25 of the Safest Cities in the US Getting More Dangerous … and Vice Versa

The FBI tracks crime rates across the country, including in major cities, which is how we got our list of safest cities in the US, as well most dangerous.

Laura Schmitz

Safest Cities in the US, dangerous cities in the US

Which U.S. cities are getting more dangerous over time? Which are getting safer? The team at YLS (yourlocalsecurity.com) tracked down FBI crime trends from 2006 to 2016 to determine which U.S. cities have seen the sharpest increases and decreases in crime over the past 10 years. Seven categories were included: Murder, robbery, assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson. Cities were then ranked based on their average numbers across the seven types of crime. Here’s how things broke down in regard to the safest cities in the U.S., where folks might want to learn more about the ways of self defense.

25 Cities Getting More Dangerous

These 25 cities have seen more crimes of all types over the past decade. Charleston, West Virginia, tops the list with double the arson counts from 2006 to 2016, even with a population decrease. In fact, nine of the bottom 25 cities have had a decrease in population, which means their crimes per capita have increased all the more dramatically.

Charleston, West Virginia
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Portland, Texas
Kyle, Texas
Port Lavaca, Texas
Lumberton, North Carolina
Elk City, Oklahoma
Brown Deer, Wisconsin
Sweetwater, Texas
Aiken, South Carolina
Burkburnett, Texas
Ormond Beach, Florida
Belton, Missouri
Zachary, Louisiana
Pueblo, Colorado
Central Point, Oregon
South Charleston, West Virginia
Pineville, Louisiana
Jamestown, New York
Rochester, New Hampshire
Hamburg Town, New York
Mitchell, South Dakota
Rapid City, South Dakota
Anchorage, Alaska
Lyndhurst, Ohio

25 Cities Getting Safer

These cities experienced the greatest decrease in criminal activity for the six types of crime YLS measured. The city with the most improvement from 2006 to 2016 is Salisbury, Maryland. It improved substantially in several areas, including a 100-percent decrease in arson and a 63-percent decrease in burglary.