Irvine, California, and Gilbert, Arizona, remained the two safest cities in the United States with populations over 200,000 for the fourth year in a row. Newcomers to this year’s list included Glendale, California, which previously wasn’t included because its population was below the 200,000 person threshold, and Scottsdale, Arizona, which was not included in the FBI’s statistics last year. While the overall rate of violent crime rose by a small margin in the United States–roughly 3 percent–the safest cities were a mixed bag, with both notable increases and decreases in violent crime rates.

All statistics are based on 2015 data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report. Check out the slideshow below for the Top 10 Most Safest Cities Over 200,000.

Click here for the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Click here for the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Under 200,000

#1 Irvine, California

Image courtesy of Orbitgal via Flickr

Irvine topped the list of  Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000 for the fourth year running. Irvine’s violent crime rate did rise by about 14 percent, but it was not enough to drop the California city from the #1 spot on the list. In raw numbers, Irvine only had 24 more violent crimes in 2015 than in 2014. Irvine’s population also rose, by over six percent. Additionally, Irvine saw two murders in 2015, compared to zero in 2014. The increase in the overall count mainly came from the increased instances of robbery, which rose by almost 60 percent to a total of 58.

Violent Crime Rate:  56/100,000 people*
Murder Rate: 1/100,000 people
Population: 258,198
Officer to Population Ratio: 1:1,272
Rank Last Year: #1

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*Irvine, California switched the way it reports rape incidents during the 2015 calendar year, moving from the FBI’s legacy definition to the FBI’s revised definition, which is more inclusive. For more information about the definition change, click here.

Research and analysis by Law Street’s Crime in America Team: Kevin Rizzo, Alexis Evans, and Anneliese Mahoney.

Click here for additional information on Law Street’s crime-ranking methodology.

Source:

FBI: Violent crime, population, murder, and officer statistics, measured January – December 2015.

Kevin Rizzo

Kevin Rizzo is the Crime in America Editor at Law Street Media. An Ohio Native, the George Washington University graduate is a founding member of the company. Contact Kevin at krizzo@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Crime in America 2017: Top 10 Safest Cities Over 200,000 appeared first on Law Street.

ICYMI, here are Law Street’s top posts from last week. Coming in at the top of the charts were run downs of the newly released crime stats from the FBI. Then, J-Lo’s legal battles with her ex-husband over a supposed sex tape was the #3 story. Check out the full stories below:

#1 Crime in America 2016

Law Street Media’s comprehensive Crime in America 2016 coverage provides a look at the safety of our cities and towns around the United States. Based on data provided in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, Law Street analyzes the data to provide lists of the safest and most dangerous cities around the U.S. Take a look at the rankings and features below to discover how safe your city actually is. Read the full story here.

#2 Crime in America 2016: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000

Detroit is the most dangerous city with a population over 200,000 for a third year in a row. Although Detroit remains at the top of the list, its violent crime decreased by about 4 percent. Indianapolis, Indiana also makes its first appearance on the list this year at number 10. All statistics are based on 2014 data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report. Check out the slideshow for the Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000.

#3 J-Lo vs. Her Ex-Husband: Former Couple in Court Over Sex Tape

Jennifer Lopez is currently locked in a pretty nasty legal battle with her first ex-husband, Ojani Noa. Noa, who was married to the actress and singer for eleven months in 1997-1998, is in possession of a number of salacious home videos featuring J-Lo. He wants to release them, but she doesn’t want them to see the light of day. Now, they’re stuck in a seemingly interminable legal battle over the issue. Read the full story here.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

Detroit is the Most Dangerous City in America for the second year in a row, according to data released today by the FBI. Detroit maintains this ranking despite an overall violent crime decrease of 2.5 percent over the course of 2013, the latest year for which the FBI has released crime statistics. Oakland also maintained its #2 ranking for the second year in a row, followed by Memphis, which moved to #3 after its rank at #4 last year. Look at the slideshow below to see the full list of Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in America, and click here to see full Crime in America 2015 coverage.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS CITIES OVER 200,000 IN SINGLE-PAGE FORMAT.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS CITIES WITH POPULATIONS UNDER 200,000.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 10 SAFEST CITIES WITH POPULATIONS OVER 200,000.

[SlideDeck2 id=28300 ress=1 proportional=false]

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Research and analysis by Law Street’s Crime in America Team: Kevin Rizzo, Chelsey Goff, and Anneliese Mahoney.

Click here for additional information on Law Street’s crime-ranking methodology.

Sources:

FBI: Violent crime, population, murder, and officer statistics, measured January – December 2013.

U.S. Census Bureau: Median household income, measured 2007-2011.

U.S. Census Bureau: Poverty, measured 2008-2012.

Kevin Rizzo

Kevin Rizzo is the Crime in America Editor at Law Street Media. An Ohio Native, the George Washington University graduate is a founding member of the company. Contact Kevin at krizzo@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Crime in America 2015: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities Over 200,000 appeared first on Law Street.

For the first time, crime rates of all American cities with a population greater than 25,000 are ranked by state. See the slideshow below for the full ranking of America’s Most Dangerous States, or click the links below to go directly to the data for a specific state.

Jump to the slideshow

Law Street’s state-by-state slideshow of America’s Safest and Most Dangerous States details the violent crime statistics for every city in the United States with a population greater than 25,000 (1,583 cities in all). The data is from the FBI’s most recent Uniform Crime Report: Crime in the United States 2012. Each state’s cities are listed from highest to lowest rate of violent crime per 100,000 people, which is comprised of murder, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery.

Although the information is very important by itself, it is important to consider the context. There are several different factors that contribute to a city’s total number of violent crimes, including but not limited to economic conditions, population density, climate, and education levels, as well as a number of issues with the uniform crime report itself. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Report remains the most comprehensive and accurate measure of violent crime in the United States. For more information, see Law Street’s Crime in America 2014 coverage.

Average violent crime rates for different sized cities, based on the FBI’s population grouping statistics from the Uniform Crime Report and its corresponding population estimates include: city of 25,000 – 49,999 people = 300; city of 50,000 – 99,999 people = 358.71; city of 100,000 – 249,999 people = 492.22; city of 250,000 or more people = 758.42. The state rankings are based on violent crime data from all cities in the state and are not limited to those with a population of at least 25,000.

AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Click here to read full Crime in America 2014 coverage.

Tennessee: #1 Most Dangerous State | 643.6 Violent Crimes/100,000 People

Courtesy of Brent Moore via Flickr.

Kevin Rizzo

Kevin Rizzo is the Crime in America Editor at Law Street Media. An Ohio Native, the George Washington University graduate is a founding member of the company. Contact Kevin at krizzo@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Slideshow: America’s Safest and Most Dangerous States 2014 appeared first on Law Street.