America’s 10 Most Dangerous Cities

The 12 most sun-drenched beaches. The 15 destinations with the friendliest people. The best value-vacation spots for your dollar. Cities with the best pizza (or burger, or pastrami sandwich).

OK, fine. There’s a place for all those places. But what about the 10 most dangerous U.S. cities? You know, must-visits for the truly adventurous traveler. Or, flipping that, must-not-visits for the danger-averse.

For them, the Law Street website has analyzed the latest FBI statistics and published its list of the “Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in America.”

According to the report, the most dangerous U.S. city with a population of more than 200,000 is… Detroit. Here’s the city’s profile:

• Population: 699,889
• Ratio of police to civilians: 1:297
• Population below poverty line: 38.1%
• Violent crime rate: 2,072 incidents per 100,000 people
• Murder rate: 45 per 100,000 people

Not exactly the preferred focus of the city’s visitor and convention bureau’s marketing materials. But still, a perspective on Detroit that prospective visitors should be aware of.

The report’s full list of the 10 scariest cities, from most to least dangerous, is as follows:

1. Detroit, MI
2. Oakland, CA
3. Memphis, TN
4. St. Louis, MO
5. Cleveland, OH
6. Baltimore, MD
7. Milwaukee, WI
8. Birmingham, AL
9. Newark, NJ
10. Kansas City, MO

So, as Dirty Harry famously snarled, “Do you feel lucky, punk?” If not, then perhaps you should go elsewhere. Maybe choose a destination from the list of the 10 most eco-friendly cities.

Reader Reality Check

Any surprises?

This article originally appeared on FrequentFlier.com.