ST. LOUIS - A surge in violence made St. Louis the most dangerous city in the country, leading a trend of violent crimes rising much faster in the Midwest than in the rest of nation, according to an annual list.

The city has long fared poorly in the rankings of the safest and most dangerous American cities compiled by Morgan Quitno Press. Violent crime surged nearly 20 percent in St. Louis from 2004 to last year, when the rate of such crimes rose most dramatically in the Midwest, according to FBI figures released in June.

"It's just sad the way this city is," resident Sam Dawson said. "On the news you hear killings, someone's been shot."

The ranking, being released Monday, came as the city was still celebrating Friday's World Series victory at the new Busch Stadium. St. Louis has been spending millions of dollars on urban renewal even as the crime rate climbs.

Mayor Francis Slay did not return calls to his office seeking comment Sunday.

Scott Morgan, president of Morgan Quitno Press, a private research and publishing company specializing in state and city reference books, said he was not surprised to see St. Louis top the list, since it has been among the 10 most dangerous cities for years.

The study looks at crime only within St. Louis city limits, with a population of about 330,000, Morgan said. It doesn't take into account the suburbs in St. Louis County, which has roughly 980,000 residents.

Visiting St. Louis on Thursday, FBI director Robert Mueller said it was too early to tell why some types of crime were rising faster in the Midwest.

Mueller said the FBI is working harder to form partnerships with police departments to launch programs like St. Louis' Safe Streets task force, which focuses police efforts on problematic neighborhoods.

The safest city in 2005 was Brick, N.J., with a population about 78,000, followed by Amherst, N.Y., and Mission Viejo, Calif. The second most dangerous city was Detroit, followed by Flint, Mich., and Compton, Calif.

The bad news for St. Louis was good for Camden, N.J., which in 2005 was named the most dangerous city for the second year in a row.

Camden Mayor Gwendolyn Faison said Sunday she was thrilled to learn that her city no longer topped the most-dangerous list.

"You made my day!" said Faison, who has served since 2000. "There's a new hope and a new spirit."

Cities are ranked based on more than just their crime rate, Morgan said. Individual crimes such as rape or burglary are measured separately, compared to national averages and then compiled to give a city its ranking. Crimes are weighted based on their level of danger.

The national FBI figures released in June showed the murder rate in St. Louis jumped 16 percent from 2004 to 2005, compared with 4.8 percent nationally. The overall violent crime rate increased nearly 20 percent, compared with 2.5 percent nationally.

While crime increased in all regions last year, the 5.7 percent rise in the 12 Midwestern states was at least three times higher than any other region, according to the FBI.

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The most, least dangerous U.S. cities

A list of the safest and most dangerous cities overall, as compiled by Morgan Quitno Press, which bases the rankings on FBI figures released in June. The list starts with the safest cities and ends with the most dangerous.

Only cities that reported crime rates were included in the list. For example, New Orleans was not included this year because its police department did not report figures.

1. Brick, N.J.

2. Amherst, N.Y.

3. Mission Viejo, Calif.

4. Newton, Mass.

5. Troy, Mich.

6. Colonie, N.Y.

7. Irvine, Calif.

8. Cary, N.C.

9. Greece, N.Y.

10. Coral Springs, Fla.

11. Thousand Oaks, Calif.

12. Orem, Utah

13. Round Rock, Texas

14. Dover, N.J.

15. Lake Forest, Calif.

16. Sterling Heights, Mich.

17. Simi Valley, Calif.

18. Roswell, Ga.

19. Lee's Summit, Mo.

20. Broken Arrow, Okla.

21. Chino Hills, Calif.

22. Gilbert, Ariz.

23. Edison, N.J.

24. Cranston, R.I.

25. Port St. Lucie, Fla.

26. Sandy, Utah

27. Nashua, N.H.

28. Danbury, Conn.

29. Huntington Beach, Calif.

30. Orange, Calif.

31. Hamilton, N.J.

32. Parma, Ohio

33. Overland Park, Kan.

34. Santa Clarita, Calif.

35. Stamford, Conn.

36. Cheektowaga, N.Y.

37. Livonia, Mich.

38. Sunnyvale, Calif.

39. Murrieta, Calif.

40. Canton, Mich.

41. Plano, Texas

42. Warwick, R.I.

43. Torrance, Calif.

44. Clifton, N.J.

44. Newport Beach, Calif.

46. Woodbridge, N.J.

47. Fargo, N.D.

48. Norman, Okla.

49. Olathe, Kan.

50. Boca Raton, Fla.

51. Livermore, Calif.

52. Centennial, Colo.

53. Fremont, Calif.

54. Clinton, Mich.

55. Vacaville, Calif.

56. Tracy, Calif.

57. Bellevue, Wash.

58. Carlsbad, Calif.

59. Pembroke Pines, Fla.

60. Farmington Hills, Mich.

61. Richardson, Texas

62. Rancho Cucamon., Calif.

63. Boulder, Colo.

64. McKinney, Texas

65. Rochester, Minn.

66. Beaverton, Ore.

67. Santa Clara, Calif.

68. Daly City, Calif.

69. Lewisville, Texas

70. Napa, Calif.

71. Burbank, Calif.

72. Arvada, Colo.

73. Alexandria, Va.

74. Virginia Beach, Va.

75. Ann Arbor, Mich.

76. Quincy, Mass.

77. Glendale, Calif.

78. Ventura, Calif.

79. Provo, Utah

80. Fullerton, Calif.

81. Lawrence, Kan.

82. Scottsdale, Ariz.

83. Carrollton, Texas

84. Hillsboro, Ore.

85. Somerville, Mass.

86. Kenosha, Wis.

87. Davie, Fla.

88. Chino, Calif.

89. Sunrise, Fla.

90. Cape Coral, Fla.

91. Henderson, Nev.

92. Billings, Mont.

93. Cedar Rapids, Iowa

94. Plantation, Fla.

95. Costa Mesa, Calif.

96. San Mateo, Calif.

97. Garland, Texas

98. Madison, Wis.

99. Corona, Calif.

100. Clovis, Calif.

101. Yonkers, N.Y.

102. Alhambra, Calif.

103. Buena Park, Calif.

104. Odessa, Texas

105. Chandler, Ariz.

106. Norwalk, Conn.

107. Upper Darby, Pa.

108. Peoria, Ariz.

109. Westminster, Calif.

110. Roseville, Calif.

111. Lakewood, Calif.

112. San Jose, Calif.

113. Honolulu, Hawaii

114. El Paso, Texas

115. Santa Barbara, Calif.

116. Temecula, Calif.

117. Cambridge, Mass.

118. Pasadena, Texas

119. Brownsville, Texas

120. Boise, Idaho

121. Garden Grove, Calif.

122. Mesquite, Texas

123. Westminster, Colo.

124. Manchester, N.H.

125. Whittier, Calif.

126. Westland, Mich.

127. McAllen, Texas

128. Lincoln, Neb.

129. Pasadena, Calif.

130. Columbia, Mo.

131. Midland, Texas

132. Chesapeake, Va.

133. Santa Rosa, Calif.

134. Spokane Valley, Wash.

135. Anaheim, Calif.

136. Athens-Clarke, Ga.

137. Green Bay, Wis.

138. Irving, Texas

139. Fort Collins, Colo.

140. Escondido, Calif.

141. Miramar, Fla.

142. Concord, Calif.

143. West Covina, Calif.

144. Hampton, Va.

145. New York City

146. Denton, Texas

147. Palm Bay, Fla.

148. Sioux City, Iowa

149. Sioux Falls, S.D.

150. Thornton, Colo.

151. Salem, Ore.

152. Hialeah, Fla.

153. Baldwin Park, Calif.

154. Erie, Pa.

155. San Angelo, Texas

156. Oxnard, Calif.

157. Oceanside, Calif.

158. Austin, Texas

159. Evansville, Ind.

160. Lakeland, Fla.

161. Laredo, Texas

162. Raleigh, N.C.

163. El Monte, Calif.

164. Waterbury, Conn.

165. Vista, Calif.

166. Murfreesboro, Tenn.

167. Fontana, Calif.

168. Grand Prairie, Texas

169. Fort Wayne, Ind.

170. Santa Ana, Calif.

171. Santa Monica, Calif.

172. Lexington, Ky.

173. Colorado Springs, Colo.

174. Suffolk, Va.

175. Hollywood, Fla.

176. Eugene, Ore.

177. Norwalk, Calif.

178. Santa Maria, Calif.

179. Downey, Calif.

180. Abilene, Texas

181. Chula Vista, Calif.

182. Ogden, Utah

183. Melbourne, Fla.

184. Clarksville, Tenn.

185. Sparks, Nev.

186. San Diego, Calif.

187. Carson, Calif.

188. Vancouver, Wash.

189. Greeley, Colo.

190. Springfield, Mo.

191. Mesa, Ariz.

192. Moreno Valley, Calif.

193. Tyler, Texas

194. Dearborn, Mich.

195. Des Moines, Iowa

196. Lowell, Mass.

197. San Antonio

198. Corpus Christi, Texas

199. El Cajon, Calif.

200. Salinas, Calif.

201. Fairfield, Calif.

202. Lakewood, Colo.

203. Redding, Calif.

204. Ontario, Calif.

205. South Gate, Calif.

206. Topeka, Kan.

207. Arlington, Texas

208. Lawton, Okla.

209. Riverside, Calif.

210. Antioch, Calif.

211. Long Beach, Calif.

212. Anchorage, Alaska

213. West Valley, Utah

214. Hawthorne, Calif.

215. Yuma, Ariz.

216. Louisville, Ky.

217. Omaha, Neb.

218. Clearwater, Fla.

219. Independence, Mo.

220. Spokane, Wash.

221. Reno, Nev.

222. Grand Rapids, Mich.

223. Pueblo, Colo.

224. Hayward, Calif.

225. Tuscaloosa, Ala.

226. Berkeley, Calif.

227. Las Cruces, N.M.

228. Mobile, Ala.

229. Worcester, Mass.

230. Palmdale, Calif.

231. Modesto, Calif.

232. Wichita Falls, Texas

233. Lubbock, Texas

234. San Leandro, Calif.

235. Amarillo, Texas

236. Bakersfield, Calif.

237. Columbus, Ga.

238. Gainesville, Fla.

239. Gresham, Ore.

240. Charleston, S.C.

241. Tempe, Ariz.

242. Lynn, Mass.

243. Lafayette, La.

244. Newport News, Va.

245. High Point, N.C.

246. Fort Worth, Texas

247. Salt Lake City, Utah

248. Jacksonville, Fla.

249. Portland, Ore.

250. Los Angeles

251. Victorville, Calif.

252. Bellflower, Calif.

253. Glendale, Ariz.

254. New Bedford, Mass.

255. Pomona, Calif.

256. Racine, Wis.

257. Aurora, Colo.

258. Elizabeth, N.J.

259. Rialto, Calif.

260. Savannah, Ga.

261. Paterson, N.J.

262. Seattle

263. Albany, Ga.

264. Southfield, Mich.

265. Lancaster, Calif.

266. Waco, Texas

267. Fresno, Calif.

268. Killeen, Texas

269. Greensboro, N.C.

270. San Francisco

271. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

272. Durham, N.C.

273. Fort Smith, Ark.

274. Tallahassee, Fla.

275. South Bend, Ind.

276. Lansing, Mich.

277. Federal Way, Wash.

278. Huntsville, Ala.

279. Albuquerque, N.M.

280. Visalia, Calif.

281. Winston-Salem, N.C.

282. Providence, R.I.

283. Everett, Wash.

284. Davenport, Iowa

285. Hammond, Ind.

286. Roanoke, Va.

287. Norfolk, Va.

288. Fayetteville, N.C.

289. Kent, Wash.

290. Akron, Ohio

291. St. Paul, Minn.

292. Wilmington, N.C.

293. Portsmouth, Va.

294. Oklahoma City

295. Columbia, S.C.

296. Canton, Ohio

297. Knoxville, Tenn.

298. Montgomery, Ala.

299. Allentown, Pa.

300. North Las Vegas, Nev.

301. Beaumont, Texas

302. Las Vegas, Nev.

303. Denver

304. Yakima, Wash.

305. Syracuse, N.Y.

306. Longview, Texas

307. Pittsburgh

308. Tucson, Ariz.

309. Bridgeport, Conn.

310. Inglewood, Calif.

311. Pompano Beach, Fla.

312. Albany, N.Y.

313. Phoenix

314. Boston

315. Chattanooga, Tenn.

316. Tampa, Fla.

317. Jersey City, N.J.

318. Milwaukee

319. Miami Beach, Fla.

320. Indianapolis, Ind.

321. Shreveport, La.

322. Sacramento, Calif.

323. St. Petersburg, Fla.

324. Tacoma, Wash.

325. Houston

326. Columbus, Ohio

327. Miami

328. Baton Rouge, La.

329. Charlotte, N.C.

330. Jackson, Miss.

331. Toledo, Ohio

332. Macon, Ga.

333. Nashville, Tenn.

334. Rochester, N.Y.

335. Tulsa, Okla.

336. Stockton, Calif.

337. Hartford, Conn.

338. Dallas

339. Miami Gardens, Fla.

340. Buffalo, N.Y.

341. Springfield, Mass.

342. Kansas City, Kan.

343. Philadelphia

344. West Palm Beach, Fla.

345. Minneapolis

346. Dayton, Ohio

347. Orlando, Fla.

348. San Bernardino, Calif.

349. Little Rock, Ark.

350. Newark, N.J.

351. Reading, Pa.

352. North Charleston, S.C.

353. Washington

354. Cincinnati

355. Atlanta

356. Kansas City, Mo.

357. Richmond, Va.

358. Trenton, N.J.

359. Memphis, Tenn.

360. Baltimore

361. Richmond, Calif.

362. Gary, Ind.

363. Youngstown, Ohio

364. Oakland, Calif.

365. Cleveland

366. Birmingham, Ala.

367. Camden, N.J.

368. Compton, Calif.

369. Flint, Mich.

370. Detroit

371. St. Louis