Press Release From:Spartacus Law Firm,June 2025, United States
- Memphis, Tennessee, leads the ranking of the U.S. crime hotspots, withthe most reported crimesexceeding 29,2K in just 6 months.
- Insecondplace isSt. Louis, Missouri, with 1,877 violent crimes committed in just 6 months.
- Detroit, Michigan, stands out with12.7K property crimes.
FBI data for the previous year shows that overall violent crime rates dropped 3% nationally, yet certain metropolitan areas continue to experience concentrated spikes in both violent and non-violent crimes.
A new study by Spactacus Law Firm collected crime statistics across the U.S. to rankthe cities that became crime hotspotsin recent years. The research analyzed violent crime rates, property crime, as well as total reported crimes. The study calculated the crime rate per 100K residents, by which the cities are ranked from highest to lowest.
Here is the summary of the findings:
| City | State | Total Violent Crime | Total Property Crime | Total Reported Crimes | Total Crime Rate per 100K |
| Memphis | Tennessee | 7,700 | 21,562 | 29,262 | 4,750 |
| St. Louis | Missouri | 1,877 | 7,543 | 9,420 | 3,363 |
| Little Rock | Arkansas | 1,656 | 5,058 | 6,714 | 3,308 |
| Tacoma | Washington | 1,119 | 6,233 | 7,352 | 3,299 |
| Pueblo | Colorado | 827 | 2,662 | 3,489 | 3,136 |
| Detroit | Michigan | 5,503 | 12,600 | 18,103 | 2,941 |
| Berkeley | California | 340 | 3,086 | 3,426 | 2,938 |
| Portland | Oregon | 2,117 | 16,023 | 18,140 | 2,897 |
| Las Cruces | New Mexico | 420 | 2,881 | 3,301 | 2,870 |
| Minneapolis | Minnesota | 2,337 | 9,737 | 12,074 | 2,859 |
You can access the full research data here.
Memphis, Tennessee, leads the ranking of the U.S. crime hotspots, with 4,750 crimes per 100K residents. The city stands out with both the highest violent and non-violent law-breaking on the list, with 7,700 violent crimes and over 21.5K property crimes. The total reported crimes are over 29.2K in just 6 months.
St. Louis, Missouri, takes second place on the list of the U.S. crime hotspots, with a rate of 3,363 crimes. There were 7.5K property crimes recorded in the city, which is almost 3 times less than in Memphis. When it comes to violent crimes, 1,877 were committed in St. Louis.
Little Rock, Arkansas, is third, with a total crime rate of 3,308. While property crimes here are less common than in St. Louis, the number of violent crimes is similar, with 1,656. Overall, there are fewer reported crimes here, with 6.7K.
Tacoma, Washington, follows closely with fourth place and 3,299 crimes per 100K. Violent crimes are less common here than in Little Rock, but non-violent crimes happen more often, with 6.2K property crimes and 7.3K reported crimes overall.
Pueblo, Colorado, is fifth in the ranking of the U.S. crime hotspots, with 3,136. The city has one of the lowest numbers of violent crimes at 827 in 6 months, two times less than in Little Rock. Property crime here is more common, with 2,662 cases.
Detroit, Michigan, holds the sixth spot, getting a total crime rate of 2,941. The city has the second most violent crimes in the top 10, with 5.5K, which is still 2K less than in Memphis. Property crimes are also widespread, with over 12.6K incidents over 6 months.
In seventh place is Berkley, California, with 2,938 crimes per 100K residents. The city experiences the least violent crimes in the top 10, but there were still 3,426 crimes reported in Berkley over a 6-month period.
Portland, Oregon, takes eighth place, with a crime rate of 2,897. The city has a similar number of total reported crimes to Detroit, with 18.1K, but law-breaking in Portland is usually less violent. There were 16K property crimes committed in the city, 4K more than in Detroit.
Las Cruces, New Mexico, is ninth, with 2,870 crimes per 100K residents. The city has the second-fewest violent crimes in the ranking, closely following Berkley, but property crimes are very common here, at 2.8K.
Minneapolis, Minnesota, closes the ranking of the U.S. crime hotspots, with tenth place and a crime rate of 2,859. There were 12K total crimes reported in the city in 6 months, and 9.7K were property crimes, almost 80% of all Minneapolis crime statistics.
Chandon Alexander, CEO of Spartacus Law Firm, commented on the study: “The persistence of crime hotspots in specific American cities reflects deeper systemic issues beyond simple law enforcement capacity, including economic disinvestment, population decline, and infrastructure decay. This geographic concentration of criminal activity suggests that effective solutions require comprehensive urban renewal strategies rather than solely punitive approaches, addressing root causes like unemployment, housing instability, and educational gaps that make certain communities vulnerable to sustained criminal activity.”
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