Crime is everywhere. Criminals and criminal activity can be found in the biggest cities and the tiniest towns, but which areas of the United States experience the most crime? In an effort to gauge which states were the safest and which states suffered from the most violent crime, the folks at Law Street Media poured over the most recent FBI data on violent crime in America. Not only did they break it down by state, but they also ranked the most dangerous cities in each state.
To compile their results, researchers examined data from every city in each state with a population of more than 25,000 people. They then looked at violent crime statistics, which were the reported murders, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults per 100,000 people. The numbers for each city were then added up and averaged out to give a statewide violent crime rate per 100,000 people.
So how did Illinois fare in the nationwide survey? You might be surprised to learn, especially considering all the headlines Chicago seems to receive, that Illinois finished in the middle of the pack when it comes to violent crime. According to the data, Illinois came in 21st on the list of Most Dangerous States for Violent Crime (370/100,000 people). It could be better, but it could also be much worse. Here’s a look at the five safest and the five most dangerous states across the US.
The Top 5 Most Dangerous States
1. Alaska – 635.8 violent crimes per 100,000
2. Nevada – 635.6
3. Tennessee – 608.4
4. New Mexico – 597.4
5. Florida – 540.5
The Top 5 Safest States
1. Vermont – 99.3
2. Maine – 127.8
3. Wyoming – 195.5
4. New Hampshire – 196.1
5. Virginia – 196.2
The Most Dangerous Cities in Illinois
As we mentioned above, Law Street Media analyzed data on any city with a population over 25,000 in each state. Here’s a closer look at the 10 cities in Illinois that have the most violent crime per capita based on the data:
1. East St. Louis – 3,645.9
2. Harvey – 1,296.5
3. Rockford – 1,234.7
4. Danville – 1,073.9
5. Springfield 1,065.5
6. Chicago – 884.3
7. Kankakee – 817.7
8. Champaign – 742.9
9. Chicago Heights – 653.4
10. Peoria – 649.2