2:18 PM PDT, June 5, 2018
The deaths of Christina Bennett, Rhonda Jones and Megan Oxendine, whose bodies were discovered more than a year ago in Lumberton, N.C., brought into focus the dangerous environment the area’s residents often deal with.
Though overall violent crime in the U.S. remains near historic lows, some cities across America have seen a slight increase in violence, data shows.
In 2016, the U.S. saw a 3.4 percent uptick in violent crime — which includes murder, non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault — compared with the previous year, according to the FBI.
These are the cities in the U.S. that have the highest rates of violent crime in 2016, the most recent year data is available from the FBI.
25. Nashville, Tennessee
The rate of violent crime in Nashville-Davidson County is 1,102 per 100,000 residents, according to data compiled by the FBI. Eighty-one people were murdered in the area in 2016.
25. Nashville, Tennessee
Though high crime rates typically correspond with low income levels and high rates of unemployment, Nashville in 2016 saw one the lowest rates of unemployment in the country, at 3.6 percent.
24. Chicago, Illinois
Chicago saw 765 people murdered in 2016, more than the number of homicide victims in New York City and Los Angeles combined.
23. Minneapolis, Minnesota
The violent crime rate in Minneapolis is 1,109 per 100,000 residents, with 35 people murdered there in 2016.
23. Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis’s reported rapes and robberies far exceed the national average. There were 109 reported rapes and 442 reported robberies for every 100,000 residents, compared to the national average of 40 reported rapes and 103 reported robberies per 100,000 residents.
22. Buffalo, New York
The violent crime rate in Buffalo is 1,110 per 100,000 in 2016. Forty-four people were murdered there that year.
22. Buffalo, New York
Whereas the national robbery average is about 100 for every 100,000 residents, 408 residents for every 100,000 reported being robbed in Buffalo in 2016.
20 (tie). Albuquerque, New Mexico
The rate of violent crime in Albuquerque is 1,112 per 100,000 residents. In one of the steepest increases in any city, the violent crime rate rose 15.5 percent in Albuquerque from 2015 to 2016.
20 (tie). Beaumont, Texas
Like Albuquerque, the violent crime rate in Beaumont, Texas, was 1,112 per 100,000 in 2016. There, 61 people were murdered that year.
20 (tie). Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont saw a 21 percent increase in violent crime between 2015 and 2016, the highest increase of any U.S. city in that time frame. Violent crimes nationwide rose by about 4.1 percent on average.
19. Springfield, Illinois
The rate of violent crime in Springfield is 1,116 per 100,000. Six murders occurred in Illinois’ capital city in 2016.
Springfield, Illinois
There were 1,301 violent crimes reported in Springfield in 2016. Of those reported crimes, 947 were aggravated assaults.
Washington, D.C.
The violent crime rate in Washington, D.C., is 1,132 per 100,000 residents.
18. Washington, D.C.
In 2016, 138 people were murdered in the nation's capital. Though violent crime fell 4.6 percent between 2015 and 2016, it remains one of the statistically most dangerous cities in the country.
17. Anchorage, Alaska
Twenty-eight people were murdered in 2016 in Anchorage, where the violent crime rate was 1,144 per 100,000 residents.
17. Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage also saw a spike in property crimes in that time span, with burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft and arson rising 24.1 percent between 2015 and 2016, according to FBI figures.
16. Lansing, Michigan
The violent crime rate in Lansing, Michigan, is 1,164 per 100,000 residents. Nine murders were reported in Lansing in 2016.
16. Lansing, Michigan
The city has the seventh-highest rater of rape cases in the country, with 123 rapes for every 100,000 residents reported in 2016.
14. San Bernardino, California
The violent crime rate in San Bernardino is 1,324 per 100,000 residents.
14. San Bernardino, California
Sixty-two people were victims of homicide there in 2016, but only 44 percent of those murders led to arrests or warrants, authorities said.
13. Springfield, Missouri
The violent crime rate in Springfield, Missouri, is 1,337 per 100,000 residents. Eight people were murdered in Springfield, the birthplace of Route 66, in 2016.
13. Springfield, Missouri
As a result of the city's crime rate, police expanded its force by 5.8 percent.
12. Indianapolis, Indiana
The FBI noted that in 2016, the violent crime rate in Indianapolis is 1,374 per 100,000 residents. That year, 148 people were murdered in the city.
12. Indianapolis, Indiana
The city’s violent crime rate is more than three times higher than the nation’s average.
10 (tie). Stockton, California
In 2016, 49 people were murdered in Stockton, where the violent crime rate is 1,421 per 100,000 residents.
10 (tie). Stockton, California
The city was hit hard during the housing crisis, with many homes left unoccupied. Stockton’s unemployment rate in 2016 was 8.7 percent, far higher than the national average of 4.9 percent. Cities with high unemployment rates tend to have higher rates of violent crime.
10 (tie). Oakland, California
Oakland, another California city, tied Stockton with the tenth-highest violent crime rate, at 1,421 per 100,000 residents in 2016.
10 (tie). Oakland, California
Forty-nine people were murdered in the city in 2016, but the city’s high rate of robberies contributed significantly to its ranking. In 2016, there were 724 robberies per 100,000 residents in Oakland.
9. Little Rock, Arkansas
In 2016, 42 people were victims of homicide in Little Rock, where the violent crime rate was 1,531 per 100,000 residents.
9. Little Rock, Arkansas
The city saw 1,000 aggravated assaults per 100,000 residents in 2016, more than four times the national average.
8. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
In 2016, 141 people were murdered in Milwaukee, which ranks in the top 15 cities for every violent crime category, with the exception of rape.
7. Cleveland, Ohio
In 2016, 135 people were murdered in Cleveland, where the violent crime rate was 1,631 per 100,000 residents.
7. Cleveland, Ohio
That year’s total number of homicides surpassed the previous year by 15, making 2016 the deadliest year in the past decade.
6. Kansas City, Missouri
According to the FBI, the violent crime rate in Kansas City is 1,655 per 100,000 people.
6. Kansas City, Missouri
In 2016, 129 people were murdered in the city, where violent crime had spiked 18 percent. The spike far exceeded the national average of 4.1 percent.
5. Rockford, Illinois
The violent crime rate in Rockford, Illinois, is 1,659 per 100,000 residents.
5. Rockford, Illinois
Rockford experienced its deadliest year in two decades when in 2016, 26 people were murdered.
4. Baltimore, Maryland
Violent crime rose 15.4 percent between 2015 and 2016 in Baltimore, where the violent crime rate was 1,780 per 100,000 people.
3. Memphis, Tennessee
The violent crime rate was 1,820 per 100,000 residents in Memphis in 2016. That year, 196 people were murdered in the city.
3. Memphis, Tennessee
The Memphis police force shrank by 5.7 percent between 2008 and 2016, but officials say they need at least 500 more officers.
2. St. Louis, Missouri
In 2016, 188 people were murdered in St. Louis, where the violent crime rate was 1,913 per 100,000 residents.
2. St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis has the highest homicide rate in the nation, as there were 60 murders per 100,000 residents in 2016. That is more than 10 times the national rate.
1. Detroit, Michigan
Detroit has the highest violent crime rate in the country, with 2,047 incidents per 100,000 residents.
1. Detroit, Michigan
In 2016, 303 people were murdered in Detroit, where violent crime rose 16.3 percent that year.
Violent crimes across the nation
Overall, there were 1.2 million violent crimes reported in the U.S. in 2016, up 4.1 percent from 2015. This marked the second consecutive year rates had risen, following nearly two decades of steady declines.