The five most dangerous cities in the United States have been revealed – and they are all run by Democrats.
Memphis, Tennessee, has been identified as the most dangerous city in America in a report by US News and World Report. This ranking comes as the city grapples with a higher-than-average unemployment rate and median household incomes that fall over $26,000 below the national average.
The report assessed the danger levels of cities by analyzing “each city’s murder and property crime rates per 100,000 people,” using FBI crime statistics.
Memphis has a crime rate of 112.9 per one thousand residents in a typical year, according to Neighborhood Scout.
The chances of becoming a victim of a crime in west Memphis neighborhoods is one in seven, and one in 40 in the southeast.
The Memphis Police Department Chief C.J Davis said in a news conference in July that overall crime was down 20 percent year-to-date.
‘With six months left in 2025, I’m convinced we are on the right track,’ Davis said at the time.
FBI crime statistics have reported that violent crime has dropped nationwide over the last two years.
The top five most dangerous cities in the United States have been disclosed, with Memphis, Tennessee taking the lead as the most perilous. Pictured here is a file photo taken at the scene of last year’s shooting of Pastor Clemmie Livingston, who was struck in the jaw by a bullet during a carjacking.
Recent data shows Oakland has experienced a decline in homicides, with 41 this year compared to 54 last year, marking a 24 percent reduction. Pictured: abandoned cars in an Oakland wasteland.
Last year, it was reported to have fallen by 4.5 percent and property crime saw an 8.1 percent drop from the year before.
Murder rates saw an 11.6 percent decrease in 2023, the largest single year drop on record, the FBI report stated.
A recent poll, however, showed that 77 percent of Americans believe crime is on the rise.
Following Memphis as the second most dangerous city is Oakland, California, which was recently called out by the president for its rampant crime.
According to the City of Oakland, it has a crime rate of 135.68 per one thousand residents.
While announcing the National Guard’s deployment to Washington DC, Trump highlighted several major US cities for their criminal profiles.
Trump described Oakland as being “so far gone,” yet the Oakland Police Department reported a 28 percent decrease in crime within the first half of 2025.
In Oakland, police reported a double-digit decrease in reports of aggravated assaults, rapes and robberies, as well as fewer reports of certain property crimes, including a 46 percent decrease in auto thefts.
Memphis has been ranked as America’s most dangerous city, as its unemployment rate remains higher than average and household median incomes sit more than $26,000 below the national average. Pictured: a file photo of detectives at a shooting in Memphis suburb Cordova
Oakland, California (pictured), was named the second most dangerous city in the country with a crime rate of 136 per thousand residents
According to the most recent data, the city saw 41 homicides this year compared to 54 last year, a 24 percent decrease.
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee responded to the president with a blunt statement that said: ‘President Trump is wrong.’
Lee noted the city’s falling crime rates and said Trump’s remarks were ‘not grounded in facts, but in fear mongering,’ East Bay Times reported.
‘This is not leadership – it’s an attempt to score cheap political points by tearing down communities he doesn’t understand,’ Lee added.
Officials fear that should Trump deploy the National Guard to the area, as he has announced for DC, that it would exacerbate already existing crime and incite protests across the state.
Carl Chan, an Oakland Chinatown leader, told the East Bay Times that a takeover such as that would be ‘disastrous’ for the city.
‘If they send the National Guard to take over, there will be tons of protests within the city,’ Chan said. ‘We don’t want to go from one extreme to another.’
Typically, the National Guard is used for extreme cases, such as natural disasters or in times of extreme protests or riots.
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee responded to the president with a blunt statement that said, ‘President Trump is wrong’ and noted the city’s falling crime rates
Trump, while announcing the government’s deployment of the National Guard to Washington DC, specifically named many major US cities for their criminal reputations
Oakland officials have said the city’s drop in crime is due to its violence-intervention strategy.
Robberies saw a 41 percent decrease, reported burglaries were down 25 percent, and violent crime as a whole was down by 29 percent.
‘Our work is far from done,’ Lee said, the outlet reported. ‘We’re going to keep building on this progress with the same comprehensive approach that got us here.’
The third most dangerous city ranked by the US News and World Report was St. Louis, Missouri.
According to Neighborhood Scout, the city has a crime rate of 77.9 per one thousand residents.
Earlier this year, the St Louis Police Department and Mayor Tishaura Jones also celebrated decreasing crime rates.
From 2021 to 2024, murders fell from 202 to 150 and aggravated assaults decreased by 24 percent, property crime dropped by 11 percent and ‘society’ crimes such as drug violations decreased by 15 percent, the St. Louis Magazine reported.
By March, the city saw a historic decrease in crime through January and February.
Officials fear that should Trump deploy the National Guard to the area, as he has announced for DC, that it would exacerbate already existing crime and incite protests across the state
Baltimore was ranked as the fourth most dangerous city. Pictured above the scene of a shooting there
The mayor’s office said that the 2024 crime period was the fewest homicides in 11 years.
St Louis saw a 36 percent decrease in burglaries, a 42 percent drop in auto thefts and a 53 percent decrease in shooting incidents, KMOV St. Louis reported.
Jones said: ‘One life affected by violent crime is one too many, which is why it is extremely encouraging to see the amount of violent crime continue to drastically drop in St. Louis.
‘We have more work to do, but violent crime is on the retreat in St. Louis, and I am incredibly thankful to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Circuit Attorney’s Office, the Office of Violence Prevention, and all the community organizations and residents who do so much to make St. Louis safer.’
Police Chief Robert Tracy said homicides were down by 50 percent compared to the same time as last year, which more than 90 percent a result of gun violence.
‘Too many people carrying firearms, poor conflict resolution skills and they’re known to each other,’ Tracy said.
‘We continue the strategies to see what works and when it works we continue to do it. If it doesn’t, finding out where it’s going wrong and readjust. You have to do that with community engagement and technology. When you bring that together you start to see some of the success we’re having.’
The next spot was grabbed by Baltimore, Maryland, as the fourth most dangerous city in the United States.
The next spot was grabbed by Baltimore, Maryland, as the fourth most dangerous city in the United States
Fifth place was taken by Detroit, Michigan, a city largely renowned for its crime and one that was also targeted by the president
Baltimore, which also took a personal call out by the president over crime rates, has reportedly had a steady drop in homicide rates since 2021, falling from 344 to 200 last year.
It has a crime rate of 58.77 per one thousand residents, Neighborhood Scout said.
This year, the city has tracked only 84 killings so far, the Baltimore Banner reported.
Baltimore, however, is also struggling economically. Its house values sit $159,823 below the national average of $370,489, according to the US News and World Report rankings.
The job market has equally struggled with its unemployment rate matching the national average of 4.5 percent. The median household income, however, sits more than $21,000 below the national average of $79,466.
Lastly, fifth place was taken by Detroit, Michigan, a city largely renowned for its crime and one that was also targeted by the president.
According to Neighborhood Scout, the city has a 1 in 15 chance of becoming a victim of either a violent or property crime and a crime rate of 66.34 per one thousand residents.
Trump declared in October that anyone in the city wouldn’t be able to ‘walk across the street to get a loaf of bread’ because you would ‘get shot, you get mugged, you get raped’.
Detroit has a 1 in 15 chance of becoming a victim of either a violent or property crime and a crime rate of 66.34 per one thousand residents
However, Detroit Police Chief James White told NBC News: ‘That’s simply not true. I invite him to walk the streets of Detroit, and I’d be more than happy to do that with him and show him how Detroit is performing.’
In 2024, Detroit recorded 252 homicides which has been the lowest number since 1966.
Non-fatal shootings dropped by 18 percent in 2023 and car-jackings decreased by a third.
