Miami-Dade County and most of its cities have dropped in the rankings on CQ Press's "Most Dangerous Cities" list, which is considerably good news. Last year, Miami-Dade was ranked the fourth most dangerous metro area in America. This year, it's only number 16, and no it's not just because other cities got more dangerous. CQ's statistics show the crime rate has decreased throughout much of the area.
The rankings compare the rates of various serious crimes in a city and then compare them to the national average and assign a score. This year, Miami-Dade received a score of 63.89, which is down considerably from last year's 79.24. But it's still nothing to write home about. Greater New York City has a score of -32.09.
On the city-by-city list, Miami Gardens is once again the most dangerous city in the area with a score of 138.05, which makes its the 40th most dangerous city in America. Still, that's down from when it was the 13th most dangerous city in 2008.
Miami Beach isn't far behind at 42, and Miami proper is at 51. This year, not a single Florida city cracks the top 25, but St. Petersburg is the most dangerous city in Florida, coming in at 31. Coral Springs is once again the safest city in Florida, coming in at 358.