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Most Dangerous Counties in the United States (2024)

Ranking of 2,944 U.S. counties by crime rate per 100,000 residents, based on FBI NIBRS data. Broken down by assault, homicide, robbery, and sex offense rates. Explore the full data on our interactive crime map. Also see: Safest counties in the US.

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The most dangerous counties by assault rate are: Dale County, Alabama (3,487 per 100K); Bossier County, Louisiana (3,451 per 100K); Shelby County, Tennessee (3,425 per 100K); Pulaski County, Arkansas (3,285 per 100K); St. Louis County, Missouri (3,062 per 100K). Based on 2024 FBI NIBRS data. 982 counties included.

Not all agencies report every offense category consistently. Some counties may show unusually low rates for specific crime types due to differences in classification or reporting practices, rather than actual low incidence.
# County Population Assault Homicide Robbery Sex Offenses
1 Dale County, Alabama 50,067 3,487 10 46 124
2 Bossier County, Louisiana 131,102 3,451 21 62 175
3 Shelby County, Tennessee 910,530 3,425 36 246 93
4 Pulaski County, Arkansas 401,209 3,285 17 157 106
5 St. Louis County, Missouri 279,695 3,062 27 156 126
6 Lucas County, Ohio 426,291 3,000 7 70 76
7 Roanoke City County, Virginia 97,027 2,944 12 94 125
8 Peoria County, Illinois 179,630 2,912 7 84 180
9 Vermilion County, Illinois 71,106 2,868 1 34 153
10 Sangamon County, Illinois 194,345 2,831 7 85 133
11 Orangeburg County, South Carolina 83,129 2,820 17 79 24
12 Jefferson County, Arkansas 63,672 2,818 24 64 72
13 Davidson County, Tennessee 729,505 2,716 14 150 135
14 Nueces County, Texas 353,125 2,573 10 108 111
15 Baltimore City County, Maryland 566,632 2,561 35 575 95
16 Rapides County, Louisiana 125,899 2,517 20 64 96
17 Chaves County, New Mexico 63,697 2,435 14 35 121
18 Sebastian County, Arkansas 130,035 2,426 1 45 115
19 San Juan County, New Mexico 120,817 2,409 7 36 153
20 Darlington County, South Carolina 62,425 2,348 19 48 95
21 Forsyth County, North Carolina 398,143 2,343 10 77 64
22 Talladega County, Alabama 81,375 2,302 6 18 31
23 Ouachita County, Louisiana 157,874 2,292 4 80 49
24 Bernalillo County, New Mexico 671,747 2,274 17 144 102
25 Florence County, South Carolina 138,049 2,236 10 49 88
26 Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma 74,446 2,223 8 81 184
27 Madison County, Tennessee 100,409 2,209 21 81 54
28 Wayne County, Michigan 1,771,063 2,207 16 90 89
29 Pennington County, South Dakota 115,979 2,166 9 81 208
30 Jackson County, Illinois 53,199 2,150 9 56 148
31 Wyandotte County, Kansas 169,418 2,141 14 89 138
32 Baltimore County, Maryland 568,271 2,135 5 146 114
33 Jefferson County, Texas 253,948 2,123 11 93 95
34 Rogers County, Oklahoma 101,371 2,112 9 51 138
35 Winnebago County, Illinois 283,790 2,106 7 65 93
36 Midland County, Texas 183,587 2,096 7 35 111
37 Limestone County, Alabama 118,942 2,083 5 33 43
38 Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania 1,573,916 2,072 19 270 83
39 DeKalb County, Georgia 770,307 2,071 23 143 80
40 St. Louis City County, Missouri 277,294 2,071 58 253 84
41 Vanderburgh County, Indiana 180,387 2,057 11 38 84
42 Newport News City County, Virginia 183,563 2,053 14 85 64
43 Richmond County, Georgia 206,303 2,048 17 94 66
44 Houston County, Alabama 109,366 2,037 5 24 79
45 Craighead County, Arkansas 115,852 2,037 8 47 104
46 Cass County, Missouri 113,873 2,034 13 117 110
47 Lubbock County, Texas 327,394 2,021 7 98 104
48 Wagoner County, Oklahoma 91,257 2,015 8 47 130
49 Vigo County, Indiana 106,166 1,986 6 52 170
50 Saline County, Kansas 53,459 1,977 4 69 138

Frequently Asked Questions

Which are the most dangerous counties in the United States?
Based on 2024 FBI NIBRS data, the counties with the highest overall crime rates are: Fairfax County, Virginia (138,975 per 100K), Loving County, Texas (81,250 per 100K), Kenedy County, Texas (52,121 per 100K), Franklin County, Virginia (25,057 per 100K), St. Louis County, Missouri (16,081 per 100K).
Which are the safest counties in the United States?
The counties with the lowest overall crime rates are: Newton County, Mississippi (104 per 100K), Dearborn County, Indiana (113 per 100K), Delaware County, New York (118 per 100K), St. Johns County, Florida (122 per 100K), Keya Paha County, Nebraska (122 per 100K).
Which counties have the most homicides per capita?
The counties with the highest homicide rates per 100,000 residents are: Madison County, Louisiana (66 per 100K), St. Louis City County, Missouri (58 per 100K), Tyrrell County, North Carolina (57 per 100K), Fairfax County, Virginia (57 per 100K), Macon County, Alabama (55 per 100K).
Which counties have the most robberies per capita?
The counties with the highest robbery rates are: Fairfax County, Virginia (1,591 per 100K), Baltimore City County, Maryland (575 per 100K), Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania (270 per 100K), St. Louis City County, Missouri (253 per 100K), Shelby County, Tennessee (246 per 100K).
Which counties have the most sex offenses per capita?
The counties with the highest sex offense rates are: Fairfax County, Virginia (1,036 per 100K), Sullivan County, Pennsylvania (472 per 100K), Potter County, Pennsylvania (469 per 100K), Franklin County, Virginia (466 per 100K), Eureka County, Nevada (426 per 100K). Note: reporting practices for sex offenses vary significantly between agencies.
What data is this based on?
This ranking uses data from the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) for 2024. NIBRS collects detailed information about each criminal incident from participating law enforcement agencies across the United States.
How is the crime rate calculated?
Crime rates are calculated as the number of reported offenses per 100,000 residents. This allows fair comparison between counties of different sizes.
Why are some counties missing?
Not all law enforcement agencies participate in NIBRS. Counties where no agency reports to NIBRS are excluded, as are those with fewer than 100 total offenses per 100K.
What's the difference between NIBRS and UCR?
UCR collected aggregate monthly counts. NIBRS replaced it with detailed per-incident data including victims, offenders, weapons, and locations. As of 2024, the FBI only accepts NIBRS data.

Methodology

Crime rates are per 100,000 residents.

Reporting caveat: Individual crime categories may be underreported by some agencies due to differences in classification practices.

Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer