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Ranked: America’s Most Dangerous Cities, According to Citizens

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Mapped: America’s Most Dangerous Cities, According to Citizens

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Key Takeaways

  • Numbeo’s Crime Index is based on user surveys, scaled 0–100, and reflects people’s perception of crime & safety rather than official statistics.
  • Based on the index’s mid-2025 update, Memphis, TN is the most dangerous city in America.

Where do American’s feel the least safe?

To answer this question, we visualized the results of Numbeo’s Crime Index, which reveals how people perceive safety in their own city as of mid-2025. Unlike FBI or police statistics, this index reflects public sentiment through crowdsourced surveys.

Data & Discussion

Numbeo’s Crime Index uses a scale from 0 (very safe) to 100 (very dangerous), based on residents’ self-reported experiences and perceptions. The survey covers various aspects of crime, including:

  • General perception of crime levels
  • Perceived safety during day and night
  • Concerns about specific crimes (mugging, robbery, car theft, physical attacks, etc.)
  • Severity of property crime (burglary, theft, vandalism)
  • Severity of violent crime (assault, homicide, sexual offenses)

Overall, this index provides an alternative lens on urban safety that is shaped more by everyday life than by crime reports. Here’s how to interpret the results:

  • Very Low Crime: 20 and below
  • Low Crime: 20.01-40
  • Moderate Crime: 40.01-60
  • High Crime: 60.01-80
  • Very High Crime: above 80
Rank City State Crime Index
1 Memphis TN 78.0
2 Detroit MI 73.1
3 Baltimore MD 72.7
4 Albuquerque NM 71.7
5 Saint Louis MO 69.7
6 Oakland CA 68.7
7 New Orleans LA 66.9
8 Milwaukee WI 66.7
9 Chicago IL 66.1
10 Philadelphia PA 65.8
11 Atlanta GA 64.6
12 Houston TX 63.2
13 San Francisco CA 60.9
14 Indianapolis IN 60.2
15 Washington, DC DC 60.2
16 Kansas City MO 58.1
17 Portland OR 57.1
18 Jacksonville FL 56.6
19 Las Vegas NV 55.9
20 Minneapolis MN 55.6
21 Tucson AZ 54.8
22 Seattle WA 54.2
23 Los Angeles CA 53.9
24 Phoenix AZ 53.0
25 Miami FL 52.7
26 Dallas TX 51.2
27 New York NY 51.0
28 Columbus OH 49.6
29 Orlando FL 49.5
30 Sacramento CA 49.4
-- National Index Score -- 49.2

Memphis Leads the Rankings

At the top of the list, Memphis, Tennessee registers the highest crime index score at 78, marking it as the city Americans perceive as the most unsafe in 2025.

Residents often cite issues with violent crime and property theft, contributing to its elevated perception of risk.

While Memphis has historically suffered from high crime rates, recent data shows safety is improving. In 2024, total crime in Memphis dropped by roughly 13.3%, with homicide down about 30% and motor vehicle theft down nearly 39%.

Rust Belt and Legacy Crime Centers

Detroit (73.1) and Baltimore (72.7) continue to rank among the top three most dangerous cities in the index.

Since 2008, both cities have struggled with the loss of key industries and jobs, eroding their economic base (and tax revenues). This fuels an increase in poverty rates, reduces the city’s capacity to respond, and destabilizes communities.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Organized Crime Hot Spots Around the World on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

Source
America