On Sunday Nov. 21st, CQ Press released their latest annual study of crime in major U.S. cities. According to the study, in 2009 St. Louis was the most dangerous city in the United States, with a crime rate almost five times the national average – over 2,000 crimes per 100,000 residents.

The most dangerous cities also include last year's #1 Camden, NJ, as well as Oakland, California. Michigan has the dubious distinction of having two cities in the top 5 – Flint and Detroit, which gives Michigan DUI lawyers enough to do.

The study uses official FBI statistics, although the bureau doesn't endorse the use of its data in such studies and distances itself from any efforts to construct city rankings based on these statistics.