Philadelphia and Wilmington listed as some of the least safe cities in the country, according to a new report

While Wilmington ranks as one of the least safe cities, it has some of the largest number of law enforcement employees per capita.

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Homes adjacent to Interstate 95

Homes adjacent to Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)

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Both Philadelphia and Wilmington score as some of the least safe cities in the country, according to a report by WalletHub, a personal finance website.

The report looked at 182 cities across the country, and ranked Philadelphia at 174, and Wilmington at 153.

WalletHub assessed 41 key safety indicators — including the murder rate, as well as the number of hate crimes, assaults and deadly traffic crashes.

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Safest Cities in America 2024 also looked at natural disaster risks and financial data — like unemployment rates, identity theft complaints, homelessness and the number of the uninsured residents.

Experts with Wallethub say crime is inevitable. But personal risk can be assessed by looking at these key factors in specific locations. Chip Lupo, writer and analyst with WalletHub.com, said he wants people to use the report to make decisions about where to live.

“It directly affects their safety and the overall well-being of the community,” said Lupo. “Because if you’re aware of local crime trends it gives residents the ability to make informed decisions about where to live.”

And, he said, there are some obvious patterns.

“The more the residents are employed, the more that are in stable homes, the less likely it is to be a high crime area,” Lupo said.

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Wilmington was one of the top five cities on the list with the most law enforcement employees, 464 per 100,000 residents, according to the report.

“It suggests that Wilmington does place a high priority on law enforcement,” Lupo said. “There’s a number of cities cutting law enforcement budgets, and police are retiring because of it.”

Still, Wilmington is at the bottom of the list when it comes to safety, revealing the complexities involved in fighting crime.

Philadelphia had some of the highest numbers of murder and non-negligent manslaughter. It also had comparatively high numbers of drug overdose deaths and hate crimes.

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