Most dangerous cities

Crime index*: 315.9
Population: 390,928

Cleveland was an early epicenter of the subprime mortgage crisis. By the mid-2000s, once stable neighborhoods were hollowed out by defaults and many of the vacant homes became crime dens. As a result, crime peaked in 2006.

But things are starting to look up. The local economy has started to bounce back and the unemployment rate hit 6.7% in November, which was slightly better than the national rate.

As a result, crime has steadily declined in Cleveland, according to the department's official statistics. Last year, homicides fell by 11%.

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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