2. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
In the 2nd largest city on the east coast, crime rates have been increasing steadily over the last several years. Business Insider reports that the number of murders committed in the city are growing larger every year, and in 2012 the numbers came in at 22 murders per 100,000 people.
The site goes on to mention that there are several different factors that could possibly be contributing to these rising numbers including plenty of access to illegal guns and a very large drug trade. They also say that these violent crimes mean that the average citizen in Philadelphia has a 1 in 21 chance of becoming a victim of a violent or property crime.
Other troubling statistics from Business Insider for this historical city show that forcible rapes came in at 57 per 100,000 people, and robberies were at 519 per 100,000 people within city limits.
Neighborhood Scout shows research stating that Philadelphia has one of the highest violent crime rates out of any other city in the US, and within the state of Pennsylvania more than 95 percent of the other communities boast a lower crime rate.
The website also shows that the most common violent crimes in the city, as recorded by several different agencies including the FBI, are forcible rape, murder, armed robbery, and aggravated assault. Their analysis of FBI reported crime data shows that citizen’s of Philadelphia have a 1 in 86 chance of falling victim to one of these violent crimes each year.
Neighborhood Scout also gives the city of Philadelphia a crime rating of 9 out of a possible 100, meaning that it is considered to be safer than 9 percent of the cities in the US. However, when closely compared to other cities of its size Philadelphia actually has a much smaller crime rate than average.
