# Most violent cities in USA **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 11, 2013, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839 "2013-01-11T08:40:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/21 "2013-01-11T18:38:05Z")
> [@chargerrich](#): > > Let Canada have the whole state! The average IQ of both areas would increase. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/22 "2013-01-11T18:48:59Z")
> [@lost4life](#): > > Another ? for New Orleans being left off. Maybe itā€™s getting better. I havenā€™t seen recent data, but itā€™s population was down 40%-50% from pre-Katrina levels for a while there. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/23 "2013-01-11T20:02:37Z")
Living outside of Nashville, I can say that I almost never feel unsafe. Much of the crime is drug/gang related, and seems to stay within itā€™s own confines. Of course, my neighbor the cop sees a murderer behind every door and is always trying to convince me to lock my doors. ā€œI worked a home invasion last month where the elderly homeowner was beaten and never recoveredā€. I, OTOH, never lock my house or car (6 big dogs helps) and have never had so much as a daffodil stolen from my yard. StG ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/24 "2013-01-11T20:20:30Z")
I got eleven points! ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/25 "2013-01-11T20:25:11Z")
8 points and Iā€™m not talking about just being at their airport. I only live 15 miles from St. Louis, but took only 2 points. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/26 "2013-01-11T20:52:49Z")
4 points because Iā€™ve been to Oakland and Stockton in the past year. I mentioned to my aunt, who I was living with at the time, that I was considering a job in Stockton and she pointed out the crime rate. I made other plans. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/27 "2013-01-11T21:48:55Z")
24 points (been to Philly, Flint and Detroit in the last year) if you count my only having been at the Miami airport as being in the city. 23 points without Miami. 29 points if you count not living in the city of Flint (number one, yo!), but still having a Flint zip code due to some districting weirdness. (Otherwise my property taxes and water go to Mt Morris Twp, my local police and fire depts are Mt Morris and I vote in a Mt Morris precinct. If I had children they would go to Mt Morris schools.) ---
**Author:** ![chargerrich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chargerrich/32/5399_2.png) [@chargerrich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chargerrich)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/28 "2013-01-11T21:51:37Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > The average IQ of both areas would increase. > šŸ™‚ No argument here! šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/29 "2013-01-11T21:55:20Z")
Chicago is not on that list, and Cleveland ranks higher than Killadelphia? How laughable! ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/30 "2013-01-11T22:07:53Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Yes, I was surprised to see Hartford and New Haven there. You donā€™t usually think of the mean streets of Connecticut. But I suppose it makes sense. A lot of those old New England mill towns have the same kind of long term unemployment that you see in places like Detroit and Saint Louis. Hartford has one or two specific areas where the vast majority of the crime occurs; itā€™s safe to walk around the downtown business/restaurant/bar/event district at any hour. That said, it doesnā€™t surprise me at all that the city as a whole ranks so highly on the list, because not a lot of people actually live in the safe areas, so the bad parts exert a lot of influence on the per capita numbers. The numbers are also thrown off a bit because West Hartford and East Hartford (which are quite wealthy and solidly middle class, respectively) are separate municipalities, while the northern and southern areas of the city (where the crime is, especially the north end) are still part of Hartford. New Havenā€™s definitely worse, and by more so than the difference on the list. Itā€™s also got the immediate area around Yale, though, so itā€™s not all bad either. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/31 "2013-01-11T22:43:37Z")
> [@Kiros](#): > > Hartford has one or two specific areas where the vast majority of the crime occurs; itā€™s safe to walk around the downtown business/restaurant/bar/event district at any hour. That said, it doesnā€™t surprise me at all that the city as a whole ranks so highly on the list, because not a lot of people actually live in the safe areas, so the bad parts exert a lot of influence on the per capita numbers. The numbers are also thrown off a bit because West Hartford and East Hartford (which are quite wealthy and solidly middle class, respectively) are separate municipalities, while the northern and southern areas of the city (where the crime is, especially the north end) are still part of Hartford. > > New Havenā€™s definitely worse, and by more so than the difference on the list. Itā€™s also got the immediate area around Yale, though, so itā€™s not all bad either. Flint (and I would wager most of the cities on this list) is exactly like that. Local media posts ā€œmurder mapsā€ of the city, and predictably, almost all the killings happen on the north side (aka, poor/ghetto/blighted) of the city. Pockets of Flint are quite gentrified and safe, downtown in generally very safe, as is Flint township. When I lived on Flintā€™s east side - right behind the north side in violent crime stats - I felt perfectly safe. I didnā€™t engage in activities that exposed me to criminal elements: drugs, frequenting after-hours clubs or bars, hanging out with thugs - I have big/loud dogs, Iā€™m white, educated and employed. Demographically, I never fit the victim profile so statistically I was highly unlikely to be the victim of violent crime. In this city, the majority of victims of violent crime themselves have criminal records, are neither educated or employed and are at least on the fringes of thug/criminal lifestyle if not fully immersed in it. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/32 "2013-01-11T22:48:47Z")
Los Angeles doesnā€™t even make the cut. I am embarrassed. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2013, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/33 "2013-01-11T23:06:26Z")
> [@chargerrich](#): > > Michigan is first AND second. > > That.is.awesome. > > Mainly since I do not live there. Let Canada have the whole state! Weā€™re trying to build a bridge for Detroit, but the pubbies have been opposed. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/34 "2013-01-12T00:06:41Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Flint (and I would wager most of the cities on this list) is exactly like that. Local media posts ā€œmurder mapsā€ of the city, and predictably, almost all the killings happen on the north side (aka, poor/ghetto/blighted) of the city. Pockets of Flint are quite gentrified and safe, downtown in generally very safe, as is Flint township. > > When I lived on Flintā€™s east side - right behind the north side in violent crime stats - I felt perfectly safe. I didnā€™t engage in activities that exposed me to criminal elements: drugs, frequenting after-hours clubs or bars, hanging out with thugs - I have big/loud dogs, Iā€™m white, educated and employed. Demographically, I never fit the victim profile so statistically I was highly unlikely to be the victim of violent crime. Which side of Longway Blvd did you live on? That makes all the difference in the world. The east side, north of Longway Blvd is socially and culturally like another world from the east side south of Longway Blvd. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/35 "2013-01-12T00:11:33Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Which side of Longway Blvd did you live on? That makes all the difference in the world. The east side, north of Longway Blvd is socially and culturally like another world from the east side south of Longway Blvd. Youā€™re absolutely correct, and I lived on the ā€œwrongā€ side of RTL, near Ohio and Franklin. Even worse was/is north of Davison Rd. Between Davison and RTL is marginal, depending on what block youā€™re on. North of Davison is horrid, and as you said, south of RTL is a whole 'nother, nicer world. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/36 "2013-01-12T00:12:05Z")
Los Angeles area has some smaller cities that I feel would easily make that list. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/37 "2013-01-12T01:20:43Z")
12 points for me. I almost got 5 points for living in Oakland but actually I live about 15 miles from the city limit. So only 2 points ā€“ I have been there within the past year. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/38 "2013-01-12T01:41:22Z")
I can see why Little Rock is on the list. Murder is probably one of the few hobbies available. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/39 "2013-01-12T01:54:37Z")
What crimes do they officially designate as violent crime for this statistic? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839/40 "2013-01-12T02:23:53Z")
> [@FordTaurusSHO94](#): > > I can see why Little Rock is on the list. Murder is probably one of the few hobbies available. And my user name comes from what? šŸ™‚ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-violent-cities-in-usa/646839.md?page=3)