Criminal Impact

 Alaska in 2020 had the highest violent crime rate of all the states per residents coming in at 867.1 per 100,000. This number is so crazy to think about when we look back at the other states we have covered. Fortunately, they have since then decreased this number but I felt that it was still important to include this. Alaska also has the 5th highest percentage of residents who have experienced a violent crime.  Technically Alaska has the highest crime rate out of all the states due to its low population. So the question is with such a high crime rate and such a low population how does this all affect their economy. In 2020 during the peak of its crime rate, the state as a whole saw an 11.4% unemployment rate which was very detrimental to a state that is already so low in population. In fact, Alaska has dropped -1.3% in their 5-year plan. Even to this day, the unemployment rate in Alaska is higher than the national average. With population being so low this can severely affect...

 The state of Missouri has the 9th highest rate of crime in the United States. The violent crime rate is around 5.6 per 1,000 and the property crime rate is around 24.4 per 1,000. As of 2024, the city of St. Louis has the highest murder rate in the United States. St. Louis has a 69.4 per 100,00 rate compared to the second highest being 49.0, Baltimore. A police statement says most of the violent crimes that are committed are due to drug deals gone wrong, arguments, and gang retaliation. I read an article that talked about one of the homicides that occurred due to a slice of pizza. A month later a triple homicide occurred due to a man hugging someone's girlfriend. These were senseless murders that could have been prevented. Missouri has the 4th highest rate of gun-related murders. As far as the economy goes there is serious concern for the direction of growth with business due to the rising crime rate. The governor put out a statement addressing the issue of crime saying that this i...

 Arkansas has the 2nd highest crime rate in the United States, they come in at around 6.9 violent crimes per 1,000 residents. They also have a 25.5 per 1,000 residents which is the 6th highest rate for property crimes in the U.S. The reason crime is so high in this state is due to many reasons. I was reading this article that talked about the reasons to why crime is so high, for one the state is considered to be pretty poor. It is ranked as one of the poorest states in the United States, and lack of education is one of the main causes of this. 16.8% of the state lives below the poverty line, as well as the loss of jobs that the state saw in just under a month. 1,000 jobs were lost in the span of February to March. The state's economic disparity is also a lead to why crime is so high within the state. With the education levels being so low and job disparity becoming a problem it's no wonder why they are having issues with their economy. Most of the state's economic growth is...

 Louisiana is considered one of the most dangerous states per crime. Louisiana has around 16.1 murders per  100,000. This number has been better compared to what we see in 2021 with around 19.6 per 100,000. The state is ranked 5th overall in aggravated assaults. Their property crime rate is around 27.48 per 1,000 residents. Louisiana has made multiple efforts in order to contain the crime rate but it seems that it didn't change. They increased the funding for the corrections system but it actually increased the crime rate and cost taxpayers more money. Residents were unhappy about this new change, and many took it to social media to call out the state as a whole. There was a survey posted that asked residents how this change impacted crime. A little over 80% said that increased the crime rate rather than decreasing it. The state also faces a lot of drug trafficking issues that have also seemed to increase over the years. Regarding how the economy has been affected, residents a...

           New Mexico has been considered the most dangerous state to live in. Their violent crime ratio is 9.0 per 1000 residents. Their property crime is 32 per 1000 residents. There are a few reasons why this number is so high, the main reason being the justice system. I read articles saying that criminals are in and out of jail all the time due to the low sentencing. They call the jail system the revolving door due to the fact how fast these criminals are back on the streets. It is also considered a very poor state with the poverty rate being around 17.6%. This has been considered one of the poorest states in the United States since 2000. The economy in New Mexico is hard to grow due to its many underlying issues. I feel that it's also important to note that the State also comes in dead last out of all the states when it comes to quality of life. On top of everything else, they have a serious drug problem and actually come in number 6th for drug-related...

          California is known for many great things and is historically a big money grab for the state in terms of tourism. When we think of California we tend to think of things such as  Hollywood, fame, and a place filled with many things to do. Something that I feel isn't talked about as much is the crime that surrounds the state. California has seen a 6.1% increase in violent crimes and a 6.2% increase in property crimes in the span of 2 years. Although this number as a whole doesn't seem like a big deal but in the eyes of safety and politics this number can be of some concern. California ranks 17th in the nation for violent crimes. Cities like San Fransico and Oakland have always faced adversaries when it comes to crime and their economic growth. In an attempt to help out cities like this, the governor has sent more state police into the surrounding cities in the hope of cracking down on the ever-growing rate. Many factors contribute to this growth suc...

      Detroit has been ranked one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. It is reported that 6000 residents per 100,000 will experience either a violent or property crime. There are many factors that make up Detroit's crime rate such as the poverty rate. The poverty rate in Detroit makes up 30% of the population, and the child poverty rate is even higher coming in at 43%. Unemployment is also a very big issue in Detroit as it is around 8.3%. With all of that combined you get crime that is uncontrollable. With such a high crime rate and unemployment rate, the economy is missing out on production and generating revenue. Many people blame the crime rate due to the lack of police in the city. I feel like the biggest trend we see with these cities having a high crime rate is always strictly due to the poverty rate. In my opinion, I feel that if these cities want to make a difference they need to first expand the job opportunities in Detroit as a whole. The second w...

      Memphis is known for many things and in our day and age crime is one of them. The crime rate is around 98 per 1,000 residents and has continued to grow over the years. In 2022 it was ranked as the most dangerous city in the United States. In 2023 alone it was reported that the murder rate increased by more than 30%. One crazy fact that I found was that when the murder rate in the United States went down it actually increased for Memphis. Property crime is also very likely in Memphis with the number coming in around 73 reported property crimes per 1,000 residents. The reason for this high crime rate is many reasons but the biggest being the poverty rate. Limited sources of education and employment play a huge role in the ongoing violence. Gang activity is also very high and with all of this combined it's no wonder that they are considered the most dangerous city in the United States. Downtown Memphis fears that with the increasing crime rate,  businesses will be...

       Baltimore is known for many things and crime is one of them. Per 1000 residents 48 people will fall victim to crime. It is currently ranked 2nd in the United States for the crime rate. The crime rate in Baltimore is 153% higher than the national average. With the crime rate being so high it's hard for investors to see potential in the community. This affects many different things like business and economic development. They have tried many different things to try and reduce crime, for example, they increased police spending. This has not impacted the crime rate however due to many underlying reasons. Due to the crime rate being so high security costs more in Baltimore compared to other cities. The economy is headed in a bad direction unless things can change around. Crime has always been a huge underlying issue for the state. I couldn't find much on how they are trying to prevent the rate from increasing but hopefully, they figure it out soon.  Sources: h...

      The Crime rate in Illinois has a higher rate for homicide than the national average. The homicide rate is 8.8 for every 100,000 residents. In cities like  Chicago, 37 out of every 1000 people will experience crime. Also noted only 26% of homicides get solved within the city. This is the lowest it has been in the last two decades. In 2022-2023 the crime rate rose by 11.3% compared to the previous year. Crime has affected not only the population of Illinois but has also made the economy slow in progression. With rates like this many factors are affected, such as the population and job opportunities. With the economy not progressing crime rate grows even larger. Business owners fear for their company's stability and the way that the economy is headed due to this ongoing issue. A higher crime rate affects everyone even those who are not a victim of the crime. Things such as; business, property value, productivity, and job opportunities start to decrease from the cr...