Mobile's metro crime rate: 20th in U.S.

MOBILE, Ala. - CQ Press says the Mobile metro area has the 20th worst crime rate in the country.

The findings are part of a study called "City Crime Rankings 2009-2010: Crime in Metropolitan America".

"The crime rate rankings of the cities and metropolitan areas are calculated using six crime categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft," according to CQ Press. "These categories have been used for determining city crime rate ratings since 1999. The rankings include all cities of at least 75,000 residents that reported crime data to the FBI in the categories noted for calendar year 2008. In the most recent survey, 332 metropolitan areas and 393 cities were considered using statistics released by the Uniform Crime Reporting Program of the FBI in September, 2009."

Pine Bluff, Arkansas has the worst metro crime rating; New Orleans is fifth. Birmingham is 21st.

When looking at just city rankings, Mobile is 136th, with Camden, New Jersey judged the most dangerous.