BESSEMER, ALABAMA: Bessemer, a small southwestern suburb in Birmingham, Alabama, has knocked off Monroe, Louisiana to become the most dangerous place to live in the US, according to a new study.
The research was released by Security Gauge, a crime risk assessment platform that ranked the 100 most notorious places to live in America with the highest crime rates out of any town with 25,000 or more citizens.
Notably, the list was made public after analyzing data on violent crimes, including homicide, rape, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, in each town from all 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the US, and the stats are contextualized per 1,000 people, according to Daily Mail.
How did Bessemer become the most notorious place to live in the US?
Over the past two years, Monroe in Louisiana maintained the top rank for being the most crime-ridden town in the US. But this year, it was knocked out by Bessemer, which topped the list with 33.18 violent crimes per 1,000 population.
The research by Security Gauge revealed that the residents of Bessemer have a one in 30 chance of becoming a victim of violent crime. With a population size of around 27,000, the suburb's crime rate is much higher than other towns with a similar demographic.
It garnered the top spot particularly for physical violence and property crime, along with motor vehicle theft.
Bessemer was established in 1887 by coal baron Henry DeBardeleben and quickly rose to prominence as a major industrial hub for ore mining, iron smelting, and the production of coke and iron.
Its explosive growth throughout the 20th century gave it the moniker "The Marvel City," but development peaked in 1970 when railcar and steel production declined.
Despite the diversification of its industrial base, crime has soared in the town as a result of the high unemployment rate.
What are the other most dangerous places in America?
After Bessemer, Monroe is ranked second on the danger charts, with residents having a one in 38 chance of becoming a victim of violent crime.
Meanwhile, Memphis in Tennessee, and Saginaw in Michigan tied for the third place in the list of most dangerous cities in the country.
Both towns reported a violent crime rate of 25.1 per 1,000 residents. On the other hand, the east Michigan city of Detroit has secured the fifth position with a violent crime rate of 23 per 1,000 residents.
Detroit is consistently ranked among the worst cities for crime due to a long list of criminal offenses including rape, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, armed robbery, and aggravated assault.
Next on the list is Birmingham, which often comes near the top of the charts for violent activity. It is placed sixth this year, with a violent crime rating of 20.6 per 1,000 residents.
Following Birmingham, the Jefferson County city of Pine Bluff was ranked seventh on the list. Home to around 40,000 people, the central Arkansas city reportedly sees 50 more crimes per square mile than the statewide average, as per Daily Mail.
Meanwhile, Little Rock reports 20.2 violent crimes reported per 1,000 residents to become the eighth most dangerous place in the US.
In ninth place of the violence rankings is Alexandria, Louisiana, with a crime rating of 18.8 per 1,000 inhabitants, while Cleveland, Ohio, gets the 10th position with a rating of 17.1.
