America's Most Dangerous City Is...

Detroit, according to 2010 data
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 6, 2011 4:10 PM CDT
Updated Oct 9, 2011 7:00 PM CDT
America's Most Dangerous City Is...
The Detroit skyline, featuring GM headquarters.   (Getty Images)

Detroit has once again been named America's most dangerous city, this time by Forbes, which offers the top (or, perhaps, bottom) 10, based on the FBI's uniform crime report for 2010:

  1. Detroit: A rate of 1,111 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. A dwindling population, low employment rates, and the struggles of the auto industry have all contributed.
  2. Memphis: A rate of 1,006 violent crimes per 100,000. One factor is chronic poverty, but another is the city police department's meticulous crime records.

  1. Springfield, Ill.: A rate of 855 violent crimes per 100,000. Analysts aren't sure exactly how to interpret Springfield's spot on this list; the Illinois capital city has a lower-than-average unemployment rate, and a new law has cut down on meth abuse.
  2. Flint, Mich.: A rate of 827 violent crimes per 100,000. Its problems are similar to Detroit's: a poor economy, high unemployment, population decline, and a loss of auto industry jobs.
  3. Anchorage: A rate of 813 violent crimes per 100,000. Its crime rate is double the general rate found in Alaska. Meth use is one problem; Anchorage also has the state's highest forcible rape rate.
Click for the full list. (More Detroit stories.)

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