25 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in America, Cincinnati Tops List

by Tina Kells | June 23, 2009 at 09:58 am

83844 views | 39 Recommendations | 144 comments

Where is the most dangerous neighborhood in America? According to data compiled by Dr. Andrew Schiller and NeighborhoodScout.com the most dangerous neighborhood in the United States is in... Cincinnati, Ohio? Specifically, the "Brewery District" of the Cincinnati neighborhood known as "Over the Rhine."

The List of the 25 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in America contains many such surprises. Remember, this is not just a list of the most dangerous CITIES in the country, this top 25 list breaks it down to a much more specific geographical area... neighborhoods within cities.

The cities with the top 25 dangerous neighborhoods in the United States are:

Cincinnati, Ohio (Central Pky./Liberty St.)
Chicago, Ill. (State St./Garfield Blvd.)
Miami, Fla. (7th Ave./North River Dr.)
Jacksonville, Fla. (Beaver St./Broad St.)
Baltimore, Md.(North Ave./Belair Rd.)
Kansas City, Mo. (Bales Ave./30th St.)
Memphis, Tenn. (Warford St./Mount Olive Rd.)
Kansas City, Mo. (Forest Ave./41st St.)
Dallas, Texas (Route 352/Scyene Rd.)
Richmond, Va. (Church Hill)
Memphis, Tenn. (Bellevue Blvd./Lamar Ave.)
Dallas, Texas (2nd Ave./Hatcher St.)
Springfield, Ill. (Cook St./11th St.)
St. Louis, Mo. (14th St./Dr. Martin Luther King Dr.)
Little Rock, Ark. (Roosevelt Rd./Bond St.)
Philadelphia, Pa. (Broad St./Dauphin St.)
Tampa, Fla. (Amelia Ave./Tampa St.)
New York, N.Y. (St. Nicholas Ave./125th St.)
Chicago, Ill. (66th St./Yale Ave.)
Baltimore, Md. (Orleans St./Front St.)
Cleveland, Ohio (Cedar Ave./55th St.)
Orlando, Fla. (East-West Expy/Orange Blossom Trl.)
Detroit, Mich. (Mount Elliott St./Palmer Ave.)
Chicago, Ill. (Wallace St./58th St.)
Chicago, Ill. (Winchester, Ave./60th St.)

The methodology and data used to determine the list of the 25 most dangerous neighborhoods in America is simple and utilizes information from many reliable third party sources. Using FBI data from 17,000 different agencies Dr. Schiller and his team looked at key indicators as identified within the FBI Uniform Crime Reports. Incidents and rates per 1,000 people in a neighborhood population for specific violent crimes were then calculated.

The violent crimes considered by Dr. Schiller as key indicators of a "dangerous neighborhood" are:

murder
non-negligent manslaughter
forcible rape
armed robbery
aggravated assault

Other crimes like date rape, domestic assault and child abuse (not classified as aggravated), and petty theft were excluded from the data. Property crimes, however, were incorporated in to the rating given to the various neighborhoods identified in the study.

Researchers looking to identify the most dangerous neighborhood in America compiled ratings for each of these factors. An overall rating was assigned to neighborhoods based on a combination of violent crime data and property crime figures. A prediction was then made of the likelihood, per 1000 people in the neighborhood, that a resident would fall victim to one of the identified crimes.

The data was collected over a period of three years and deviations were added. Confounding variables such as socio-economic conditions, proximity to social service centers, policing resources per area, and age/condition of the neighborhood were not factored into the results.

NeighborhoodScout.com collects data from all 17,000 local law enforcement agencies in America, and uses a relational database to aggregate the statistics from each agency to the municipality that they protect. This provides an accurate representation of the total crimes and actual crime rates within any given city or town. NeighborhoodScout then uses proprietary computer models it develops to statistically estimate incidences of both violent and property crimes for every sub-zip code neighborhood in the U.S based on the aggregate crime data for the municipality containing that neighborhood averaged across the most recent three years of non-preliminary (final) data available from the FBI (2005, 2006, and 2007). This moving three-year window helps stabilize data where a single year could be uncharacteristically high or low, providing a more accurate risk assessment. It is important to note that very recent changes in a neighborhood may not be reflected in our findings, as we use non-preliminary data in our models that take a year to be released.

As soon as the report was released residents of "Over the Rhine" in Cincinnati were quick to respond that their neighborhood was safe. Bloggers were up in arms that their little corner of the United States had been singled out as the most dangerous neighborhood in America and wanted to publicly set the record straight.

One blogger and photojournalist had a compelling rebuttal to the assertion that "Over the Rhine" was the most dangerous neighborhood in America. The entire blog post, with photos, can be seen at the QueenCity Blog, but here is an excerpt:

From February - March 2008 I was on an assignment from Ohio University in which I participated in three "ride alongs" with officers of the Cincinnati Police Department's District 1. I love Cincinnati, but for the sake of photography I was kind of hoping to catch some compelling photographs of crime in Cincinnati since District 1 patrols some of the most "notorious" areas of the city such as Over-The-Rhine, the West End in addition to the riverfront and Mt. Adams.

Need more proof that Cincinnati isn't as dangerous as they say it is? Imagine walking down into one of these "notorious neighborhoods" at midnight. Why would anyone do such a thing? What if local radio 700 WLW radio personality Bill Cunningham dared you to go down to the corner of "15th and Vine St." at midnight on a Saturday night? Would you be able to stomach venturing into one of "the worst neighborhood in the United States?" I did...

...and it was pretty boring. The only person who said anything to me were some drunken college kids heading towards the bars on Main St. No one tried to rob, rape, stab or kill me.

See the predicted crime rates and ratings for your neighborhood, is it a safe place or a dangerous haven for crime?

See the top 100 most dangerous cities in the United States

See the top 100 safest cities in the United States

Update: June 27, 2009

A person identifying themselves as a staff member at the Baltimore Mayor's Office sent a private message refuting the inclusion of any Baltimore City neighborhood in this list. In the interest of fairness, the fact that somebody connected to the Baltimore Mayor's Office objects to claims that its neighborhoods should be placed as currently ranked on the top 25 list should be noted.

Here is how that message read:

"I wanted to let you know that the rankings of the Baltimore neighborhoods in your article is completely inaccurate. I will be reporting to the Mayor and the Baltimore City Law Department as such. Please feel free to contact me if you care to discuss. I have also contacted the company that produced the data."

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popoexplorer (not verified)

at 15:44 on July 17th, 2009

It's not a very bad-looking place, but you wouldnt believe the shit that goes down there. It's got a rightful place on the list, for sure. Why dont you people stop boasting about how bout your city has it. No one cares, nor ever will. All that matters is that these cities see improvement.

caj1

at 11:59 on July 14th, 2009

I knew Philadelphia, PA had to be on the list somewhere!

NATIBOY (not verified)

at 00:24 on July 18th, 2009

LOOK NOW PPL, DONT GET IT TWISTED, WE DO GET DWON IN CINCINNATI BUT NOBODY IS JUST GOINA WALK UP A FUCK WITH YOU IF YOUR WALKING DOWN THE STREET, WE DO HAVE UNDERCOVER THAT PULL THAT SHIT AND THE NEIGHBOR HOOD N!GG@'S DOINE CAUGHT UP WITH THAT SO WE AINT ON THAT TYPE SHIT, NOW IF YOU PULL OUT SOME MONEY AND SAY YOU LOOKING FOR SOMETHING THE YEA, YOU MIGHT GET SMACKED IN THE HEAD WITH A TOME AND YA MONEY TAKEN. THIS CITY IS VERY VERY VIOLENT (on that 1way) BUT WE ARE SMART 2 AND WONT RISK LOSING OUT ON THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS BY BEATING UP AND ROBBING A LIL NOBODY, THINK SMART BOYS. iVE BEEN TO NEW ORLEANS, DALLAS, HOUSTON, MIA, NC, MEM TENN, OAKLAND, CHI, DET, AND ALOT OF OTHER BIG CITYS WERE IT GOES DOWN AT AND ITS JUST DA SAME OUT THERE AS IT IS OUT HERE AND SOMTIMES ALIL MORE VIOLENT OUT HERE. YOU GOTTA KNOW YOUR SURROUNDING OUT HERE

jiibs (not verified)

at 11:34 on July 21st, 2009

na hommie dats some bull shit we all know minneapolis should b number one wtf move da fuck around

Opposite of a Straight Killa (not verified)

at 23:08 on July 21st, 2009

Here's to hoping these guys get so good at their beloved game of murdering people that it gets to the point where they murder at a higher rate than they reproduce. Sound bad? Yeah, but not as bad as them wanting to kill any of us if we happened to be walking around their turf. No respect for those who see no beauty in life, who don't know what respect is, and argue over who has the worst block. It's not a compliment, and if you view it as one, I truly wish you an early death because you bring nothing to the table of life. Get along with it.

coastal vato (not verified)

at 19:30 on July 23rd, 2009

shut the fuk up yo black ass aint got shit on tha 916 fuk yo 513 str8 up northern cali chavala Cini lol u gotta be fukin jokin vato west coast an fuck LA to fukin scrapas so cal aint sht

stoCCtown Cali (not verified)

at 12:50 on July 25th, 2009

What a fuccin Chap... I'm from NoCal too Cuz, and I was bangin Crip for ten years, after I got out of the joint, I turned to my family...my homies are still my homies, and my hood is still my hood, but I'm trying to make a better life for me and mine...I've seen and done A LOT...but that doens't mean shit in the joint, your ass will get tossed up no matter who you were on the outs...it's time for us to grow and get over this nonsense...I'm only 24 years old, I started bangin Asian Street Walkers Gangsta Crip when I was 11, I've been shot, had homies die, been locked up hella times...it's nothing to be proud of, you lose everything, your fams turns away from you and even your boys can turn on you...after I got out of prison, I started getting involved in gang prevention...I talk to kids in the hall and in neighborhoods...Yea, I still go see my boys on the blocc, but that's because even though thy still bang, they were my family when I had none...I don't do what they do anymore, actually I try to get them away from it too, but some people will never change.....

Get real Cuzzo, grow up...

hahahaha (not verified)

at 18:04 on July 24th, 2009

i love how many of the people who think they have their shit together are up in arms against SouthSide ChiTown not because of what he says, but because they think he's black, and therefore his diet must consist of watermelon and fried chicken.

what these people don't realize is that they are just as bad as SouthSide. instead of gangbanging, they cook meth and get hammered around their kids, not to mention the fact that they perpetuate hate and racial stereotypes. way to go, g.i. joe.

hottracks513

at 10:50 on July 25th, 2009

I travel all over the u.s. and have friends in almost every major city and the thing that makes cincinnati different than any other city is because the hoodlums here don't have to worry about getting caught. Police pay no atettion to what is really going on. I kid you not i have seen fights going on in the parking lot while the police are waiting in line at udf getting ice cream. They know if they make one wrong move it can ignite a riot or excessive force charges that would jepordize thier careers so they really dont give a damn. In the nati its not suprising to be sitting at a red light and seeing somebody get shot in broad daylight right in front of you. Its dumb! They have no concious nor worries of doing any real jail time because the taxpayers wont pass a tax to build new jails so all the criminals are realeased in 2 to 3 days and its basically total choas when the welfare checks run out. And im a blackman just if you are wondering.

NativeBoyZ (not verified)

at 12:28 on July 25th, 2009

I think the majority of the posters on this page are idiots...Nobody here knows shit. Fuckin fake ass 'Gs' talkin a shit load of mess, and some fuckin 'Neo-Nazi' assholes who can't take their head out of their white caps long enough to see the world around you. Why don't all of you come to my land. Come to the Mescalero Nation here in NM...You wanna see violence, the old folks here can show you violence...you wanna see racism, let the White Eyes from up the state show you that. We have gangs here, we have drugs, murder, rape, everything the worst neighborhoods have, but we have double. The majority of the newborn babies don't even make it past their third day...This is the life we have been given...I'm no crip or blood or vice lord or any of that bull shit...The entire US once belonged to my people, and because of our trust of our 'visitors', we have been fucked over and left for dead, and you all gripe over your what set your from, or whine about not being able to get your fuckin Starbucks......fuckin sissies.

Jaged

at 20:11 on July 28th, 2009

I just got me a copy of Wolfen the movie, you should check that shit out if your native american, it's pretty dope.

Khmer Pride (not verified)

at 12:56 on July 25th, 2009

Go visit my home land of Cambodia, then maybe yall will shut the fuck up about your petty ass problems. I live in Oakland down on the 54. These niggaz out here be shootin like everyday, but this gang shit aint got nothin on what my people went through and still go through. We went through a genocide, so stop cryin. We quit cryin as soon as they brought us to the US, no more reason to cry, but a reason to change.

sarafdz (not verified)

at 13:01 on July 27th, 2009

As a result of these findings, I have decided to find out whether Walmart or Costco was safer, in general. My hyphothesis was that Walmart was less safe to shop at. However, some colleagues begged to differ. To prove my hypothesis, I found out the distance from the 25 most dangerous neighborhoods to the nearest Walmart and Costco. The results concluded that Costco is generally safer to shop at than Walmart. The evidence is as follows:

25 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods	Distance to:
25 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods	Costco	Walmart
1. Cincinnati, Ohio (Central Pky./Liberty St.)	12.5	4.3
2. Chicago, Ill. (State St./Garfield Blvd.)	4.4	11.8
3. Miami, Fla. (7th Ave./North River Dr.)	7.7	1.8
4. Jacksonville, Fla. (Beaver St./Broad St.)	2.1	4.3
5. Baltimore, Md.(North Ave./Belair Rd.)	1.7	3.9
6. Kansas City, Mo. (Bales Ave./30th St.)	2.1	5.9
7. Memphis, Tenn. (Warford St./Mount Olive Rd.)	6.1	5.5
8. Kansas City, Mo. (Forest Ave./41st St.)	1.2	3.9
9. Dallas, Texas (Route 352/Scyene Rd.)	18.3	3.3
10. Richmond, Va. (Church Hill)	10.9	6.0
11. Memphis, Tenn. (Bellevue Blvd./Lamar Ave.)	13.9	8.0
12. Dallas, Texas (2nd Ave./Hatcher St.)	13.4	3.8
13. Springfield, Ill. (Cook St./11th St.)	3.9	3.4
14. St. Louis, Mo. (14th St./Dr. Martin Luther King Dr.)	3.4	3.4
15. Little Rock, Ark. (Roosevelt Rd./Bond St.)	3.2	4.2
16. Philadelphia, Pa. (Broad St./Dauphin St.)	13.0	1.1
17. Tampa, Fla. (Amelia Ave./Tampa St.)	8.5	1.4
18. New York, N.Y. (St. Nicholas Ave./125th St.)	3.1	4.9
19. Chicago, Ill. (66th St./Yale Ave.)	5.8	4.6
20. Baltimore, Md. (Orleans St./Front St.)	6.4	2.7
21. Cleveland, Ohio (Cedar Ave./55th St.)	10.4	3.3
22. Orlando, Fla. (East-West Expy/Orange Blossom Trl.)	6.7	0.9
23. Detroit, Mich. (Mount Elliott St./Palmer Ave.)	9.7	6.3
24. Chicago, Ill. (Wallace St./58th St.)	5.3	3.0
25. Chicago, Ill. (Winchester, Ave./60th St.)	3.9	3.8
Average Distance (in Miles)	7.10	4.22

Anita Jackson (not verified)

at 13:42 on July 30th, 2009

Beaver st in jacksonville is on the list haha. More like Moncrief Rd. My g-ma lives off of beaver and it isnt that bad and so does my aunt. It reminds me more of a wood chopping train tracking small town road

brian545 (not verified)

at 06:24 on July 31st, 2009

Thats why dey call us da nasti nati nigga! Cincinnati Come on down to our hood see how long youll last.

sylfromchicago (not verified)

at 10:38 on August 3rd, 2009

i live in chicago, and state street is horrible, ive gotten my car stolen before and my radio has been stolen out of my car twice. now to mention all the hobos begging for money, and theyre creepy as hell.

Anonymously Given (not verified)

at 09:47 on August 4th, 2009

" ...and it was pretty boring. The only person who said anything to me were some drunken college kids heading towards the bars on Main St. No one tried to rob, rape, stab or kill me."

More likely than not, that statement accurately describes the scene (most days) in Iraqi city life.

The odd days are a bitch tho ....

Anna in Cincinnati (not verified)

at 12:26 on August 28th, 2009

I am a white, 21 year-old UC student and I walk or bike - alone - through Over the Rhine almost daily. In fact, it's one of my favorite areas of the city. Most of the locals (pre-gentrification residents) are always nice to me. I've never encountered a problem I couldn't resolve with "no thanks." I am always aware of my surroundings but I have never felt the need to carry a weapon. Yeah, there are hookers and drug pushers and homeless people lining the streets, but they are doing their thing and I am doing mine. There are also families, parents pushing strollers, tourist exploring their heritage, bike hipsters returning to their gentrified newly remodeled luxury apartments, etc. Danger can exists anywhere. Don't be afraid of Over the Rhine!

cincylover (not verified)

at 07:36 on September 6th, 2009

Its ignorant for all of the people on here to talk about how hood they are and the dumb racist who automatically assume black people drink MD 20/20 or eat watermelon and chicken. Grow up and stop killing people over mindless shit. I am not white nor am I black I am mixed so as people say I see both worlds for what they are and I have been around the hood areas before in my life and the white suburb areas also. If you just believe in your self you can go far in life. South side whatever I know how hard it can be in the hood but if you let the problems suck you in then your stuck for life. Get a job and take care of your self don't let childish drama like hood wars and stuff like that hold you back from your full potential. I also want to add to this is that being the most dangerous city is not an accomplishment it really does not look good because your friends are killing other people over things that our killing our people. For you white people who think it is alright to call black people nigger and all that other shit realize its 2009 we have over come your ignorance and til you grow up mentally you will always be a child. Black people have done many good things matter of fact your boss or co-worker is probably black but you don't let them know how ignorant you are because being ignorant over the computer is so much easier to do. We have a president who is of a different race. Get a life and people stop judging people over things that you do not know about. Life is not easy but you can make it a better place if everyone just got together and made a difference.

MPH (not verified)

at 16:33 on September 7th, 2009

Welcome to Cincinnati, If you aint from round here Dont even come around!!

Fuck You (not verified)

at 05:38 on September 9th, 2009

Yoo a bitch u fuckin dickdippin peice of shit

Better Than You (not verified)

at 05:33 on September 9th, 2009

A Yo what the biness is I'm from North Carolina and its the hood out this bitch, on the weekend we go to Mr. James house and eat off the grill he cooks shit everyday but just the weekend we can just go and grab some shit. you can go down to the little store get yo little shit you can pass out dollaz to the lil niggaz cause it keeps them from doin otha shit. Chi-town talkin retarded and shit postin up at the liquor store thats what the crackheads do out here. Fuck you Chi-Town you a bitch nobody in yo hood fuck wit you u fuckin fag, puss, shit, bitch slut whore lady mam sir. What kinda shit you be on you fuckin fag. I don't even believe you be at the store you didn't even here yourself you make your job to stand on the corner for 3 days you fuckin boylovin faggot eat a dick wit aids on the tip. I hope by the time i post this your not alive you fuckin bitch your services are no longer needed on this earth you stand in front of the liquor store and you sit back in wonder and watch the gangbangers do they thing I can hate on them cause they gettin money but oh you sissy lil fag you.

mittyboi (not verified)

at 13:50 on September 10th, 2009

cincinnati is ghetto from top to bottom the surburbs aint even the surburbs its the fuckin hood niggas gettin killed left and right around here all the time real talk cincinnati dont play around

Emanuel A (not verified)

at 08:58 on September 20th, 2009

The police dept. in Detroit are notorious for under reporting crimes in order to keep the stats down.For any neighborhood in Detroit to not be in the top 20? I'd say it's working, keep shredding those documents boys!