Murders, violent crime, robberies, and even extreme weather conditions, are among many
factors that contribute to the, quote, “dangerousness” of a city.
Recently, the high crime city of Baltimore made headlines after riots swept the area.
But crime and other hazardous conditions plague countless other US cities.
So, we wanted to know, which are some of the most dangerous cities in America?
Over the last few months we’ve been working closely with our friends at AJ+, and today,they
invited us in to their studios!
Stay with us for more of their coverage on the Baltimore riots.
So back to the question, which American cities are the most dangerous?
Well, according to the 2013 FBI statistics, the cities with the highest murder rates are
Detroit, New Orleans, Newark, St. Louis, and Baltimore.
Many of these cities also rank high in violent crime, along with Memphis and Milwaukee, as
well as robbery with Cleveland and Oakland.
It’s important to note, that many of the cities with high crime rates are also some
of the nation’s poorest cities.
Many used to be beacons for American blue-collar industry work, and they have since declined
in productivity.
Unemployment and poverty levels in these cities are usually well above the national average.
Many economists have noted that both these factors often contribute to high crime.
But criminal activity isn’t the only way to measure a city’s dangerousness.
Severe weather conditions can also pose threats.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, over a million car accidents are caused by
bad weather conditions.
In cities like Boston and Washington DC with severe snow and rain during the winter, fatal
car accidents are more common than in other parts of the country.
Also, coastal cities, like Miami, New Orleans and Houston regularly experience deadly hurricanes..
So, really, almost everywhere you go in the United States - be it Detroit or Miami - danger
is present.
One final note about “ranking” cities according to crime statistics -- The FBI warns
that crime rates can often be misconstrued, without factoring in things like population
density and economic conditions.
And although Baltimore is making headlines as a high-crime city, there’s also evidence
of new growth and prosperity there.
However, until underlying factors behind crime are addressed, like systematic poverty and
high unemployment rates, there will always be “dangerous cities” in the US.
If you want to dig even deeper into the underlying causes of the violence in Baltimore, check
out this video from Dena at AJ+.
Dena was actually in our studios earlier this week too!
Make sure you check out her video about Brazil’s growing middle class below.
Thanks for watching!