More recently lauded as one of “America’s Coolest Cities” (Forbes) or “America’s Most Hipster Cities” (Thrillist), Oakland, California, still bears the title of one of the most dangerous cities in United States, coming in at #2 on our list. Oakland has the highest robbery rate on our list at 1,218.66 per 100k; said otherwise, 12 out of 1,000 people can expect to be robbed every year.
One of the major causes attributed to Oakland’s massive crime increase in the 1960’s (and continued danger levels) is a FBI and police strategy which used military tactics and heavily relied on imprisonment.
Source: FBI 2013 UCR & Legal Innovation and the Control of Gang Violence, Image: Wikipedia