The 11 Most Dangerous U.S. Cities

11. Cleveland (tie)
Crime Risk Index: 331

Cleveland may be one of the 11 most dangerous cities, but its police department has reported a reduction in nearly all violent and property crimes since 2006. Between 2006 and 2010, the annual number of homicides has dropped 40 percent, and the number of motor vehicle thefts has dropped 46 percent. The only reported increase has been in burglary, which increased two percent over that period.

10. Minneapolis

Crime Risk Index: 331

The city was dubbed “Murderapolis” in the mid-1990s when murder rates spiked, with 97 killings in 1995 alone. In a city with only 370,000 to 380,000 residents at the time, that put Minneapolis’ murder rate above New York’s. Though Minneapolis’ murder count has plummeted since then--there were 18 murders and nonnegligent manslaughters in 2009--its overall crime rate is still more than three times the national rate.

9. Kansas City, Missouri

Crime Risk Index: 337

The Kansas City Police Department reports that 2009 saw lower rates of most types of violent and property crimes than in 2008. Most notably, motor vehicle theft was down 19 percent. But aggravated assault grew 4 percent in that period, and forcible rape increased by 11 percent. Altogether, the city’s crime rate is more than three times the national average.

8. Baltimore

Crime Risk Index: 339

Though crime in Maryland’s largest city remains well above the national average, it is making headway by some measures. Baltimore saw 223 homicides in 2010, fewer than the 238 murders in 2009, 234 in 2008, and 282 in 2007, but the greater Baltimore area also had 722 reported violent crimes per 100,000 in 2009, 68 percent higher than the national average.

7. Miami

Crime Risk Index: 346

The Miami Police Department says that, altogether, violent and property crimes dropped roughly 30 percent during the period covered by these rankings. The city also had the lowest number of forcible rapes, 65, of all the cities on this list in 2009, according to the FBI. However, in the greater Miami metropolitan area, the violent crime rate is still well above the national average, with 680 per 100,000 people, compared to the national figure of 429.

6. Memphis

Crime Risk Index: 361

FBI data puts Memphis among the cities with the highest crime rates, and the city is using data to fight back. In 2005, Memphis Police Department began Operation Blue CRUSH (Crime Reduction Utilizing Statistical History), which uses reporting data to identify and target crime “hot spots” around the city. The initiative also posts weekly crime data updates on the police department Web site.

5. Detroit

Crime Risk Index: 369

Detroit is the most populous of the 11 most dangerous cities and has a correspondingly high volume of crimes. In 2009, the number of violent and property crimes in the greater Detroit area totaled over 68,000, compared to Memphis’ 59,000. Motor City also has a high rate of arson--there were 624 reported acts of arson in Detroit in 2009. Cleveland was the next-closest city of the top 11, with 401.

4. Birmingham, Alabama

Crime Risk Index: 380

In 2009, the latest year on which the data is based, the murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate in the greater Birmingham metropolitan area was nearly twice the national rate of five per 100,000. Likewise, the rate of all property crime in that area was 50 percent higher than the national rate.

3. Orlando, Florida

Crime Risk Index: 380

Orlando’s overall crime rate is nearly four times as high as the national rate, and in 2009 the violent crime rate in the greater Orlando area was nearly 60 percent higher than the national average. To help combat its street crime, Orlando police in 2008 began implementing a system of surveillance cameras installed around the city. The Orlando Police Department considers the camera program a success, and in 2011 hopes to add 60 more cameras to the 140 already installed around the city.

2. Atlanta

Crime Risk Index: 484

Atlanta’s crime risk is nearly five times the national average. The Big Peach poses more of a threat to property than to people; in 2009, violent crime rates in Atlanta were only slightly higher than the national figure. But property crimes were markedly higher, with motor vehicle theft 55 percent greater than the national rate and burglary 38 percent greater.

1. St. Louis

Crime Risk Index: 530

Over a seven-year period ending in 2009, the crime risk in St. Louis was more than five times the national average, according to FBI crime reporting data. However, there is reason to believe that the city’s situation is improving; the St. Louis Police Department reported in January that major crimes in St. Louis in 2010 were down 9.2 percent from 2009 levels.