The 24/7 Wall St. website analyzed 2011 crime data and compiled a list of the most dangerous cities in America. Surprisingly, some of the largest urban areas in the United States are not at the top of the list. New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles all took a back seat to Flint, Michigan according to the most recent FBI statistics used to generate the list, Radar Online reports.
Birmingham has one of the highest poverty rates in the country and ranked seventh on the list of most violent cities in America. Birmingham was also ranked as one of the top five cities in the United States for property crime and rape.
Little Rock’s crime rate went down from 2010 but not enough to keep the city from ranking in sixth place on the dangerous cities list. Both incidents of rape and murder have increased in the Arkansas city since last year.
Murder rates have reportedly skyrocketed in Memphis during the past year. Aggravated assault incidents also increased in 2011. Fiscal woes prompted city officials to consider laying off police officers in the city, which ranked fifth on the most violent metropolitan areas list.
Oakland’s violent crime rate makes it one of the most dangerous cities in California and fourth most dangerous metropolitan areas nationwide. For the second consecutive year, Oakland has had the ninth highest murder rate in America.
St. Louis has the fourth highest murder rate in the nation and a current unemployment rate of approximately 11.7 percent. The Missouri city also has the fifth highest robbery rate and the third highest aggravated assault incident rate.
The two most dangerous cities in the United States are both located in Michigan. Detroit has an unemployment rate of nearly 20 percent. Homicides in the city went up by 11 percent in 2011. Flint had 2,392 incidents of violent crime in 2011. The city has the second highest murder rate in the country.
