The 10 Least Safe Cities in America: Some Are Making a Comeback as Investor Markets

It’s safe to say no one wants to feel unsafe where they live. But with nearly 14,000 Americans having died from gun violence this year and the country having experienced $20 billion in climate disasters, 400 mass shootings, and nearly 25,000 motor vehicle deaths, it stands to reason that some cities are more unsafe than others.

But what makes them unsafe?

Personal finance site WalletHub ranked the 182 safest cities, using metrics that go beyond the usual factors of crime and auto fatalities.

The study cited 41 key dimensions in three categories: home and community safety, natural disaster risk, and financial safety. Key metrics included not only violent crime statistics but also attributes such as the share of the population that’s uninsured, the foreclosure rate, the share of residents who have a retirement plan, and even the number of law-enforcement employees (per 100,000 residents).

“Police shortages can have a profound negative effect on safety. Shortages lead to overworking officers who are already overworked,” says Brian N. Williams, founder and director of the Public Engagement in Governance Looking, Listening, & Learning Laboratory at the University of Virginia. “This can impact their performance, productivity, and morale, distress recruitment and retention efforts, while also adding more fuel to the lack of public trust and confidence fire.”

Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, and then each city’s weighted average was used to calculate an overall score, with 100 being the highest level of safety.

So which cities unfortunately top the list? They may not be the ones you’re expecting.

“Fort Lauderdale, FL, Detroit, MI, and Memphis, TN, rank low across several safety and financial metrics, making them the least safe urban areas in 2024,” says WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

Keep in mind, the study looks at factors far behind crime, but both violent and petty crime are heavily weighted. The study also took natural disasters into account, and the Southern cities on the list are more prone to extreme weather like hurricanes and flooding.

But that doesn’t mean that the cities are all doomed. Many places, like Detroit, are making a huge comeback from disaster and bankruptcy. On top of that, home listings are much cheaper, which can mean these are cities where it’s possible to hunt out a bargain.

Below, find the 10 least safe cities in America.

1. Memphis, TN

Safety score (out of 100): 34.81

Median home list price: $299,900

Perhaps it isn’t surprising that Memphis is where Elvis’s granddaughter, Riley Keough, recently fought off a fraudulent attempt to take over Graceland.

Memphis also tops the charts for violent crime, with a 172 ranking in murders and 175 in assaults per capita out of the 182 cities on the list, notes Lupo.

“There is a strong law enforcement presence in Memphis (14th), but its traffic and pedestrian fatalities are very high, at 173rd and 179th,” he says. “The city also faces financial challenges, with a high bankruptcy rate (179th) and low median credit score (173rd).”

Memphis also ranks 101 in natural disasters, meaning of the 182 cities, it ranks 101 in the natural disaster safety category. While Memphis isn’t as prone to hurricanes as states south of it, it tends to get a lot of rainfall and flash flooding as the weakened storms move inland.

2. Detroit, MI

Safety score (out of 100): 35.49

Median home list price: $95,000

“Detroit struggles with rampant violent crime, including one of the highest assault rates per capita (175th) and murder rate (172nd),” says Lupo. “Despite ranking first in law enforcement employees per capita, the city faces severe financial issues, with a high unemployment rate (180th) and one of the lowest median credit scores (174th). Perceptions of safety are also very low, ranking at 170th.”

But it has also recently been touted as an “investor’s paradise” thanks to its low prices.

3. Fort Lauderdale, FL

Safety score (out of 100): 36.06

Median home list price: $625,000

“Fort Lauderdale faces significant challenges with violent crime, as it ranks 154th in murders and 93rd in rapes per capita,” notes Lupo. “Additionally, its pedestrian fatality rate is notably high, at 179th, and its theft rate ranks poorly at 172nd. While its law enforcement presence is strong, ranking 17th, traffic fatalities (173rd) and EMT coverage (171st) remain major concerns in the city.”

It is also, like much of Florida, prone to extreme weather, most recently being hit by Hurricane Milton, a Category 3 storm.

4. Baton Rouge, LA

Safety score (out of 100): 36.23

Median home list price: $285,000

Baton Rouge ranks dead last on the list (182nd) for home and community safety, which weights everything from presence of terrorist attacks to mass shootings to drug deaths to road quality.

5. New Orleans, LA

Safety score (out of 100): 37.53

Median home list price: $349,000

Right behind Baton Rouge is New Orleans (181st), raking in equally low marks on home and community safety, with a high rate of violent and petty crime, a lack of law enforcement and paramedics, and high traffic fatalities.

But with its Old World charm and classic architecture and the bustling, music-filled French Quarter, the real estate discounts make NOLA worth another look.

6. Baltimore, MD

Safety score (out of 100): 38.39

Median home list price: $225,000

Charm City gained the snarky nickname Harm City for its crime rate, and that reputation holds up in WalletHub’s analysis. Baltimore ranks high on crime, both violent and petty, and low on home and community safety.

But you can snag a multifamily brick home here for what a studio in Manhattan would cost you.

7. Cleveland, OH

Safety score (out of 100): 39.33

Median home list price: $145,900

Cleveland ranks low in all three categories: home and community safety, natural disaster risk, and financial safety. While one doesn’t tend to think of Cleveland as prone to extreme weather, it has had more than its share of floods, blizzards, tornadoes, and fires over the years.

But there is no doubt that its home prices are attractive.

8. Oakland, CA

Safety score (out of 100): 39.42

Median home list price: $699,000

Oakland ranks low (176) in home and community safety, with high crime, sex offenders, homelessness, and vehicle fatality rates.

Rampant crime was also to blame for the city’s In-N-Out closure earlier this year, with it becoming the first location in the restaurant chain to permanently shut its doors. The fast-food company also blamed slow police response times and “absolutely dangerous” conditions.

“Out of 365 days, I think almost 300 days there was some type of event, some type of thing in Oakland,” In-N-Out owner Lynsi Snyder told PragerU. “There was actually a gunshot that went through the store.”

While the Oakland Police Department says that crime rates are down by 34%, according to the LA Times, the city has faced a wave of restaurant and business closures.

And with a median home list price of near $700,000, Oakland is not as cheap as the other cities on this list.

9. Philadelphia, PA

Safety score (out of 100): 39.43

Median home list price: $275,000

The City of Brotherly Love ranks low (175) in home and community safety, with low marks for crime, homeless, vehicle fatalities, lack of law enforcement and paramedics, and drug deaths.

The city’s median home list price is almost half of the national median.

10. San Bernardino, CA

Safety score (out of 100): 39.55

Median home list price: $499,950

San Bernardino ranks low in all three categories: home and community safety, natural disaster risk, and financial safety. It is prone to wildfires and earthquakes, and it has a low financial health rank (168) with residents who are likely to be unemployed or underemployed, and a high number of uninsured drivers and fraud complaints.

But it is a lot cheaper than most cities in California.