Grade D Cities, Below Average Safety

Grade D corresponds to a Safety Context Score in the 35-49 range. Cities scoring 35-49 on the Safety Context Score. Per-capita crime rates run above the FBI national average. Direction (improving versus worsening) often distinguishes cities inside this band. The score combines per-capita violent crime versus the FBI national average (40%), per-capita property crime versus the national average (30%), and the direction of the 5-year trend in total crime (30%).

Grade D is one of five letter grades (A, B, C, D, F) in the Safety Context Score system. 43 U.S. cities in the FBI cohort currently sit at Grade D. Distribution across grades varies year to year as cities move up and down in response to changing per-capita rates and trend direction.

Yes. The Safety Context Score recomputes each time CrimeContext ingests a new FBI UCR release (typically annually). Cities move between grades when their per-capita rates change meaningfully relative to the national average or when the 5-year trend slope shifts. The trend window is rolling, so a city that improves consistently for several years can move multiple grades over time.

For lower-graded cities, the 5-year trend and neighborhood-level data are both essential. A high-but-falling rate signals different conditions than a high-and-rising one, and city-wide rates always smooth over substantial neighborhood variation. Local police district maps and the FBI Crime Data Explorer are good complements.

Every figure traces back to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program, accessed through the FBI Crime Data Explorer at cde.ucr.cjis.gov. Population denominators come from U.S. Census Bureau estimates. The Bureau of Justice Statistics publishes the National Crime Victimization Survey at bjs.ojp.gov, which captures the share of crime that doesn't reach police. The data is public domain.