The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Oklahoma For 2022

The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In Oklahoma For 2022

Oklahoma's second biggest city and the cultural center of the state's northeast, Tulsa ranks as the most dangerous place to live in Oklahoma for 2022. Tulsa had the second highest violent crime rate in Oklahoma, recording 72 murders in 2020.

Overall, residents had a 1 in 88 chance of being the victim of a robbery, rape, assault, or murder. That's a good enough reason to stay buddied up when you're in Tulsa's worst neighborhoods.

Property crime is also a big deal in Tulsa, especially burglaries. There were 4,407 burglaries in 2020 overall, giving the city the eighth highest burglary rate statewide. We just hope there's enough security at the Philbrook Museum of Art to stop any would-be heisters.

While most American cities see crime drop year over year, Idabel's trajectory is going in the other direction. The city experienced a jump in violent crime and a rise in property crime in recent years.

Idabel had the highest property crime rate in Oklahoma, with residents facing a whopping 1 in 15 chance of having their stuff stolen or damaged over 2020. Idabel's property crime rate is so high that its overall crime rate actually ranks as the highest statewide.

And just because Idabel only ranks as the fourth most violent place in Oklahoma, that doesn't tell the whole story. Idabel had the fourth highest rape and highest murder rate statewide. So get home before dark if you're heading to Little River National Wildlife Refuge.

Anadarko got its name by accident. The town was supposed to be named after the Nadaco band of Native Americans. However, somewhere in the process of getting its first post office, someone added an "A" to the front of the word.

Not an auspicious start. But this community in central Oklahoma, about 50 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, has other problems to worry about than the history of its name. It also stands as the number 3 most dangerous spot in the state. The town suffers high rates of larceny and burglary, as well as a scary pace of violent crimes.

Ardmore's crime rate became much higher since last year, landing it in the #4 spot for 2022. Violent crime went up, and property crime rose too, in recent years -- not a great combo.

Ardmore ended up with the sixth highest violent crime rate in Oklahoma thanks to these gains. That works out to about four violent crimes per week, with the majority being aggravated assaults.

So if you don't want to end up the protagonist of a horror movie, bring a friend with you when you go out for a hike at Lake Murray State Park.

Located in the north-central part of the state, Ponca City was once an oil boom town. From the early 1910s, when the first oil lease was signed in the area, through the middle of the 20th century, the town saw tremendous growth, largely fueled by the oil industry. The population went from around 2,500 in 1910 to almost ten times that amount fifty years later.

Recently, however, the growth has ground to a halt. The city, with its 23,484 residents, has fewer people than it did in 1970. Meanwhile, crime has become a distinct problem for those left behind. That includes high rates of robberies and burglaries.

Hugo is a circus town. Not to imply that the residents are clowns. We mean it literally: the community provided the winter home for approximately 20 circuses back in the hayday for those traveling shows.

That's kind of a fun thing for a city to become famous for -- if you can ignore the exploitation and cruelty to animals. These days, though, with most of the circuses closed permanently, Hugo has a completely different reputation. Now, the town ranks as the number 6 most dangerous spot in Oklahoma. As such, the retired lion tamers living out their golden years in Hugo have to worry about high rates of arson and larceny.

Located about an hour south of Oklahoma City, Pauls Valley ranks as Oklahoma's seventh least safe place to live. Pauls Valley had the second highest burglary count in the state and recorded a property crime each day, on average. That's quite a lot in a city of just 6,111.

Here's hoping that no super criminal nerd collective gets together to pull a heist of the local Toy and Action Figure Museum.

While Pauls Valley had the eighth most property crime in Oklahoma, it's the least violent place on this list.

You won't find Del City anywhere on our list of Oklahoma City's best suburbs, and crime is a big reason why.

Del City had the third highest violent crime rate in Oklahoma. Residents had a staggering 1 in 100 shot of being the victim of a violent attack in 2020.

Add to that 792 property crimes over the year, and you've got a recipe for a full plate for the Del City Police Department.

You'd think having a castle and a submarine around, Muskogee would have its bases covered in preventing crime, but it doesn't.

Muskogee ranked as the most violent place in Oklahoma, with residents facing a 1 in 82 chance of being the victim of a robbery, rape, assault, or murder in 2020. A lot of that comes from Muskogee having the ninth highest rate of rape cases statewide.

If that doesn't sound bad enough, consider that Muskogee also averaged one burglary a day over 2020 -- truly, nowhere is safe in Muskogee.

Oklahoma City's crime numbers actually fell a bit over the last year, despite it holding onto a spot on this list. That's just because other cities in Oklahoma are improving faster than the capital city.

Still, residents have to contend with the ninth highest violent crime rate in Oklahoma. That includes more than one murder each week and more than one rape each day. Not exactly part of the Wild West image Oklahoma City was going for with the National Cowboy and Western Museum.

As for property crime, Oklahoma City recorded more than ten car thefts each day on average, and 25,853 property crimes overall. However, as OKC is the state's biggest city, there are obviously some rougher areas, but if you stick to Oklahoma City's best neighborhoods, you should be safe.

Most Dangerous Places To Live In Oklahoma FAQs

Is Oklahoma a dangerous state?

Yes, Oklahoma is a dangerous state as it ranks as the #8 most dangerous state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in oklahoma ranks 13th highest in the United States -- 18.25% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Sooner State ranks sixth highest in the United States -- 38.17% worse than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020.

Is Oklahoma City, OK a dangerous city?

Yes, Oklahoma City is a dangerous city. Oklahoma City ranks as the #50 most dangerous out of 320 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though Oklahoma City might be considered dangerous you still need to be aware of where you are.

Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Oklahoma City ranks 82nd highest in America -- 32.26% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 5highest in the United States -- 46.68% worse than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020 and that no city in America is 'dangerous'. Despite the uptick in murders, it's nothing like you'd see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.