Violent crime measures the annual number of murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults per 100,000 population. Ranks are based on the previous year's data from the Crime in the United States report from the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

The violent crime rate measures the effect criminal behavior has on the population’s health, as violent crimes often lead to injuries, disability or death. Violent crime also serves as an indicator of the overall well being of a population since violent crime can lead to psychological stress as well as interfere with healthy lifestyles by discouraging physical activity[1]^-[2]. Violent crime has wide ranging effects on communities, which only deteriorate the health of the community. In 2010 there were 1.2 million acts of violent crime committed in the U.S. and over 16,000 homicides[3]. In 2010 for the first time since 1965 homicide was not among the 15 leading causes of death for all ages, however it was still the 2^nd leading cause of death among 10-24 year olds and 650,000 young people were treated for injuries resulting from violence[4]. Violent crime carries a significant economic burden as well with an estimated $65 billion in lost productivity and $6 billion in direct medical costs[5]. For decades violence prevention has been a priority among health officials and numerous intervention strategies have been evaluated and many have been shown to be effective[6]. The violent crime rate is dependent upon many factors some of which may be unique to certain communities and therefore addressing violent crime may require a thorough investigation of the root causes.