What is the safest city in the U.S.? It depends on which list you are viewing. Forbes released an article stating Plano, Texas, as one of the safest cities, Henderson, NV, second, and Honolulu, HI third. The reports note the data that were looked at and factors in common amongst the safest cities. This information concerns violent crimes, including murders and manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. The Business Insider lists Irvine, CA, as one of the safest cities with zero murders per one hundred thousand, thirty robberies, and 55 violent crimes. According to the FBI, crime rates have been dropping in the United States.
Violent crime dropped 4% in 2011 and 5.5% in 2010. Nationally, murder dropped almost two percent. A look at the most dangerous cities shows the opposite. Violent crimes have increased by more than half of the cities that were the worst in the U.S. The state of Michigan has the top 2 spots of the most dangerous cities in the U.S., according to the Wall Street Journal. First on the list is Flint, Michigan, with 23.4 violent crimes per thousand and fifty-two murders in 2011; Detroit is second with similar numbers. The worse cities have several things in common such as a low tax base, high unemployment, low median income, and police cutbacks. Flint, MI, laid off over 10 percent of its police departments by letting go 20 of their 140 officers. The safest and most dangerous data can be based on different factors and outcomes. For example, city streets generally congested with traffic are safer than rural areas where traffic deaths are higher due to higher driving speeds. Worse cities for women are different in which. Forbes has Saginaw, MI, Anchorage, AK, and Fairbanks, AK. There are other statistics for other purposes. The FBI releases national crime data encompassing its findings to the public yearly.