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Most Dangerous City Rankings
Updated November 28, 2007
In the 2007 Most Dangerous City rankings, issued by CQ Press, Camden was ranked as the 5th Most Dangerous City with a population over 75,000. Prior to the release of the 2007 rankings, the American Society of Criminologists approved a resolution in opposition to the use of these rankings. The 2007 rankings are based on 2006 crime data.
For 2006, Camden statistics were mixed compared to 2005: robbery and auto theft increased, while aggravated assaults decreased. Federal Uniform Crime Reporting data for all U.S. cities in 2006 was released by the FBI on September 24, 2007.
Camden Most Dangerous City Rankings*
| Ranking Year | Rank |
| 1998 | 2 |
| 1999 | 3 |
| 2000 | 5 |
| 2001 | 6 |
| 2002 | 6 |
| 2003 | 4 |
| 2004 | 1 |
| 2005 | 1 |
| 2006 | 5 |
| 2007 | 5 |
* Note that each year's ranking is based on the previous year's crime data. So, for instance, the ranking for 2005 was based on 2004 data.
The FBI cautions against ranking cities based solely on the UCR data for several reasons, namely that rankings don't consider any contextual factors in particular areas that may lead to a higher rate of certain crimes.
In November 2005, Camden was deemed the most dangerous city in America, according to rankings released by Morgan-Quitno Press (the predecessor of CQ Press). These rankings are based on the Federal Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data reported by local police departments to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Morgan-Quitno developed its own formula to compare cities using these rankings, which appears to have been continued by CQ Press.
Previous Analysis Prepared by CAMConnect
This analysis by CAMConnect described why Camden ranked atop the “Most Dangerous” list for the second consecutive year. It also includes data illustrating the decline in crime reported in Camden during 2005 and discussion about the city’s potential rank for 2006, assuming Morgan-Quitno's methodology remained the same.
There are several important points to remember about the rankings:
- The rankings are calculated with an adjustment for population so that the crime rate in Camden (population 80,000) can be compared to the crime rate in Detroit (population 915,000) and other cities. So, if Camden is named “more dangerous” than Philadelphia, that does not mean that Camden has a higher number of crimes than Philadelphia. Instead, it means that Camden has a higher rate of crime when a population adjustment is calculated.
- The rankings are based on 2004 UCR data, and do not consider any changes to crime rates occurring in 2005.
- UCR data relies on cities to report their crimes accurately. There are standards for how different crimes are to be classified, but in the past, several cities including Philadelphia and St. Louis have had issues with how crime is reported and classified.
As a non-profit, non-partisan organization, CAMConnect takes no position on the merits of the Morgan-Quitno rankings, and this document should not be construed as an endorsement of any position related to the methodology of the rankings. However, given the media attention that the rankings generate, CAMConnect believes it is important to provide some additional context about how the rankings are developed.
| Related: Current crime data and maps from the Camden Police |