The Most Dangerous Cities In America

It has been traditionally accepted in the developed world that hard times (such as economic downturns and high employment) results in a rise in crime. Oddly enough, that has not happened in the current recession, even though the uneven distribution of wealth is at pre-Great Depression levels and unemployment is approaching Great Depression levels. Crime has actually fallen by a small amount during this current recession. Credit for this has been attributed to various things, from better policing to the aging of the Baby Boom generation, but the truth is that no one really knows why this anomaly is happening.

But that does not mean that crime has disappeared or that the streets of every American city are now safe for everyone -- far from it. Crime is still a serious problem, and violent crime claims far too many victims on a daily basis in America. But where are the most dangerous cities in the UNited States?

Forbes Magazine decided to find out. They went to the FBI's latest crime statistics and compiled a list of the most dangerous cities in this country. Since we are talking about dangerousness, they only looked at crimes of violence (including murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault). They also limited themseolves to looking at cities with a population of 200,000 or more. Here is their list of America's most dangerous cities (as judged by the number of violent crimes per 100,000 people):

1. Detroit, Michigan (1,111)
2. Memphis, Tennessee (1,006)
3. Springfield, Illinois (855)
4. Flint, Michigan (827)
5. Anchorage, Alaska (813)
6. Lubbock, Texas (808)
7. Stockton, California (805)
8. Tallahassee, Florida (775)
9. Las Vegas, Nevada (763)
10. Rockford, Illinois (760)