The US violent crime rate – an annual, population-adjusted measure of rape, robbery, aggression, and homicide – rose 5% in 2020. The increase was driven by an increase in grievous bodily harm and, most importantly, a historic 29.4% increase in homicides, which made 2020 the deadliest year in the United States since then the middle-1990s.
Despite the largest increase in homicides in a year, the overall rate of violent crime in 2020 remains relatively low by historical standards. In 2020, 1.3 million violent crimes were reported in the United States, or 399 for every 100,000 people. For the context, the violent crime rate was between 523 and 758 incidents per 100,000 in the 1990s.
Of course, crime is a local phenomenon that is influenced by a variety of factors at the national, state, municipal, and even household levels. As a result, violent crime rates in the US can vary significantly from place to place – and in some metropolitan areas, violence rates far exceed the national highs seen in decades.
Using data from the FBI’s 2020 Uniform Crime Report, Wall St. 24/7 identified the 50 most dangerous subway areas in the United States. Subway areas are ranked by violent crime rate – specifically, the number of violent crimes reported per 100,000 population.
Following the national trend, most metropolitan areas on this list saw an increase in criminal violence in 2020. As across the country, the increase in many of these metropolitan areas has been led by an increase in murder cases. Here are the 50 cities where homicides are skyrocketing.
The explanations for the high violence in these places are varied and complex. Major current events that have hit every corner of the country – like the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest driven by thisThe murder of George Floyd – likely played a role in some places. Other factors, such as the lack of economic opportunity, are endemic.
Low-income communities in the United States are disproportionately affected by crime. A source of studyd that indivIndividuals with family incomes less than $ 15,000 per year are three times more likely to be victims of crime than those with family incomes of $ 75,000 or more. In all but a handful of metropolitan areas on this list, the proportion of residents living on an income at the poverty level exceeds the national poverty rate of 12.3%. Here’s a look at the city most affected by extreme poverty in each state.
Click here to see the 50 most dangerous metropolises in the United States
To determine the 50 most dangerous subway areas in America, Wall St. 24/7 checked the violent crime numbers from the FBI’s 2020 Uniform Crime Report. Violent crime includes murder, non-negligent homicide, rape, robbery, and assault. The violent crime rate per 100,000 population was calculated using population data from the FBI.
Limited data was available in UCR 2020 for areas in Alabama, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Illinois, although these locations were not excluded from the analysis.
Additional information on the number of murders and the population within the jurisdictions reporting figures to the FBI is also taken from the FBI UCR 2020. Poverty rates are annual estimates from the ACS 2019.
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