Beware of 10 most ‘unsafe’ US cities during holiday season

It is the holiday season again and this means traffic-struck travel routes as families across the world travel hundreds or thousands of miles to reunite and celebrate together.

However, during the holiday season, it is important to be mindful of safety, especially if you plan to travel to different cities in the United States.

New research from Vivint, a smart-home security company, suggests that some cities in the US are considered more "unsafe" than others during the holidays.

Those factors include data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), Google Trends searches related to holiday security, security features for Airbnb listings, registered Neighbourhood Watch groups and National Insurance Crime Bureau statistics, according to Vivint.

The Vivint report states that Missouri's St Louis, Utah's Salt Lake City, and Colorado's Denver topped the list of the "riskiest cities for crime during the holiday season."

"Focusing on the specific risk factors contributing to these rankings shows that different cities present unique security challenges,” the Vivint report states.

The highest number of NIBRS reports per 100,000 people were recorded in St. Louis, Salt Lake City and Denver, according to the study.

Meanwhile, internet data, as found by Vivent, showed that Delaware's Newark and Vermont's Rutland had the most online searches related to holiday crime.

The study revealed that two in five US homeowners have experienced property crime during the last two holiday seasons, with nearly 50% reporting losses or damages exceeding $100.

Unoccupied houses are more susceptible to theft, with signs such as off-lights, piling packages and empty driveways being indicators.

Here’s the full list of the top 10 most “unsafe” cities in the US and their risk scores:

1. St. Louis, Missouri —  62.49
2. Newark, Delaware — 62.46
3. Salt Lake City, Utah — 60.2
4. Denver, Colorado — 62.46
5. Seattle, Washington — 59.34
6. Burlington, Vermont — 58.64
7. Rutland, Vermont — 58.56
8. Atlanta, Georgia — 58.05
9. Minneapolis, Minnesota — 57.20
10. Portland, Oregon — 56.95