The U.S. is considered a safe country to visit, boasting a high quality of life and good infrastructure, but it’s easy to forget crime rates in certain states can be just as alarming as those of underdeveloped nations in the Global South — if not higher. In fact, tourists should make sure they take extra precautions when visiting this particular city in Missouri, named America’s most dangerous.
St. Louis Is The Most Dangerous City In The United States
According to data shared by personal financial technology company MoneyGeek, St. Louis is the least safe destination in the United States, with a per-capita crime cost (PCCC) of $8,457, the highest out of any major American city surveyed. The second largest urban center in Missouri sits at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, and it’s famous for its brewery and music scene.
Sadly, it also leads the list of the ’15 Most Dangerous Cities’ in the U.S., as assessed by MoneyGeek, with Doug Milnes, the chief data analyst painting a grim picture of security levels within municipal boundaries, which are shockingly low. As Milnes states, the PCCC average is not merely a number pointing to how often crime occurs in a given population:
In St Louis’ case, ‘it also demonstrates the severity of the crimes happening‘. After all, procedural costs of investigations into petty crimes and larceny are lower than ‘high-level assaults’, such as murders and other acts of violence. With this in mind, analysts can make ‘broad comparisons’ about which areas are the most dangerous to visit and live in America.
It is worth mentioning St. Louis has always had a higher crime rate per capita compared to the nationwide average, not only for large cities but also for small communities.
1 In 17 Americans Will Be A Victim Of Theft In St. Louis
Local leaders went as far as deeming the violence surge of recent years a ‘public health crisis‘ with burglary, theft, and car theft ranked as the most common crime reports. Judging by estimates, 1 in 17 Americans will become a victim of property crime in St. Louis, while 14 violent assaults per 100,000 people are expected (five times higher than the U.S. average).
In response to the worsening trend, police authorities have launched an interactive dashboard pinpointing no-go zones where incidents have taken place. It is updated regularly and has been known to help both residents – and tourists alike – make more conscious decisions, especially when it comes to avoiding crime-ridden districts.
Milnes was quoted saying, ‘there are no 100% certain ways of avoiding danger‘ when visiting, but some parts of town are notoriously less touristy than others. He specifically mentions the reinforced police presence in the northern suburbs, ‘that are much more problematic’ than Downtown St. Louis, where a majority of museums and cultural attractions are centered.
The list can be an extremely useful tool for Americans navigating their own country: the U.S. Department of State may keep a close tab on Cancun, Punta Cana, and other sunny vacation spots due to gang activity, promptly issuing travel warnings when necessary, even when they’re just being overcautious, but finding official, up-to-date travel advice on domestic destinations is much harder.
How To Remain Safe Visiting St. Louis
Despite St. Louis’ urban issues, crimes are mostly restricted to poverty-stricken neighborhoods, with Peabody-Darst-Webbe, Old North Saint Louis, and Wells-Goodfellow, to name a few. The St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission (SLCVC) also advises tourists to follow certain safety measures to reduce their risks of becoming a victim of a crime while touring the Midwest city:
- Keeping their personal belongings on their person
- Not wearing or displaying valuable items in public
- Parking in a designated parking structure to avoid car theft
Further down on MoneyGeek‘s list of most dangerous cities in the States, Americans should maintain a higher level of situational awareness visiting Mobile and Birmingham, Alabama (numbers 2 and 3), Baltimore, Maryland (4), Memphis, Tennessee (5), Detroit, Michigan (6), Cleveland, Ohio (7), New Orleans, Louisiana (8), Shreveport, Louisiana (9) and Baton Rouge, Louisiana (10).
Overall, the safest cities in America are both Naperville, Illinois and Sunnyvale, California, with a PCCC of only $156, followed by West Covina, California ($181), Carmel, Indiana ($205) and Glendale, Arizona ($210) rounding out the top five. The lowest-peaking ‘safe’ city, Pearland, Texas, enjoys a per-capita crime cost of $302.
The analysis included 263 cities in total.
