On the contrary, cities facing higher crime rates may grapple with issues such as poverty, unemployment, and inadequate educational resources. Socio-economic disparities, coupled with limited access to social services, can contribute to an environment conducive to criminal activities. Moreover, geographical considerations, including proximity to international borders or prevalent gang activity, can impact a city’s safety profile.

The Most Dangerous Cities in the United States

The overall violent crime rate across the United States stands at 5.6 incidents per 1,000 people. In contrast, the safest cities in the country report total crime rates of 8.6 per 1,000 people or lower.

Addressing the issue of violent crime in the U.S. invariably involves discussing gun violence. As of July 2023, the Gun Violence Archive records over 22,000 deaths attributed to gun violence in the country. This figure encompasses 371 mass shootings and the tragic loss of 150 children’s lives.

While the most recent FBI data indicates a decrease in overall violent crime between 2020 and 2021, the same period has seen an increase in murders.

Media headlines often portray a narrative of escalating crime, especially in major cities such as Chicago or San Francisco. However, recent per capita data from NeighborhoodScout reveals that some of the most perilous cities in the U.S. are, in fact, smaller or suburban areas.

The Visualcapitalist team created maps of the most dangerous and safest cities in the US.

Alabama has two of the top 10 cities with the highest violent crime rates in the U.S.: Bessemer (#1) and Birmingham (#7).

Memphis and Detroit, two cities with populations above 600,000, are also among the top 10. These cities have a 1-in-39 and 1-in-43 likelihood of individuals becoming victims of violent crime.

The Safest Cities in the United States

The “safest” cities, according to FBI data, are mostly in Northeastern states, making up 40% of the ranking.

Most of the safest cities, about 25%, are in Massachusetts, primarily around Boston.

In Ridgefield, Connecticut, the safest ranked city in the U.S., the likelihood of becoming a crime victim is only 1-in-510. That’s an overall rate of fewer than two crimes committed per 1,000 residents.

Want to know more? Then read:

• United States of True Crime: Alabama: The Most Chilling Cases in All 50 States
• Crime in the United States (U.S. DataBook Series)
• The Rise and Fall of Violent Crime in America

The post The Most and Least Dangerous Cities in the U.S. appeared first on Vivid Maps.

The United States has the highest number of school-related shootings in the world. The map below, created by Reddit user reaofsunshine_ shows the fatal school shooting events (the number of separate deadly school shooting attacks) reported worldwide since 2000.

There have been 452 school shootings events since 2000, with 199 people killed and 424 injured in the United States. There were more school shootings in 2022 — 46 than in any year since 1999.

The total number of fatal school shootings in the country since 2000 is 181.

The 10 deadliest school shootings in the U.S.

• 2007 Virginia Tech shooting (33 dead)
• 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut (27 killed)
• 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas (22 dead)
• 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida (17 killed)
• 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting in Texas (10 dead)
• 2015 Umpqua Community College shooting near Roseburg, Oregon (10 killed)
• 2005 Red Lake shootings in Minnesota (10 dead)
• 2012 Oikos University shooting in Oakland, California (7 killed)
• 2008 Northern Illinois University shooting (6 dead)
• 2006 West Nickel Mines School shooting in Bart Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (6 killed)

The deadliest in the U.S. history happened in Bath Township of Michigan in 1927 (“Bath School disaster“). A former school board member detonated explosives in the Bath Consolidated School, killing 38 elementary school children and 6 adults.

School shootings are complex and multifaceted events that can have various causes. Some possible factors that may contribute to school shootings include:

1. Mental health issues: Many school shooters have a history of mental illness or emotional distress. Studies have shown that individuals with mental health problems are more likely to engage in violent behavior.
2. Access to firearms: In some cases, school shooters may have obtained firearms from their own homes or through other means, such as purchasing them illegally.
3. Social isolation: School shooters may feel alienated or rejected by their peers and may turn to violence as a way of gaining attention or seeking revenge.
4. Bullying: Some school shooters have reported being victims of bullying or harassment, which may have contributed to their feelings of anger and resentment.
5. Copycat behavior: In some cases, school shootings may be influenced by previous incidents of school violence, as individuals may seek to emulate or surpass the actions of previous shooters.

The number of school shootings in the United States has varied over time, but there has been an overall increase in the frequency and severity of these incidents in recent years.

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According to statistics, there are an average of about 100 fatal road accidents in the United States every single day. But nobody takes the “average” trip: where and how you drive makes a significant difference to your odds of getting home safely. For instance, you are four times more likely to be involved in a collision if you drive while using a phone.

And your probabilities of evading an accident are also higher if you drive at particular times of the day, week, and year — and these factors, in turn, vary from state to state. To help America’s roadway users keep those roads a little safer, The Clunker Junker team used data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to determine the safest times to drive in the United States — and the hours, days, and months when it’s most reasonable to leave the keys in your pocket.

Key Findings

• An average of 5.57 fatal collisions take place between 9 and 10 pm, making it the most dangerous time to drive.
• 4 – 5 am is the safest time to drive, with an average of 2.34 fatal collisions across the United States during that period each day.
• Saturday is the most dangerous day to drive, with an average of 4.68 fatal accidents per hour, peaking at 7.08 between 9 and 10 pm.
• September is the most dangerous month to drive (106.48/day), and March is the safest (80.95).
• Coastal U.S. states tend to be more dangerous in the evenings, while central states are most dangerous in the afternoon.

The Most Dangerous Hours to Drive in America

Poor visibility, tiredness, and driver impairment can all make roads more dangerous, especially at night. Data from the National Highway Safety Administration indicates that the highest amount of fatal accidents occur between 9 pm and 10 pm, with an average of 5.57 accidents daily. Statistically, you are safest between 4 am and 5 am, where lighter traffic conditions cause 2.34 deadly accidents per day.

The Most Dangerous Times to Drive by State

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) lists road traffic accidents as a leading cause of death among people aged 1-54 in the United States, recommending safe and careful driving at all times. However, statistics show that certain times of day put motorists at higher risk of fatal accidents.

In Texas, 223 deadly crashes occur on average each year between 9 pm and 10 pm, with the state’s department for transportation reporting a 15% increase in fatalities in 2021.

The Most Dangerous Times in the Week to Drive in America

According to the Association for Safe International Road Travel, over 46,000 people lose their lives in a traffic accident in the U.S. each year. According to our research, Saturday evenings are statistically the most dangerous. 7.08 fatal accidents per hour occur on average between 9 pm and 10 pm across the country.

The Most Dangerous Months to Drive in America

Summer road trips are a ritual in America, with drivers using their vacation time to drive across the country. However, official traffic safety data reveals that the weeks between Memorial and Labor Day are the most dangerous for fatal accidents. 106.48 crashes with a death occur on average each day during September, making it the deadliest month on the calendar on U.S. roads.

Methodology

The Clunker Junker sourced fatal accident data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and grouped the data by hour of day (nationally and on a state-by-state basis), weekday and month.

The Clunker Junker team also determined the top ten days of the year with the most accidents.

The data was gathered in January 2023.

The post Mapped: The Most Dangerous Times to Drive in America appeared first on Vivid Maps.

Motivated by the Gabby Petito incident, Reddit user malxredleader got data about the number of open missing person cases per 100k people in each state from The National Missing and Unidentified person system (NumUs) and created a choropleth map exhibiting which U.S. states have the least and most disappeared people. He found that while 3.6% of currently lost person cases are missing indigenous persons, the actual amount is higher.

Most indigenous people live in very rustic and remote reservations in extreme poverty, many of them using alcohol and drug and alcohol use. Moreover, various law enforcement agencies are accountable for on and off the rez, causing it challenging to efficiently find and prosecute somebody from off rez who commits crimes. Indigenous women go disappearing at a much higher rate than anybody else.

One of the most significant takeaways is that Alaska has by far the most considerable rate of missing person cases in the United States, with approximately one out of each 617 people in the state missing.

The post The U.S. States With The Most Reported Missing Persons, Mapped appeared first on Vivid Maps.

Europe has seen a drop in the intentional homicide rate by 63% since 2002 and by 38% since 1990. Russia and Ukraine reported the highest number of intended homicide victims per 100 000 inhabitants. The lowest amount of intentional homicide victims was recorded in Norway, Italy, and Spain.

Russia and Ukraine have the highest rates, but also the most significant declines in rates. In Russia Central Russia and big cities, criminal situations are fine, Moscow is safer than London and New York City. But in some Muslim regions (Chechnya, Dagestan) situation is unstable.

Putin consolidated, and more or less monopolized the organized crime of Russia, which declined the level of criminal violence in Russia. As a result, Russia’s homicide rate in 2018 has dropped to 5.18.

In Ukraine Economy turns worse in 2014. After war conflicts, more criminals had more easy access to weapons. But in recent years, the situation in Ukraine is getting better.

Level of homicides in Russia and Europe

The countries of the former Soviet Union have a much higher rate of homicide than the countries of Western Europe.

/On the map the number of death per 100,000 population/

In Italy, the decrease in homicides is related to the mafia. In 1991, the year when peak homicide rates were registered in the last 40 years, there were 3,38 victims per 100 thousand inhabitants, mafias killed almost 36 percent of these victims.

The crime rate in Czechia has been steadily declining in the past two decades. It is now less than half of what it was in 1999.

In the first years of the decade after the USSR collapsed, in Lithuania and Latvia homicide rates increased, with 1994 as the peak in Lithuania, and 1993 in Latvia. After reaching this peak, homicide rates slowly decreased.

Related post:
– A comparison of homicide rates in the US and EU

The post Intentional Homicide Rate in Europe appeared first on Vivid Maps.

In the 1990s, crime rates began to decline. This trend continued throughout the decade and into the early 2000s. Several factors have been attributed to this decline, including improved economic conditions, changes in policing strategies (such as community policing and CompStat), and stricter sentencing laws.

Throughout the 2010s, crime rates remained relatively stable, with some fluctuations in certain types of crimes. Advances in technology, such as surveillance cameras and predictive policing, continued to play a role in crime prevention efforts.

Generally, the United States has higher crime rates compared to many other developed countries, particularly in terms of violent crimes such as homicide and robbery.

The maps below show the comparison homicide rate in the U.S, EU, and other countries. Homicide rates – Number of intentional homicides per 100,000 population per year.

A comparison of homicide rates in the US and Europe

Top 20 US states and EU countries with highest homicide rates:
1. Lousiana
2. Mississippi
3. Maryland
4. South Carolina
5. Alaska
6. Alabama
7. Delaware
8. Tennessee
9. Nevada
10. Arkansas
11. Oklahoma
12. Georgia
13. Lithuania
14. Michigan
15. Illinois
16. Indiana
17. New Mexico
18. North Carolina
19. Florida

Top 20 US states and EU countries with lowest homicide rates
1. Austria
2. Netherlands
3. Ireland
4. Spain
5. Luxemburg
6. Poland
7. Czech Republic
8. Italy
9. Greece
10. Germany
11. Hungary
12. Slovakia
13. United Kingdom
14. Malta
15. Portugees
15. Denmark
16. New Hampshire
17. Sweden
18. Slovenia
19. Cyprus
20. Hawaii

Murders in the U.S.

The map below shows a shocking fact, the United States (population – 327.2 million) has the same number of murders as all the countries in red combined (total population: 2.31 billion). The countries in red have as many murders combined as the U.S.

Number of murders:
US: 17,250
China: 8,634
Indonesia: 1,292
Germany: 963
France: 875
UK: 791
Canada: 611
Italy: 400
Japan: 362
South Korea: 356
Spain: 294
Poland: 256
Romania: 247
Australia: 227
Belgium: 220
Hungary: 202
Taiwan: 192
Lithuania: 153
Israel: 110
Sweden: 106
Netherlands: 94
Greece: 84
Bulgaria: 81
Finland: 78
Latvia: 67
Portugal: 66
Czech Republic: 65
Austria: 57
Slovakia: 57
Denmark: 56
New Zealand: 45
Switzerland: 45
Croatia: 44
Estonia: 42
Ireland: 38
Hong Kong: 28
Norway: 27
Singapore: 18
Cyprus: 13
Slovenia: 10
Luxembourg: 4
Malta: 4
Iceland: 1

The homicide rate varies a lot from state to state.

The U.S. states with the highest murder rates typically include places like Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Missouri. These states often have higher rates of poverty, inequality, and issues related to drug trafficking and gang violence.

Conversely, states with the lowest murder rates tend to be those with smaller populations and lower levels of urbanization, such as Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. These states often have tighter-knit communities and lower levels of income inequality, which can contribute to lower rates of violent crime.

In 2018, the murder rate in the United States was 5 per 100 thousand, for a sum of 15.5 thousand murders. But the number of murders varied greatly from state to state. Almost half of the U.S. states have a higher murder rate than Russia.

But the most dangerous country to live in the world is Brazil. Brazil has nearly 60 thousand murders a year, which is as many as the United States, China, all of Europe, Northern Africa, Japan, Indonesia, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand combined.

A comparison of homicide rates between Brazil, U.S., and EU

What are the primary causes of the high homicide rate in the U.S.?

The high homicide rate in the United States can be attributed to a complex interplay of factors. Socioeconomic issues such as poverty, inequality, and lack of access to education and resources contribute to the prevalence of violence in certain communities. Drug-related violence, particularly associated with the illegal drug trade and gangs, also plays a significant role.

The widespread availability of firearms in the U.S. is another major factor, as the presence of guns can escalate conflicts and increase the lethality of violent encounters. Social and cultural factors, including the normalization of violence in media and the breakdown of community and family structures, can also contribute to higher homicide rates.

Additionally, disparities in the criminal justice system and policing practices have been cited as contributing factors, with some arguing that aggressive policing tactics and racial biases in law enforcement can exacerbate tensions and lead to higher rates of violence.

The post Homicide Rate in the United States appeared first on Vivid Maps.

According to recent data, the Netherlands has a relatively balanced age distribution. The population is spread fairly evenly across different age groups, with a slight skew towards older age groups due to longer life expectancy and lower birth rates.

The map below created by rug.nl/geo illustrates the average age of the Dutch in each municipality.

Like many other developed nations, the Netherlands is experiencing an aging population. This trend is attributed to several factors, including increased life expectancy and declining birth rates. As a result, the proportion of elderly people in the population is expected to increase in the coming years.

Age structure:
0–14 years: 2.9 million (16.1%)
15–64 years: 11.5 million (64.1%)
65 and over: 3.6 million (20.2%)

The number of people aged 65 and over is expected to increase from 2.6 million in 2011 to nearly 4 million in 2025. In 2025, 22% of the population will be aged 65 or over.

Planning a trip to the Netherlands? These travel guides will be your perfect companions.

• Rick Steves Amsterdam & the Netherlands (Travel Guide)
• Lonely Planet The Netherlands (Travel Guide)

The post How old are the Dutch? appeared first on Vivid Maps.

In 2016, the United States had a total of approximately 2.2 million prisoners, including both prison and jail inmates. This made the U.S. the country with the highest total number of prisoners in the world.

Several countries had more prisoners than the United States in 2016. China had the largest prison population, with approximately 1.7 million people incarcerated. Russia had the second-largest prison population, with around 641,000 people incarcerated. Brazil had the third-largest prison population, with approximately 437,000 people incarcerated. India also had more prisoners than the United States, with around 419,000 people incarcerated. The world map below created by Reddit user: dr_the_goat shows nations and U.S. states with a population smaller than the U.S. prison system.

Countries and U.S. states with a population smaller than the U.S. prison system (2.3 million)

California has the largest prison population in the United States, with approximately 129,920 prisoners in 2016. Texas follows closely behind with around 163,703 prisoners. However, when considering the incarceration rate, Louisiana surpasses both states with 980 imprisoned people per 100,000, the highest among all U.S. states. This means that residents of Louisiana have a significantly higher likelihood of being incarcerated compared to residents of other states.

Jail incarceration rate per 100,000 residents (age 15-64)

Florida also has a notably high incarceration rate, with residents having over twice the chance of being thrown in jail or prison as someone who lives in North Dakota, according to the Institute of Justice Vera.org. These disparities in incarceration rates among states highlight the variations in criminal justice policies and practices across the United States.

Key facts:

• Incarceration grew the most outside the largest counties (large counties grew by 2.8 times, while midsize counties grew by 4.1 times, and small counties grew by 6.9 times.)
• Since 1970, the number of women held in jail has increased 14x from fewer than 8,000 women in 1970 to 110,000 women in jails in 2014.
• Today, African Americans make up nearly 40% of the jail population and experience particularly high incarceration rates in mid-sized and small counties.

Data: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, Census of Jails.

The post The number of individuals in jail and prison for every U.S. county appeared first on Vivid Maps.

Homicide rate from highest to lowest
Louisiana 11.8 – Costa Rica 11.77
Missouri 8.8 – Cape Verde 8.84
Alabama 8.4 – Dominica 8.4
Illinois 8.2 – Ecuador 8.23
Maryland 8.0 – Iraq 8.0
Mississippi 8.0 – Iraq 8.0
Nevada 7.6 – Ethiopia 7.6
South Carolina 7.4 – Eritrea 7.46
Tennessee 7.3 – Senegal 7.3
Arkansas 7.2 – Mongolia 7.23
Alaska 7.0 – Tanzania 7.01
New Mexico 6.7 – Yemen 6.67
North Carolina 6.7 – Yemen 6.67
Georgia 6.6 – Afghanistan 6.55
Indiana 6.6 – Afghanistan 6.55
Oklahoma 6.2 – Benin 6.01
Michigan 6.0 – Benin 6.01
Delaware 5.9 – Cameroon 5.93
Kentucky 5.9 – Cameroon 5.93
Virginia 5.8 – Zambia 5.85
Ohio 5.6 – Somalia 5.56
Arizona 5.5 – Somalia 5.56
Florida 5.4 – Somalia 5.56
Texas 5.3 – Kyrgyzstan 5.12
Pennsylvania 5.2 – Kyrgyzstan 5.12
California 4.9 – United States 4.88 (Kazakhstan 4.84 if US excluded)
West Virginia 4.4 – North Korea 4.41
New Jersey 4.2 – Turkmenistan 4.20
Wisconsin 4.0 – Burundi 4.03
Kansas 3.8 – Solomon Islands 3.77
Colorado 3.7 – East Timor 3.69
Montana 3.5 – Thailand 3.51
Wyoming 3.4 – Mozambique 3.39
New York 3.2 – Estonia 3.20
South Dakota 3.1 – Palau 3.11
Idaho 2.9 – Sri Lanka 2.91
Oregon 2.8 – Bhutan 2.75
Rhode Island 2.7 – Mauritius 2.71
Washington 2.7 – Mauritius 2.71
Nebraska 2.6 – Georgia 2.68
Hawaii 2.5 – Bangladesh 2.51
Utah 2.4 – Myanmar 2.42
Iowa 2.3 – Albania 2.28
Connecticut 2.2 – Syria 2.23
Vermont 2.2 – Syria 2.23
Massachusetts 2.0 – Jordan 2.0
North Dakota 2.0 – Jordan 2.0
Minnesota 1.8 – Bulgaria 1.8
Maine 1.5 – Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.5
New Hampshire 1.3 – Cyprus 1.29

The post Countries with similar homicide rates as U.S. states appeared first on Vivid Maps.

Global Safety Trends

Gallup surveyed over 140,000 people across 140 countries and found that 71% of respondents feel safe walking alone at night in their neighborhoods. That’s an increase from 64% in 2013 — although slightly down from a peak of 72% in 2020.

But progress hasn’t been consistent everywhere. People in former Soviet states reported feeling much safer compared to 20 years ago, but safety perceptions have declined in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.

One of the most dramatic shifts has been in Israel — where the percentage of people feeling safe at night fell from 88% before the October 7, 2023, attacks to 68% afterward.

Ecuador stands out as the least safe country, with only 27% of Ecuadorians saying they feel comfortable walking alone at night — a steep drop from previous years. The decline is largely due to a surge in drug-related violence and organized crime. Once one of the safest countries in South America, Ecuador has experienced a rise in homicides and gang activity, fueled by its strategic position along drug trafficking routes. Despite increased security efforts, feelings of safety remain low among the population.

In contrast, El Salvador — which ranked near the bottom in Gallup’s 2016 poll — is now tied for eighth. This improvement follows President Nayib Bukele’s aggressive crackdown on gangs. While the policy has been controversial, it has dramatically reduced homicide rates and increased public confidence in safety.

Safest and Most Dangerous Countries to Walk Alone at Night

Here’s a look at the top and bottom-ranking countries based on how safe people feel walking alone at night:

Top 10 Safest Countries (% of people who feel safe):

1. Singapore – 94%
2. Norway – 92%
3. Iceland – 92%
4. Finland – 91%
5. Switzerland – 90%
6. Denmark – 90%
7. Slovenia – 89%
8. El Salvador – 88%
9. Netherlands – 88%
10. Canada – 87%

10 Least Safe Countries (% of people who feel safe):

1. Ecuador – 27%
2. Afghanistan – 32%
3. South Africa – 35%
4. Venezuela – 36%
5. Papua New Guinea – 38%
6. Brazil – 40%
7. Nigeria – 41%
8. Mexico – 42%
9. Peru – 43%
10. Colombia – 44%

What Makes a Country Feel Safe?

Why do some countries feel safer than others? A few key factors seem to play a major role:

• GDP per capita: Countries with higher GDP per capita tend to report higher feelings of safety. For example, Singapore, Switzerland, and Norway — all among the safest countries — have some of the highest GDP per capita in the world.
• Democracy Index: Democratic countries often have higher trust in institutions and law enforcement. Nations like Norway and Switzerland rank high on the Democracy Index.
• Crime Rates: Lower crime rates and effective policing contribute directly to feelings of safety. Singapore, for example, has one of the lowest crime rates globally due to strict enforcement and social orde.
• Social Trust: Scandinavian countries consistently report high levels of trust in their governments and fellow citizens, reinforcing the sense of security.
• Political Stability: Countries with stable political systems and low levels of corruption tend to rank higher in safety perceptions.

How Safe Is Your Country?

It’s encouraging to see that more people worldwide feel safer today than they did a decade ago; however, the disparities between regions remain significant. Why do you think some countries feel safer than others? Have you noticed changes in your local safety over the years? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Who Feels Safe at Night? A Global Look at Safety Perceptions appeared first on Vivid Maps.