Where do American’s feel the least safe?

To answer this question, Visual Capitalist’s Marcus Lu visualized the results of Numbeo’s Crime Index, which reveals how people perceive safety in their own city as of mid-2025.

Unlike FBI or police statistics, this index reflects public sentiment through crowdsourced surveys.

Data & Discussion

Numbeo’s Crime Index uses a scale from 0 (very safe) to 100 (very dangerous), based on residents’ self-reported experiences and perceptions. The survey covers various aspects of crime, including:

General perception of crime levels

Perceived safety during day and night

Concerns about specific crimes (mugging, robbery, car theft, physical attacks, etc.)

Severity of property crime (burglary, theft, vandalism)

Severity of violent crime (assault, homicide, sexual offenses)

Overall, this index provides an alternative lens on urban safety that is shaped more by everyday life than by crime reports. Here’s how to interpret the results:

Very Low Crime: 20 and below

Low Crime: 20.01-40

Moderate Crime: 40.01-60

High Crime: 60.01-80

Very High Crime: above 80

Rank
City
State
Crime Index
1
Memphis
TN
78.0
2
Detroit
MI
73.1
3
Baltimore
MD
72.7
4
Albuquerque
NM
71.7
5
Saint Louis
MO
69.7
6
Oakland
CA
68.7
7
New Orleans
LA
66.9
8
Milwaukee
WI
66.7
9
Chicago
IL
66.1
10
Philadelphia
PA
65.8
11
Atlanta
GA
64.6
12
Houston
TX
63.2
13
San Francisco
CA
60.9
14
Indianapolis
IN
60.2
15
Washington, DC
DC
60.2
16
Kansas City
MO
58.1
17
Portland
OR
57.1
18
Jacksonville
FL
56.6
19
Las Vegas
NV
55.9
20
Minneapolis
MN
55.6
21
Tucson
AZ
54.8
22
Seattle
WA
54.2
23
Los Angeles
CA
53.9
24
Phoenix
AZ
53.0
25
Miami
FL
52.7
26
Dallas
TX
51.2
27
New York
NY
51.0
28
Columbus
OH
49.6
29
Orlando
FL
49.5
30
Sacramento
CA
49.4
—
National Index Score
—
49.2

Memphis Leads the Rankings

At the top of the list, Memphis, Tennessee registers the highest crime index score at 78, marking it as the city Americans perceive as the most unsafe in 2025.

Residents often cite issues with violent crime and property theft, contributing to its elevated perception of risk.

While Memphis has historically suffered from high crime rates, recent data shows safety is improving. In 2024, total crime in Memphis dropped by roughly 13.3%, with homicide down about 30% and motor vehicle theft down nearly 39%.

Rust Belt and Legacy Crime Centers

Detroit (73.1) and Baltimore (72.7) continue to rank among the top three most dangerous cities in the index.

Since 2008, both cities have struggled with the loss of key industries and jobs, eroding their economic base (and tax revenues). This fuels an increase in poverty rates, reduces the city’s capacity to respond, and destabilizes communities.

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Organized Crime Hot Spots Around the World on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.