Forbes magazine published its list of America's most dangerous cities Tuesday, and Michigan was the only state in the nation to have two cities in the top five. The magazine's list comes out each October, predicated upon the FBI's statistical Crime in America report which is released annually the preceding month.
The Forbes list includes metropolitan areas with a population of 200,000 or greater, and is based on the number of violent crimes per 100,000 citizens in those areas. The 'violent crimes' division includes murder and voluntary manslaughter, forcible rape, armed robbery, and aggravated assault.
The top five cities, in descending order, are:
1. Detroit, MI- With 345 unlawful homicides in 2010, and 1,111 violent crimes per capita, metro Detroit comes in first in a race no city wants to win. Factors cited include an unemployment rate that has followed the declining fortunes of the Big 3, a reduced tax base resulting in a lack of proper funds for education and safety services, and a steep drop in population. Regarding the latter, Forbes cited Florida State University.assistant professor of criminology Brian Stults: "A large section of the population is gone, and they're not the people doing the crime to begin with."
2. Memphis, TN- According to Forbes, this city has the "most impoverished large metropolitan area in the country." Enough said.
3. Springfield, IL- With a population of 206,601, metropolitan Springfield barely met the population criteria. The demographic primarily driving the violent crime rate is the city's youth; 66% of the population is under age 44. Young populations are roughly associated with higher rates of violent crime.
4. Flint, MI- This city's.metro area is particularly hard hit by the decline in automobile related manufacturing.
5. Anchorage, AK- Also a leader in property crimes, the Anchorage metro area has a huge methamphetamine problem. A high rate of forcible rape drives the number of violent crimes in general upward.
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