, VA 25 Rochester, MN We’re just too busy snarfin’ cheese and swillin’ beer to commit crimes. Your Cheesehead-in-a-jar, Myron ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/18 "2005-11-23T20:05:00Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > What’s your criteria for this? Don’t have any firm criteria, sorry. Just off the top of my head, the cities listed a large but not huge. I guess I consider the 2,000,000+ mark and Philly the truly large cities. San Diego & San Antonio are actually close and so my criteria is probably out dated. With apologies Jim ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/19 "2005-11-24T02:44:19Z")
[http://www.mdle.com/citydata/nd/valley-city.htm](http://www.mdle.com/citydata/nd/valley-city.htm) Note population under 7,000 and 4 murders/manslaughters. Gary, Indiana has the highest murder rate in the country, with 67 per 100,000, New Orleans is 2nd with 58, Camden third with 52. And Valley City, North Dakota with what works out to be 59 murders per 100,000 people! ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/group-ranks-most-dangerous-u-s-cities/332092/20 "2005-11-24T02:59:04Z")
> [@Atreyu](#): > > I live in Troy, Michigan, which is on that list of “most safest U.S. cities.” It’s interesting how it’s on that list, despite being a suburb of Detroit, which thunks in at #2 on the “most dangerous list.” So essentially, they excise the safe parts of the city and rate the rest as dangerous :rolleyes: