The top 10 safest and most dangerous cities

There seems to be a trend in where the cities are located

NeighborhoodScout, a nationwide neighborhood search engine and analytics provider just released a list of the safest places to live in 2016. 

In compiling it’s list, NeighborhoodScout factored population by creating a crime rate per 1,000 residents, according to their article. They considered violent and neighborhood crime, including the FBI’s major seven types of crime: burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, murder, rape, armed robbery and aggravated assault.

Studies showed that the safest places were just outside major cities, typically close enough to commute to the city for jobs.

“If you were to plot the top 100 safest cities on a map you would notice an interesting trend,” NeighborhoodScout CEO and founder Andrew Schiller stated. “Bedroom communities like the ones on this list exist somewhere in between big cities (which still have large crime counts), and the more-dangerous industrial satellites. There could be something to be said regarding the fact that the safest towns are overwhelmingly places where people live, but often do not work: the types of communities that are populated by the gainfully employed and their families, who can afford to relocate specifically for quality of life.”

“Many of the safest cities also have the best school systems and high rates of college graduates,” he said. “High paying jobs are not far away. What this illustrates is that access to opportunity (nearby high paying jobs), combined with amenities in the community (like good schools), can drive home values up and crime down.”

These were the top 10 safest cities, according to NeighborhoodScout. 

10. Aliso Viejo, CA

Located on the coast of California, and about an hour from Los Angeles, Aliso Viejo ranks the 10th safest city in the U.S. The city is so small, that every resident lives within 3 miles of the town center, according to an article by Julianna Crisalli. 

9. Zionsville, IN

Is a small town just outside of Indiana’s I-465 with a total population of just 25,734. In Zionsville, there is a one in 4,289 chance of being involved in a violent crime, and a one in 169 of being involved in property crime.

8. Bartlett, IL

Bartlett is just an hour west of Chicago. Its violent crime rate is one in 2,974, and its property crime is one in 175.

7. Shrewsbury, MA

Shrewsbury is less than an hour outside of Boston, and boasts a violent crime rate of one in 10,000 and a property crime rate of one in 175.

6. Lake in the Hills, IL

Illinois has a second city in the top ten. Lake in the Hills is located about an hour and a half outside of Chicago, and has a violent crime rate of one in 1,700 and a property crime rate of one in 206.

5. Bergenfield, NJ

Although a bay separates Bergenfield from New York City, it is less than an hour away. Its violent crime rate is one in 2,491 and property crime rate is one in 230.

4. Franklin, MA

Massachusetts also has a second city in the top ten. Franklin, which is less than an hour from Boston, has a violent crime rate of one in 3,648 and a property crime rate of one in225.

3. Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

With a name that means Saint Margarita Ranch, this city lies between Los Angeles and San Diego, and is California’s second city in the top 10 safest. The city’s violent crime rate is one in 1,828 and its property crime rate is one in 242.

2. Winona, MN

Winona lies on the border of Minnesota and Michigan, and is the second safest city in the U.S. with a violent crime rate of one in 1,095 and a property crime rate of one in 380. 

1. Ridgefield, CT

Although this small town may have had a bloody beginning with the Battle of Ridgefield in the Revolutionary War, it is now the safest city in the U.S. Ridgefield is located about an hour and a half north of New York City. The chances of becoming victim to a violent crime are one in 10,000 and one in 388 for property crime.  This is well below Connecticut’s rate of one in 422 for violent crime and one in 52 for property crime. 

Whereas the safest cities seemed to be just outside of town, the most dangerous cities are within the cities themselves, according to an article by NeighborhoodScout.

Many large cities have a reputation for having more crime, however while some large cities do make the list for the top 10 most dangerous, not all big cities are dangerous, according to the article.

“With our 2016 report on the most dangerous cities, what we’re seeing is a really different picture of the types of locations that have the highest violent crime from what many people expect,” NeighborhoodScout CEO and founder Andrew Schiller said. “Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York were all absent from our list despite being the centers for some of the largest urban areas in the nation.”

“While large cities can have large numbers of violent crime, when normalizing for population, the violent crime rate is often not as high as one would think and therefore a resident’s risk of becoming a victim is not as high as in some mid-sized cities with very high rates of violence,” he said.

Here is a list of the top 10 most dangerous cities.

10. St. Louis, MO

For a city where, just a few years before, two brothers were murdered for $30, perhaps it is not surprising that it made the top 10 most dangerous. In St. Louis the violent crime rate is one in 59, and the property crime rate is one in 16.

9. Oakland, CA

Although California had two cities in the top 10 safest, it has its fair share of dangerous cities. Oakland has a violent crime rate of one in 59 and a property crime rate of one in 17.

8. Saginaw, MI

Saginaw is in a less than two-hour radius of two other cities that also make up the top 10 most dangerous: Flint, and Detroit. Saginaw’s violent crime rate is one in 58, and its property crime rate is one in 40.

7. Flint, MI

One of Michigan’s three cities in the top 10, Flint’s violent crime rate is one in 58 and its property crime rate is one in 24.

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Linda Parton/ Shutterstock.com

6. Memphis, TN

One murderer in Memphis confessed his crime of killing a homeless man, telling police he, “got addicted to sucking the souls out of people.” This city’s violent crime rate is one in 58 and property crime is one in 17. 

5. Wilmington, DE

Wilmington is located 20 minutes from Philadelphia via public transportation, or a little over 30 minutes via car. Its violent crime rate is one in 57 and property crime rate is one in 16.

4. Alexandria, LA

This city is located in central Louisiana, and has a violent crime rate of one in 56 and a property crime rate of one in 13. With 100 being the safest, Louisiana has a crime index of one.

3. Detroit, MI

Michigan’s third city in the top 10, Detroit, is the third most dangerous city in the U.S. Its violent crime rate is one in 50 and its property crime rate is one in 21.

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Michigan

2. Camden, NJ

Camden is just 15 minutes outside of Philadelphia, and has a violent crime rate of one in 49 and a property crime rate of one in 27.

1. East St. Louis, IL

The number one most dangerous city in the U.S. has a shocking violent crime rate of one in 28 and a property crime rate of one in 24. 

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Missouri

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