St. Louis

most dangerous cities st louis
  • Crime index*: 342.3
  • Population: 318,172

Violent crime in general has been on the decline in St. Louis over the past decade or so. But last year, the murder rate started creeping up again.

The city recorded 120 murders in 2013, up 6.2% from the year before, according to official statistics released in mid-January.

But police chief Sam Dotson says overall, things are improving. "Our strategies are having an impact," he said.

He credited "hot-spot policing," which puts boots on the ground where crime is most rampant.

First published February 3, 2014: 6:24 PM ET
Source: Source: CQ Press compiled this index using data reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's "Crime in the United States 2012." CQ Press notes that the FBI no longer ranks cities based on their crime statistics because each city reports crimes differently and some crimes go unreported, causing the index to be an unreliable indicator of crime. There are many factors that cause the nature and type of crime to vary from place to place.
*The crime index is a formula that takes into account the weighted average of six crime categories murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault and property crimes of burglary and motor vehicle theft, as well as the population of the city. The national rate is 1 and any number higher than that indicates a higher than average incidence of crime. To read CQ Press' methodology, click here.
**List includes cities with populations of 75,000 or more.

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