Most Improved & Most Worsened Cities 2024
Year-over-year change in violent crime rate for cities with 100,000+ population. Which cities got safer — and which got more dangerous?
Key Insights
- →Some cities have cut violent crime by 30-50% in just 3-5 years — proof that sustained improvement is achievable.
- →Cities that improve fastest tend to combine community policing, violence interrupter programs, and economic investment.
- →Not all improvement is real — some drops reflect changes in FBI reporting rather than actual crime reduction.
- →The most improved list changes significantly year-to-year, showing that crime trends are volatile and reversible.
Most Improved (Biggest Drops)
| # | City | Change | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WichitaKansas | -52.4% | 538.6 |
| 2 | OaklandCalifornia | -47.1% | 1925.3 |
| 3 | Jurupa ValleyCalifornia | -43.2% | 184.3 |
| 4 | Miami GardensFlorida | -41.5% | 414.6 |
| 5 | BakersfieldCalifornia | -37.1% | 554.6 |
| 6 | OmahaNebraska | -34.2% | 369.0 |
| 7 | Amherst TownNew York | -33.1% | 103.8 |
| 8 | SuffolkVirginia | -32.3% | 371.0 |
| 9 | EverettWashington | -32.0% | 265.1 |
| 10 | CaryNorth Carolina | -31.7% | 71.0 |
| 11 | West CovinaCalifornia | -31.0% | 239.3 |
| 12 | New BedfordMassachusetts | -29.9% | 353.2 |
| 13 | MiramarFlorida | -29.7% | 171.0 |
| 14 | Wichita FallsTexas | -29.0% | 350.3 |
| 15 | HaywardCalifornia | -28.2% | 477.1 |
| 16 | ElizabethNew Jersey | -26.7% | 408.7 |
| 17 | FishersIndiana | -26.2% | 72.9 |
| 18 | South FultonGeorgia | -25.8% | 470.5 |
| 19 | FayettevilleNorth Carolina | -24.5% | 660.2 |
| 20 | ChattanoogaTennessee | -24.5% | 823.7 |
| 21 | ChandlerArizona | -23.1% | 133.4 |
| 22 | Rio RanchoNew Mexico | -22.7% | 318.2 |
| 23 | Rancho CucamongaCalifornia | -20.7% | 293.7 |
| 24 | Spokane ValleyWashington | -20.1% | 242.1 |
| 25 | South BendIndiana | -20.1% | 965.0 |
Most Worsened (Biggest Increases)
| # | City | Change | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HuntsvilleAlabama | +272.0% | 483.2 |
| 2 | IndependenceMissouri | +184.0% | 571.2 |
| 3 | Jersey CityNew Jersey | +97.5% | 561.6 |
| 4 | ShreveportLouisiana | +65.1% | 1228.5 |
| 5 | Garden GroveCalifornia | +50.4% | 276.6 |
| 6 | North Las VegasNevada | +48.2% | 388.9 |
| 7 | ConcordNorth Carolina | +42.3% | 159.0 |
| 8 | Sterling HeightsMichigan | +36.1% | 229.2 |
| 9 | LowellMassachusetts | +32.6% | 532.5 |
| 10 | ArvadaColorado | +32.5% | 285.6 |
| 11 | NapervilleIllinois | +31.0% | 83.7 |
| 12 | LafayetteLouisiana | +30.3% | 1066.1 |
| 13 | Green BayWisconsin | +28.0% | 495.1 |
| 14 | GlendaleCalifornia | +26.5% | 287.2 |
| 15 | Woodbridge TownshipNew Jersey | +26.2% | 237.8 |
| 16 | St. GeorgeUtah | +25.7% | 210.0 |
| 17 | Costa MesaCalifornia | +25.2% | 737.6 |
| 18 | LynnMassachusetts | +24.7% | 574.6 |
| 19 | Las CrucesNew Mexico | +24.5% | 720.0 |
| 20 | Toms River TownshipNew Jersey | +22.5% | 134.3 |
| 21 | DaytonOhio | +21.2% | 1339.2 |
| 22 | Sioux FallsSouth Dakota | +21.0% | 526.7 |
| 23 | PeoriaArizona | +20.4% | 254.7 |
| 24 | FullertonCalifornia | +20.0% | 455.3 |
| 25 | ElginIllinois | +19.0% | 266.7 |
What Drives Improvement?
Cities that see the biggest crime drops often share common factors: targeted violence intervention programs, economic development in high-crime areas, improved community-police relations, or simply regression to the mean after an unusually violent year.
Conversely, cities with rising crime often face specific challenges: gang conflicts, drug market disruptions, police staffing shortages, or economic shocks. Single-year changes can also be driven by statistical noise in smaller cities where a handful of incidents can swing the rate.
Important caveat: Year-over-year changes in smaller cities can be volatile. A city of 100,000 can see its murder rate double from 5 to 10 murders — a 100% increase that sounds alarming but represents just 5 additional incidents. Multi-year trends are more reliable indicators than single-year swings.
Demographics: Crime improvements and deteriorations affect different communities unequally. National data shows significant racial disparities in both victimization and arrest rates. Arrest demographics | Racial disparities
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2024 vs 2023. Cities with 100K+ population only.