Murder Capitals: 2 Indiana Cities On List

ACROSS INDIANA -- Two Indiana cities have been listed as "Murder Capitals of America" for 2018. In fact, one of these Indiana cities made the top five, which means it's considers more dangerous than Detroit or Baltimore, according to the survey. The list was prepared by NeighborhoodScout, a web-based platform from Location, Inc., and includes 30 cities in America with the highest number of murders per 1,000 residents.

Gary, IN came in at No. 5, and Elkhart, IN was ranked No. 23. Elkhart beat Chicago, IL on the list, which came in at No. 25, as a city that's notoriously plagued by gun violence — so much so that it's become a political talking point for many, including President Donald Trump.

NeighborhoodScout compiled its list, which includes cities with a population of 25,000 or more, using crime data from the FBI on number of murders. The data was then compared to the population of each city provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.

In Gary, a city with about 76,424 , there were 46 murders in 2016 (the latest full year for which FBI data is available). That's a murder rate of 0.6 per 1,000 residents. According to NeighborhoodScout, your chance of becoming a victim of violent crime in Gary is 1 in 161 compared with the state average of 1 in 247. Other violent crime stats for East St. Louis:

• Rape: 45
• Robbery: 212
• Assault: 172

Elkhart, with 52,221 residents, had 15 murders in 2016, making the murder rate 0.29 per 1,000 people. Your chance of becoming a violent crime victim is 1 in 65, according to the rankings. Other violent crime stats for 2016 in Elkhart:
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• Rape: 54
• Robbery: 96
• Assault: 642

The top 25 Murder Capitals of America, according to NeighborhoodScout, include:

1. East St. Louis, IL
2. Chester, PA
3. Camden, NJ
4. St. Louis, MO
5. Gary, IN
6. West Memphis, AR
7. Baltimore, MD
8. Flint, MI
9. Detroit, MI
10. New Orleans, LA
11. Salisbury, NC
12. Danville, VA
13. Wilmington, DE
14. Compton, CA
15. Newark, NJ
16. Cleveland, OH
17. Petersburg, VA
18. Jackson, MS
19. Goldsboro, NC
20. Orlando, FL
21. Memphis, TN
22. North Charleston, SC
23. Elkhart, IN
24. San Bernardino, CA
25. Chicago, IL

Click here to see the full list of NeighborhoodScout's Murder Capitals of America.

With contributing reporting by Kara Seymour, Patch National Staff

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