Special Report

Merced, CA Is Among the Most Dangerous US Metro Areas

Samuel Stebbins

Published: November 8, 2021 12:01 pm

Last Updated: November 9, 2021 8:37 am

The U.S. violent crime rate — an annual, population-adjusted measure of cases of rape, robbery, aggravated assault, and homicide — climbed by 5% in 2020. The increase was driven by a rise in aggravated assault and, most notably, a historic 29% surge in homicides that made 2020 the deadliest year in the United States since the mid-1990s.

Despite the largest single-year increase in homicides on record, the overall violent crime rate in 2020 remains relatively low by historical standards. There were 1.3 million violent crimes reported in the U.S. in 2020, or 399 for every 100,000 people. For context, the violent crime rate ranged between 523 and 758 incidents per 100,000 throughout the 1990s.

Of course, crime is a local phenomenon influenced by a wide range of factors. As a result, violent crime rates in the U.S. can vary considerably from place to place — and in some metro areas, rates of violence far exceed the nation-level highs recorded in decades past.

Merced is one of several metro areas in California’s Central Valley to rank among the 50 most dangerous cities in the country. A total of 1,660 violent crimes were reported in the metro area in 2020, or 599 for every 100,000 people. Like much of the country, Merced is suffering from a surge in violent crime, particularly homicide. There were 24 murders in the metro area in 2020, double the number reported in 2019. The spike in homicide contributed to an 8.2% increase in the overall violent crime rate.

While violence is on the rise in Merced, property crimes are becoming less common. Over the last year, cases of motor vehicle theft have fallen by 4.1% in the metro area, burglaries were down 10.2%, and cases of larceny theft have declined by nearly 20%.

Metro areas are ranked on their violent crime rate using data from the FBI’s 2020 Uniform Crime Report. Additional data on specific crimes are also from the 2020 FBI UCR. Poverty rates are one-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey.