Along the Atlantic coast, New Jersey is a cosmopolitan state that shares boundaries with both New York and Pennsylvania.
The state has a reputation for being associated with organized crime, despite its famed beaches, mountains, tomatoes, and famous musicians like Springsteen and Bon Jovi. The overall crime rate in New Jersey is low, even though the state is home to 9.3 million people.
If you’re looking to move to New Jersey, it’s a good idea to do some research on which neighborhoods are the most dangerous and why. In the end, what matters most is ensuring the safety and comfort of you and your loved ones. Consequently, read on to learn about the five most dangerous cities in the Garden State.
Camden
Camden is the riskiest city in New Jersey because of its extremely high crime and violent crime rates. The city is unfortunately often the subject of negative news reports.
Camden has a lot on its plate, what with having among of the country’s highest crime rates. The situation has worsened due to budget cuts to the local police force and urban decay.
There are 1,603 violent crimes for every 100,000 people living in this city at the moment. Even though the police have taken significant measures to restore order, the city remains hazardous due to the high number of homicides and assaults. With such high crime rates, Camden is definitely not a good place to live in New Jersey.
Irvington
Locals and visitors alike now avoid driving through Irvington because of its alarmingly high crime rate, which has transformed it from a lovely Newark suburb.
Neighboring Irvington has not fared as well, despite Newark’s best attempts to lower crime rates. There has been an alarming increase in drug addiction and gang activity in Irvington.
An estimated 500 violent crimes occur for every 100,000 people residing in this area. But the reality is that robberies and vehicle thefts happen considerably more often than the average person would want to admit. Stay away from this dangerous New Jersey city if you can.
Atlantic City
Despite its global reputation as a mecca for high-stakes gambling and wild parties, Atlantic City is home to a mere 38,500 permanent residents. Beyond the glitzy beaches and its quaint neighborhoods are rundown areas with alarmingly high crime rates.
With a median income of around $26,900, hardly 23% of the population is considered to be poor. There are an incredible 150,000 calls to the police in Atlantic City each year. Atlantic City has 1,199 registered crimes in 2016.
There were 1,100 property offenses and 257 violent crimes, for a total of 1,100 crimes. This works out to around 24 per 1,000 persons. The crime rate per capita in Atlantic City is higher than that of just 10% of American towns.
Paterson
New Jersey’s Paterson has a terrible reputation for violent crime, much like the other cities on our list. Heroinism and gang warfare are the primary causes of criminal activity in this region.
More specifically, there were 3,137 reported crimes in the past year, including 1,168 violent crimes (7.4 per 1,000 people) and 1,969 property-related offenses (12.4% per 1,000 people).
In Paterson, 1 in 80 people will be victims of property crime and 1 in 135 will be victims of violent crime this year.
Trenton
Mercer County in west-central New Jersey is home to Trenton, the state capital. With 12,000 people per square mile, it has an incredibly dense population.
The city maintained its status as one of the US Murder Capitals in 2022, even though the general crime rate declined during that year. Forty homicides in Trenton in 2022 are shocking when you consider the city’s small population.
Two months had passed without a murder in August 2022, and the community rejoiced. There were 1,652 cases of property crimes and 818 cases of violent offenses documented throughout the year.
Trenton has a violent crime victimization rate of 1 in 111 and a property crime victimization rate of 1 in 55.
Last Thoughts
New Jersey has the greatest crime rate among the 50 states, with 137,012 offenses registered in the last year. Theft accounts for the great majority of these offenses (85%), with burglaries, larceny, and vehicle theft being the most common types of theft.
The crime rate in the Garden State is greater than normal, accounting for 13% of all violent offenses. The state boasts one of the nation’s lowest crime rates, despite the fact that some cities may have quite high crime rates. Choosing to relocate here was likely the best choice you could have made. Pick the right position, and you’ll be good to go.