When searching for a new house to rent or purchase, people glance around the area and attempt to visualize themselves living there. They look into the schools their children will attend, the restaurants where they will celebrate significant events, and the supermarkets where they will shop.
While all of these variables are crucial, it is also critical to assess the crime level in the neighborhood. From larcenies to assaults to murders, a high-crime area may endanger you, your family, and your property.
Whether you’re looking for a temporary residence or a permanent relocation, this list of the ten most hazardous neighborhoods in the United States might help you narrow down your choices. Many of the communities on this list are situated in the most hazardous cities in the country. Others, however, reside in regions and towns with relatively low crime rates. That is why it is critical to evaluate each area on its own merits rather than seeing the city as a whole.
The Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In America
This ranking of the most hazardous areas was compiled using FBI data, input from community organizations, and statistics from local police agencies. It considers property and violent crime to assist you avoid falling prey to many forms of dangerous scenarios.
1. Downtown, Los Angeles
- State: California
- Population: 82,703
- Total crime rate: 4,000 per 100,000 people
- Violent crime rate: 941 per 100,000 people
- Property crime rate: 3,100 per 100,000 persons
Los Angeles, California’s largest metropolis, is known for its glamor, glamour, and Hollywood celebrities. Unfortunately, downtown Los Angeles is also notorious for having some of the worst crime rates in the city and state.
The crime rate in Los Angeles grew by 11% in 2022, with many blaming the surgeon the city’s expanding homeless population. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority estimates that there are up to 46,260 homeless persons in the City of Los Angeles on any one night, a 10% rise over the previous year. However, street encampments are not the only reason behind downtown LA’s high violent and property crime rates. Narcotics such as fentanyl, gangs, and an increase in mental illness have all contributed significantly.
Downtown LA’s crime rates are not acceptable, but they are substantially lower than people would assume given the population size. This community looks to be considerably safer than the communities lower down the list.
2. Peabody-Darst-Webbe, Saint Louis
- State: Missouri
- Population: 2,378
- Total crime rate: More than 12,000 per 100,000 persons
- Violent crime rate is 3,500 per 100,000 people
- Property crime rate is 9,000 per 100,000 persons
When it comes to the most hazardous areas, St. Louis cannot be overlooked, since it has some of the worst crime rates in the country. St. Louis has several dangerous places, but the Peabody-Darst-Webbe neighborhood is the most concerning.
Peabody-Darst-Webbe has 862% greater violent criminal activity and 440% higher total crime rates. While crime has lately decreased throughout the city, inhabitants of this neighborhood still have a one in eight risk of becoming a victim of a crime.
Although the median household income in this community is higher than in many other communities on this list, poverty rates remain high. A lack of adequate education and healthcare has aggravated the situation. When people do not have access to the resources they require, they become desperate and more inclined to commit a crime.
3. Quigley Park, Albuquerque.
- State: New Mexico
- Population: Approximately 745
- Total crime rate: More than 14,000 per 100,000 persons
- Violent crime rate is 5,800 per 100,000 people
- Property crime rate: 8,725 per 100,000 population
Albuquerque may not come to mind when you think of regions with high rates of homicide, gang activity, and thievery. Instead, you may concentrate on New York City, Atlanta, or Chicago.
While each of these cities has its own set of difficulties, Albuquerque is home to the country’s most deadly neighborhood. Quigley Park has higher rates of property and violent crime than many bigger neighborhoods.
The crime rate in this neighborhood is more than 500% higher than in the rest of America. Even worse, Quigley Park has the highest violent crime rate, 1,507% greater than the national average.
Quigley Park is also the smallest community in the ranking, with fewer than 1,000 full-time residents. That makes the number of burglaries, shootings, and assaults they witness even more shocking.
4. Shelby Forest-Frayser, Memphis.
- State: Tennessee
- Population: 34,345
- Total crime rate is 10,400 per 100,000 people
- Violent crime rate is 3,000 per 100,000 people
- Property crime rate is 7,400 per 100,000 persons
Memphis, Tennessee, has been the location of some of the most notorious crimes in American history, including the killing of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Shelby Forest-Frayser is the country’s third most hazardous neighborhood.
Shelby Forest-Frayser has a high rate of murder, assault, and other violent crimes, which raises severe concerns. It is 705% greater than the national average and continues to rise. While murder rates in the United States decreased in 2023, violence in Memphis communities, particularly Shelby Forest-Frayser, skyrocketed.
This municipality is one of the largest on the list, but that isn’t the only reason it has such high crime rates. Similar to the other locations mentioned, the median household income is far lower than the rest of the country, and unemployment is significantly greater.
5. Pines Village, New Orleans
- State: Louisiana
- Population: 4,140
- Total crime rate is 9,900 per 100,000 inhabitants
- Violent crime rate is 2,600 per 100,000 people
- Property crime rate is 7,400 per 100,000 persons
Two Louisiana cities, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, are regularly on the list of the most hazardous cities in the United States, but only one appears on this list. This is due to the unusually high crime rate in Pines Village, New Orleans.
Pines Village’s total crime rate is quite close to that of South Blue Valley, but its citizens face greater violence. The community’s violent crime rate is shockingly 591% higher than the national average.
That statistic reflects the area’s lack of opportunity since more than half of the population live in poverty. Pines Village’s typical household income is $18,210, about $60,000 less than the national rate.