Chicago is one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S.

Question

The increasing divergence between neighborhoods creates a dissonant backdrop for the ideological debate that's raging around Chicago's crime problem. Overall, Chicago’s per-capita murder rate is higher than in New York City or Los Angeles, but is lower than in Midwestern cities such as Detroit, Milwaukee and St. Louis.

Comments

According to an article published by Property Club, Chicago is the last on the list of the top 13 most dangerous cities in the US as of 2024. However, according to data published by The Hill, Chicago did not appear as one of the top cities with the highest crime cost per capita. According to the World Population Review, "a city with a high violent crime rate does not indicate that the entire city is unsafe." So, in a sense, it is true that Chicago is ONE of the most dangerous cities in the U.S. but certainly not the worst.

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Based on what you hear or see it could be true but you never know what could happen in other cities. But if we are going based on the past then I'd say it could be Chicago but there definitely other cities we should take into consideration based on based and news.

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The evidence in the article linked does provide some compelling data that shows Chicago is a dangerous city. Looking at other sources the stats do seem to be correct and backed up by the official CPD statistical reports. However, just because certain areas of the city are dangerous does not dictate that the city as a whole is dangerous. It all depends on where you are in the city and I feel that's true with all large cities. So while there is data showing parts of Chicago are dangerous the claim states that Chicago as a whole is dangerous which I think is up for interpretation. Below I linked the Chicago Police departments statistical reports.
https://www.chicagopolice.org/statistics-data/statistical-reports/

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Good job sourcing your information as well as adding quotes. I believe you added a good length of evidence to support your claim.

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“Chicago is one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S”
When it comes to fact-checking this claim, it is important to understand the context of this claim. They state that “Chicago is one of the most”, they are not saying that it is the most dangerous, or even in the top 5 or 10, they are simply stating that Chicago is one of the most. Overall- Chicago has a per capita murder rate that is higher than larger cities, such as New York, considering the population. But Chicago has a lower murder rate than cities such as St. Luois and Detriot, with that being said, it is not entirely false that Chicago is “one of the most” dangerous cities in the U.S, as it out places such as Los Angeles and New York, but it also is not ranked nearly as high as places like Detriot, like this claim could lead you to believe. But I do think that this claim is not false, and Chicago can be listed as one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S.
Ori, R. (2023, July 10). Chicago’s violence problem: A debate on safety and inequality. Crain's Chicago Business. https://www.chicagobusiness.com/crains-forum-safer-chicago/chicago-violence-problem-debate-safety-inequality

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I really like your fact-check to this claim. I thought you did an amazing job with specific data that is in the article, giving the reader a quick understanding of the article, while also proving it's legitimacy. I also like that you do not entirely say how its true or false, because with this claim it is a little tricky. Mentioning that it is "up for interpretation" is wording that I like and I agree with, because it's true, the data states that it is a dangerous city, however, most cities are, but the data also states how it is not nearly a dangerous as other cities and as dangerous that people make it out to be.

Answer 1

Chicago has a reputation for being a hub for crime and violence, but according to the Howard University News Service Chicago is not even in the Top 3 most dangerous cities in the U.S., and Property Club has Chicago as number 13th on their list. While Chicago has high crime rates Memphis, Tennessee is reported as the U.S. city with the most crime.

https://propertyclub.nyc/article/most-dangerous-cities-in-the-us#:~:text=Chicago%20is%20also%20one%20of,dangerous%20than%20the%20US%20average.

https://hunewsservice.com/news/is-chicago-americas-most-dangerous-city/

Comments

How would you rate the claim based on your fact-check? Don't forget to select a rating for each fact-check going forward (true, false, N/A, misleading, etc.). Thanks!

Answer 2

This statement is true. According to Property Club, in 2020, Chicago had 26,620 violent crimes, including 774 murders. It was labeled as one of the top 13 most violent cities as of 2024 (Property Club). The majority of the city's violent crime is due to gangs and drug conflict. Affiliated people and innocent bystanders' lives have been taken. HU News Service, also reports that Chicago has been given the nickname of "Chiraq" combining the United States' third most popular city and Iraq, the suggested most violent and war-torn country. Additionally, post-covid in 2022, there was a reported 725 homicides, 43% more than 2019. 

Answer 3

Based on the claim above stating that “Chicago is one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S” After visiting the link provided, I disagree that Chicago is in the top 10% of the most dangerous cities. While reading the article by “Chicago business.com” I noticed that there is a lot of misinformation. As I went and did research, I found a site mirasafety.com“ The statistics shown “Cities with high crime rates per capita include Detroit, Memphis, and St. Louis. These cities have the highest likelihood of becoming a victim of crime is higher than in the towns with similar total crime numbers but larger populations” This proves that the claim stated “Chicago is one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S.” is false because stats shows “ https://www.statista.com/statistics/217685/most-dangerous-cities-in-north-america-by-crime-rate/” that Chicago is not even one of the top 10 dangerous cities.

Answer 4

This statement is accurate. From 2010 to 2020, the murder rate has increased by 274% in just one neighborhood in Chicago. These are some of the highest murder rates in the country. According to the University of Chicago crime lab, Chicago's homicide rate has exceeded New York and California's rates. In other areas, such as Garfield Park, rates have increased drastically by 114%.

https://www.chicagobusiness.com/crains-forum-safer-chicago/chicago-violence-problem-debate-safety-inequality

Answer 5

According to an article published by Safe and Sound Security, various types of crimes and the rates that apply to each are substantially higher in Chicago then many other areas. For example, "violent crimes in Chicago rose by 11.5% in 2023". This clearly is harmful to the safety of civilians living in the area and poses as a scary situation. Another example that can be scary to people living in the city is that "85.7% of homicide cases were caused by guns". Clearly, the increase in violent crimes and apparent usage of guns in many crimes produces a dangerous city to live in.

https://getsafeandsound.com/blog/chicago-crime-rate/

Answer 6

This statement is accurate. According to Property Club, Chicago is the 14th most dangerous city. claiming that “Chicago has a crime rate of 3,926 per 100,000, making it 67% more dangerous than the US average.” I looked up this statistic and found the same information posted on S.O.S private security, which is a private security company in Chicago, so the information they provided is most likely true. Although, saying that Chicago is ONE of the most dangerous cities is pretty vague.

https://propertyclub.nyc/article/most-dangerous-cities-in-the-us#:~:text=It%20constantly%20makes%20the%20news,violent%20crimes%2C%20including%20774%20murders.

https://sosprivatesecurity.com/blog/the-crime-statistics-in-chicago-2023

Answer 7

The Crains Chicago Business article delves into the origins of violence, in Chicago by examining the impact of inequality and limited opportunities that have resulted from neglect over time. Various viewpoints on safety measures are discussed in the article. Spanning from law enforcement efforts to community based initiatives and social investments. One notable perspective shared is that of Jorge Matos, from Chicago who advocates for an approach focusing on areas most impacted like the South and West Sides of the city. The conversation underscores the importance of implementing enduring solutions that tackle inequality at its roots. Even the statistics chart on Chicago being compared to New York and Los Angeles shows how the crime in a not even as populated city is higher than two most populations in America, which refers back to the main claim of the article. Overall the evidence in the article from the routes from the Nonviolence Organization and date charts all back up the evidence of the author.

Answer 8

This statement is true and reflects the crime trends in Chicago. In 2019, the city's per-capita murder rate was higher than what New York or Los Angeles was. It was lower than cities like Detroit, Milwaukee, and St. Louis though. While crime has risen and fallen over the years, Chicago has consistently stayed ranked among other cities with the highest murder rates in the United States. One of the major issues highlighted in the article is the growing gap between neighborhoods. This is contributing to social and economic issues, which is then further complicating efforts to address crime and safety concerns in the United States.

Answer 9

After investigating the website provided in the url, Crain's Chicago Business seems to be a highly reputable source of information for news, analysis, and business in metropolitan Chicago, but I haven proven the headlining statement to be exaggerated or misleading. It is tru that Chicago has had the most murders compared to other states, but across the board respectively looking at murders, rapes, aggravated assaults, robbery etc. the top three most dangerous cities in the U.S, seem to be St. Louis, Detroit, and Baltimore. 

Most sources of data within the article are from the Chicago Police Department, but maybe if it had mentioned a nationwide database the article could've given more accurate information. 

Here is where I got some of my data and information from:

https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-city-rankings/most-violent-cities-in-america

https://www.security.org/resources/most-dangerous-cities/

https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/most-dangerous-cities-in-the-us

Answer 10

Although that claim was in fact true in 2022, according to a simple google search it displays Memphis Tennessee as the current most dangerous city in America, with a crime rate of "98 incidents per 1,000 people. Memphis also has a violent crime rate of 24.37 per 1,000 people" according to Google. Following with St. Louise with only 109 homicides in 2024 and Detroit Michigan with 20.59 per 1,000 residents in 2024 (according to Google), both cities decreasing in crime rates from prior years. https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-city-rankings/most-dangerous-cities-in-the-us

https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/most-dangerous-cities-in-the-us