Forbes magazine has published a list of “dangerous” areas based on crime data reported to the FBI, acknowledging the FBI warning against “simplistic analyses of its local crime data because the factors affecting crime rates are so complex and vary by area.” Why does the Springfield, Il., metro area rank third on the list with 855 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2010? The Illinois state capital confounds analysts who try to interpret its relatively high crime rate, says Forbes. The unemployment rate was lower than the national average. Maybe the relatively young population is a factor.
Although the magazine’s headline says “cities,” the rankings actually are of metropolitan areas. Detroit and Memphis rank ahead of Springfield.