The Top 20 most violent and deadliest towns in South Jersey

The most crime-ridden city in South Jersey is also the crime capital for the whole state.

With more than 21 crimes for every 1,000 residents, Camden has the Garden State's highest crime rate among towns with at least 1,000 residents, according to a New Jersey 101.5 review of 2016 crime statistics released last month by the FBI and the State Police.

Across the United States in 2016, crime rose for the second year in a row. But not in New Jersey.

Last year, the state counted nine more homicides and 90 more reported rapes than in 2015. But all other violent and non-violent crimes went down.

The positive trend appears to be continuing this year. According to State Police data released in August, crimes are down by an average of 7.1 percent compared to the same months last year. The biggest drop so far has been the homicide category, down 24 percent compared to the same time last year.

Below is a list of the South Jersey towns with the highest number of crimes per 1,000 residents. The locations may surprise you.

But a note of caution. While the rate is based on resident population, some towns see a lot of visitors — think the shore towns during the summer. That influx of people can result in a high number of crimes and make the rate seem high. We excluded any towns with populations of less than 1,000.

A full list of all the towns in the state is at the bottom of the story.

South Jersey's Top 20

For the purpose of this list, South Jersey comprises Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Ocean and Salem counties.

Population: 5,937
— 3.7 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 2
Rape: 1
Robbery: 14
Aggravated assaults: 5

Population: 4,520
— 4.2 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 0
Rape: 4
Robbery: 7
Aggravated assaults: 8

Population: 9,483
— 4.6 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 1
Rape: 11
Robbery: 7
Aggravated assaults: 25

Population: 3,162
— 4.7 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 0
Rape: 2
Robbery: 1
Aggravated assaults: 12

Population: 60,823
— 4.9 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 1
Rape: 15
Robbery: 128
Aggravated assaults: 153

Population: 1,626
— 4.9 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 0
Rape: 0
Robbery: 1
Aggravated assaults: 7

Population: 9,785
— 5.3 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 2
Rape: 1
Robbery: 23
Aggravated assaults: 26

Population: 20,855
— 5.5 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 3
Rape: 1
Robbery: 42
Aggravated assaults: 68

Population: 17,340
— 6.4 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 0
Rape: 11
Robbery: 49
Aggravated assaults: 51

Population: 2,898
— 6.6 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 0
Rape: 0
Robbery: 9
Aggravated assaults: 10

Population: 28,177
— 7.9 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 4
Rape: 22
Robbery: 82
Aggravated assaults: 115

Population: 2,555
— 8.2 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 1
Rape: 0
Robbery: 11
Aggravated assaults: 9

Population: 4,908
— 8.4 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 1
Rape: 2
Robbery: 17
Aggravated assaults: 21

Population: 24,982
— 9 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 4
Rape: 13
Robbery: 113
Aggravated assaults: 95

Population: 2,886
— 9 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 0
Rape: 0
Robbery: 5
Aggravated assaults: 21

Population: 1,919
— 10.4 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 0
Rape: 4
Robbery: 8
Aggravated assaults: 8

Population: 4,849
— 10.9 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 3
Rape: 3
Robbery: 16
Aggravated assaults: 31

Population: 38,735
— 12.4 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 12
Rape: 23
Robbery: 271
Aggravated assaults: 174

Population: 5,115
— 13.1 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 0
Rape: 6
Robbery: 26
Aggravated assaults: 35

Population: 74,420
— 21.2 violent crimes per 1,000
Homicides: 47
Rape: 88
Robbery: 427
Aggravated assaults: 1,012

2016 violent crimes in NJ

Sergio Bichao is deputy digital editor at New Jersey 101.5. Send him news tips: Call 609-359-5348 or email sergio.bichao@townsquaremedia.com.