Florida City, a town of about 12,400 people at the gateway to the Florida Keys, has a violent crime rate of 2,291 per 100,000 residents — more than six times the national average. It tops a 2026 ranking of Florida’s most dangerous cities built from FBI crime data.
TL;DR: A 2026 analysis of FBI crime data ranks Florida City as Florida’s most dangerous city, with a total crime rate of 10,305 per 100,000 residents. Eatonville (7,590) and Lake Park (7,445) round out the top three.
How This Florida Crime Ranking Was Built
The ranking comes from a 2026 analysis of FBI crime data that calculated each city’s total crime rate as (violent crimes + property crimes) ÷ population × 100,000, then ordered cities from highest to lowest. Two independent compilations of the FBI numbers agree on the key rates within a few percent. See the full methodology here. Small-town rates swing on small numbers, so treat their order as approximate.
The 10 Most Dangerous Cities in Florida (2026, FBI Data)
1. Florida City — Total crime rate: 10,304.64 per 100,000; violent crime: 2,290.81; property crime: 8,013.83. The unassuming gateway to the Florida Keys and Everglades National Park has by far the highest violent crime rate in the state, over six times the national average of 359.1 per 100,000.
2. Eatonville — Total: 7,590.47; violent: 1,323.92; property: 6,266.55. Located near Orlando, Eatonville is the oldest incorporated African American municipality in the United States, and its total crime rate runs 258% above the national average.
3. Lake Park — Total: 7,445.03; violent: 580.42; property: 6,864.61. This small Palm Beach County town of about 9,000 ranks high almost entirely on property crime — its violent rate sits near the state average, but its property rate of 6,865 per 100,000 is among the worst in Florida.
4. Mangonia Park — Total: 6,134.30; violent: 943.74; property: 5,190.56. With only about 2,800 residents, this tiny Palm Beach County town posts a violent crime rate nearly three times the state average alongside very high property crime.
5. Cocoa — Total: 4,635.53; violent: 1,082.28; property: 3,553.25. The Space Coast city near Cape Canaveral has the highest violent crime rate of any Florida city over 20,000 people here — roughly four times the state average.
6. Riviera Beach — Total: 4,574.46; violent: 943.08; property: 3,631.38. The Palm Beach County city of about 39,000 posts a violent crime rate more than three times Florida’s statewide figure, with motor vehicle theft a notable driver of its property numbers.
7. Aventura — Total: 4,253.99; violent: 164.42; property: 4,089.57. Aventura is the outlier: its violent rate is below the state average, but its property crime rate — over 4,000 per 100,000 — lands it at number seven, since the ranking weighs total crime.
8. Palatka — Total: 4,003.33; violent: 268.12; property: 3,735.21. Like Aventura, Palatka ranks on property crime; its violent rate of 268 per 100,000 is almost exactly the Florida average.
9. Belle Glade — Total: 3,986.97; violent: 1,327.01; property: 2,659.95. The western Palm Beach County city of about 16,900 has the second-highest violent crime rate on this list — nearly five times the statewide average.
10. Miami Shores — Total: 3,938.65; violent: 252.70; property: 3,685.95. The Miami-Dade village of about 11,500 closes out the top ten on property crime, with a violent rate below the state average.
Florida vs. the Nation: What the Data Shows
For context, Florida’s overall numbers look better than the country’s. The FBI data puts Florida’s statewide total crime rate at 1,687.5 per 100,000 versus 2,119.2 nationally, and the violent crime rate at 267.1 versus 359.1 for the U.S. as a whole. The danger is concentrated: a small set of cities accounts for rates far above the average, while most of the state sits well below it.
Property crime, not violence, is what pushes several cities onto the list — Aventura, Palatka, and Miami Shores all have violent rates at or below the state average, so the risk profile differs sharply from city to city.
Compare with our most dangerous cities in Georgia and 10 most dangerous cities in Ohio rankings, built from the same FBI crime data.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most dangerous city in Florida in 2026?
Florida City, with a total crime rate of 10,304.64 per 100,000 and a violent crime rate of 2,290.81 per 100,000, according to a 2026 analysis of FBI crime data.
Where does the Florida crime data come from?
The figures come from the FBI’s crime data, compiled in a 2026 analysis that calculated total crime rates as (violent + property crimes) ÷ population × 100,000.
Is Miami one of the most dangerous cities in Florida?
Not in this ranking. Miami does not appear in the top 10 by total crime rate; the list is led by smaller cities like Florida City, Eatonville, and Belle Glade, plus mid-size cities like Cocoa and Riviera Beach.
Why are small towns ranked as more dangerous than big cities?
Per-capita rates divide crimes by population, so a small town with a few thousand residents can show extreme rates from a modest number of crimes. That is a known limitation of rate-based rankings.
Is Florida more dangerous than the national average?
No. Florida’s violent crime rate of 267.1 per 100,000 is below the U.S. average of 359.1, and its total crime rate of 1,687.5 is below the national 2,119.2.
What counts as violent crime in the FBI data?
The FBI’s violent crime category covers murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Property crime covers burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.
Does the ranking use violent crime or total crime?
The ranking orders cities by total crime rate (violent plus property) — which is why high-property-crime cities like Aventura appear despite below-average violent rates.
How can I check crime data for my own city?
The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer at cde.ucr.cjis.gov lets you look up reported offenses by agency and location, and many local police departments publish their own dashboards.
