Late last October, my husband and I reveled in St. Louis with hundreds of thousands of Cardinals fans as our team claimed the World Series title for the first time since 1982. We greeted dozens of strangers with high-fives and hugs. We stumbled through the downtown city streets, late into the night, propelled by an overwhelming sense of revelry and camaraderie. We had no idea, of course, that we were acting so carefree in a city that was about to be named the most dangerous in the U.S.

So I was relieved this morning when Missouri failed to make AOL Money & Finance's list of the 12 most dangerous states. This means, of course, that our crime rate is neatly contained within the Gateway City, which is where I currently reside. Not ideal, but we have to take our victories when we can.

While it doesn't have the highest rate of murders, burglary, or other violent crime, Nevada has high enough rankings across the board to earn it the number-one spot. Number two is New Mexico, which ranks second in the U.S. for rape, assault, and burglary offenses, and number three is Arizona. The remaining top 12 breaks down as follows: