When we travel to different countries, most of us like to explore the place on our own. While we explore, our biggest concern is safety. Following is a list of ten cities in the United States of America that you do not want to visit, at least without an American native with you. The following data was compiled after consultation from various crime reports and statistics.

10. STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA

The city has a population of 292,047 and there have been 13.8 violent crimes per 1000 people. A total of 49 murders were committed in the year 2010. The median income is around $45,730 while the unemployment rate is 18.4%.

Stockton is located forty miles east of Oakland and San Francisco and perhaps the reason for such horrible crime rates is because of the high unemployment rate. This city was rated as one of the worst cities to live in by Forbes Magazine in the year 2010 with violent crimes contributing a lot to its reputation. There are 267 cities with population over 100,000 and Stockton has the 27th highest number of murders per 1000 people. Considering the crime problems of the city, many times over, the California patrol units were asked to help the Stockton Police Department because of the over-whelming number of crimes.

9. ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS

The city has a population of 156,180 and there have been 14.5 violent crimes per 1000 people. A total of 20 murders were committed in the year 2010. The median income is around $36,990 while the unemployment rate is 13.3%.

True enough, when compared to Stockton this city does have better statistics, but the number that makes the difference is the population in this city. For this population, violent crimes of 14.5 per 1000 people is unusually high and thus it qualifies to be in this list. Rockford has fourth highest rate of aggravated assault and it amounts to 10.5 for every 1000 people living there. The number of murders every year have doubled since the year 2000. The reason being for these crime rates is probably because of the drug traffic. Rockford receives drug traffic from markets in Madison, Chicago and Milwaukee and that eventually results in higher violence rates.

8. BALTIMORE, MARYLAND

The city has a population of 639,929 and there have been 14.6 violent crimes per 1000 people. A total of 223 murders were committed in the year 2010. The median income is around $38,772 while the unemployment rate is 7.4%.

If you consider the cities with population over 1000, Baltimore is ranked as the eighth-highest when it comes to violent crimes per capita. It also is the second-highest to the east of Mississippi. The number of violent crimes have dropped in the previous years but it is still not significant enough to be considered vital. The said number decreased from 9,600 to 9,300. Baltimore has the honor of having the fourth-worst murder rate in the country and it also has the 10th worst aggravated assault rate.

7. LITTLE ROCK

The city has a population of 192,922 and there have been 15.2 violent crimes per 1000 people. A total of 25 murders were committed in the year 2010. The median income is around $38,992 while the unemployment rate is 6.8%.

Little Rock is considered to have one of the highest aggravated assault rates in the entire country. It also manages to be a part of the top-ten when it comes to forcible rapes. Since the year 2009, the rapes have decreased while the aggravated assaults have increased. The police department claims that crimes in  Little Rock decreased by a 12% in the year 2010 but the violent crimes have increased from the year 2009 to 2010.

6. OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

The city has a population of 409,723 and there have been 15.3 violent crimes per 1000 people. A total of 90 murders were committed in the year 2010. The median income is around $51,473 while the unemployment rate is 11%.

Between the years 2009 and 2010, the violent crimes in Oakland were reported to have dropped by about 5.5%; the figures fell from 6,800 to 6,260. Nonetheless, Oakland has the second-highest robbery rate, ninth-highest murder rate and tenth-highest rape rate in the country. In the year 2010, there were around 7.12 robberies for every 1000 residents. The Oakland Mayor decided to start late-night basketball games to keep the wrongdoers off the streets at night. As of now we are unsure whether this solved the problem or not.

5. MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

The city has a population of 673,650 and there have been 15.4 violent crimes per 1000 people. A total of 89 murders were committed in the year 2010. The median income is around $34,203 while the unemployment rate is 9.9%.

If you consider the 24/7 Wall Street Journal rankings then Memphis has high rates for all the violent crimes. Between the years 2009 and 2010, the violent crimes dropped by 15%. The Mayor of Memphis started an operation by the name of ‘Safe Community’ and it seems as if it is working for him. The plan has a number of strategies to cut down on the crime rates such as toughening punishments for criminals etc.

4. NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

The city has a population of 124,856 and there have been 15.8 violent crimes per 1000 people. A total of 22 murders were committed in the year 2010. The median income is around $38,279 while the unemployment rate is 9.6%.

Historically, New Haven has the highest of the crime rates in the east coast. The police departments are working hard to decrease these crimes by installing security cameras at the intersections. One thing to note is that the number of murders doubled since last year.

3. ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI

The city has a population of 355,151 and there have been 17.5 violent crimes per 1000 people. A total of 144 murders were committed in the year 2010. The median income is around $34,801 while the unemployment rate is 9.3%.

The crime rates have been falling since the year 2007 with a sharp decrease between the years 2009 and 2010. However, the murder rate and the aggravated assault rate were the third-highest in the year 2010. The city’s murder rate by gun-shot is the second highest in the country. At first is New Orleans.

2. DETROIT, MICHIGAN

The city has a population of 899,447 and there have been 18.9 violent crimes per 1000 people. A total of 310 murders were committed in the year 2010. The median income is around $26,098 while the unemployment rate is 12.7%.

Known as the Motor City of the United States, this city has suffered from high unemployment rates, homelessness and crime rate. With sixth-highest murder rate, fifth-highest robbery rate and the second-highest rate of aggravated assault, this certainly is a dangerous city to roam around in.

1. FLINT, MICHIGAN

The city has a population of 109,245 and there have been 22 violent crimes per 1000 people. A total of 53 murders were committed in the year 2010. The median income is around $27,049 while the unemployment rate is 11.8%.

The number of violent crimes considered while compiling this list have all been increasing for Flint. The number of murders increased from 36 to 53. If you consider the population and then the statistics, it spells danger however you might look at it. This city has a poverty rate of 36.2 and is ranked number one when considered the rate of assaults.