Maine's Most Dangerous Town Is Safer Than the US Average

Maine's most dangerous city reports 314 violent crimes per 100,000 people. The US average is 359.1, and Maine as a whole sits at 100.1, the lowest of any state. So why do four ranking sites name four different "most dangerous" towns? Same FBI data, divided differently. Crime is counted where it happens, population where people sleep, so towns with a hospital, a mall and a courthouse look dangerous on paper. And two incidents in a town of 8,500 top a murder ranking. 00:00 314 against 359 00:45 The safest state in America 01:43 Why the rankings disagree 02:17 The denominator trap 03:08 #10 Skowhegan 03:53 #9 Sanford 04:31 #8 Auburn 05:22 #7 Lewiston 06:17 #6 Waterville 07:24 #5 Bangor 08:19 #4 Bath and the small numbers problem 10:40 #3 Portland 11:23 #2 Augusta 12:32 #1 Biddeford 13:46 Three towns that don't belong: Ellsworth 14:30 Presque Isle 15:06 Bath 15:20 How to check a town yourself Sources: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, USAFacts, Maine Department of Public Safety, AreaVibes, RoadSnacks, SafeHome, NeighborhoodScout, Movoto. Rankings disagree with each other and reporting coverage is uneven. Which Maine town were you warned about, and by whom? Subscribing lets me spend more time on the next one. #Maine #MaineSafety #RetireInMaine