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Safest Cities in Washington, 2021

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Like its neighbor Oregon, Washington has lower than average violent crime, yet high levels of property crime. In the state’s larger cities such as Seattle and Spokane, you’re more likely to have your car broken into than become the victim of an assault. Still, despite Washington’s property crime issue, there are plenty of communities in the state with an all-around high level of safety. Let’s take a look at Washington’s five safest cities. 

The safest city in Washington is Snoqualmie, a compact suburb of Seattle well known to fans as the setting for many exterior shots of the cult television show, Twin Peaks. Recording just two violent crimes in 2017, Snoqualmie logged a very low 0.15 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, along with a property crime rate half of the U.S. national average.

Second place goes to Enumclaw, a King County city whose name derives from a Native American legend about two brothers that became thunder and lightning, boasts an excellent violent crime rate -- just 0.85 per 1,000 residents -- along with a property crime rate lower than state and national averages.

There’s not much of a drop-off between #2 Enumclaw and #3 West Richland. In fact, the latter city actually has lower overall crime rates, factoring in its very low property crime rate of 11.71 per 1K, and falls to the #3 spot on account of a lower ratio of law enforcement personnel to residents.

Fourth in the ranking is Sunnyside, a small city in eastern Yakima county. Sunnyside did not muster the low crime rates of Washington’s top three safest cities, but its violent and property crime rates are both below the national average.

Closing out the top five is Oak Harbor, a city on Whidbey Island whose crime rates are quite a bit lower than #4 Sunnyside’s, but logged a lower law enforcement to resident ratio that worsens its overall safety rating. 

Safest Cities in Washington, 2019

RankCitySafety Index
1Snoqualmie0.59
2Enumclaw0.52
3West Richland0.37
4Sunnyside0.36
5Oak Harbor0.35
6Maple Valley0.34
7Lynden0.31
8Sammamish0.31
9Mercer Island0.3
10Grandview0.29
11Lake Forest Park0.28
12Kenmore0.27
13Camas0.26
14Bainbridge Island0.26
15Pullman0.25
16Newcastle0.23
17Woodinville0.21
18Shoreline0.2
19Anacortes0.18
20Mukilteo0.17
21Bothell0.16
22Kirkland0.15
23Issaquah0.14
24Ferndale0.13
25Battle Ground0.12
26Lake Stevens0.12
27Washougal0.12
28Cheney0.08
29East Wenatchee0.07
30Ellensburg0.07
31Poulsbo0.05
32Redmond0.04
33Bellevue0.04
34Edmonds0.03
35SeaTac0.02
36Covington0.02
37Burien0
38Bonney Lake-0.01
39Mill Creek-0.01
40Sedro Woolley-0.01
41Mountlake Terrace-0.02
42Richland-0.03
43Auburn-0.03
44Monroe-0.06
45Pasco-0.07
46Wenatchee-0.08
47Snohomish-0.08
48Edgewood-0.11
49Marysville-0.14
50Kennewick-0.21
51Mount Vernon-0.27
52Longview-0.28
53Tumwater-0.29
54Walla Walla-0.32
55Lacey-0.34
56Kelso-0.37
57University Place-0.39
58Bellingham-0.4
59Aberdeen-0.42
60Vancouver-0.43
61Spokane Valley-0.44
62Port Angeles-0.46
63Sumner-0.49
64Arlington-0.5
65Lynnwood-0.56
66Des Moines-0.57
67Everett-0.61
68Renton-0.65
69Port Orchard-0.65
70Olympia-0.67
71Puyallup-0.68
72Kent-0.74
73Bremerton-0.77
74Seattle-0.82
75Centralia-0.86
76Federal Way-0.89
77Moses Lake-0.92
78Yakima-0.92
79Lakewood-1.06
80Fife-1.31
81Spokane-1.37
82Tacoma-1.44

Methodology

We used the most recent FBI crime statistics to create state rankings. There were initially 7,430 cities in the data set. After filtering out the cities with populations of less than 10,000, 2,929 cities remained. We then calculated violent crime rates and property crime rates by dividing the crime numbers by the population to get rates per 1,000. We also calculated the ratio of law enforcement workers to per 1,000. These were weighted with -50% for the violent crime rate, -25% for the property crime rate, and +25% for the law enforcement rate. The resulting metric gave us a the safety index score. The higher this number more safe the city is.

Did your district make the list? Share the good news!

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Safest Cities in Virginia, 2021

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Good news for Virginians: the state is among the safest in the nation, logging the 11th lowest property crime rate and 4th lowest violent crime rate. Furthermore, “Old Dominion” is without a doubt the safest southern state, as much of the region is marred by high crime rates. In a state full of safe communities, a handful truly distinguish themselves with their elite safety records. Let’s take a closer look at them. 

Virginia’s safest community is Vienna, a town of 16.5K in Fairfax County that frequently gets touted as one of the best places in the country to live due to its excellent public schools, the strong job market of the surrounding area, and last but not least, its very low crime. Vienna posted terrifically low crime rates for 2017: a violent crime rate of 0.24 per 1,000 and property crime rate of 7.96 per 1,000, meaning that’s title as the state’s safest is well deserved.

Following just behind Vienna are #2 Salem and #3 Falls Church, which scored a 0.75 and 0.74, respectively, on our Safety Index. Both boast a violent crime rate of about 0.7 per 1,000 (less than a fifth of the national average), though Salem’s property crime rate is a notch lower. 

Three other Virginia cities belong in the upper echelon of safe US cities based on their high safety scores: Fairfax City, Herndon, and Manassas Park.  Each are smaller cities with populations under 25,000 that recorded violent crime rates less than half of the national average, as well as correspondingly low property crime rates. 

Safest Cities in Virginia, 2019

RankCitySafety Index
1Vienna0.95
2Salem0.75
3Falls Church0.74
4Fairfax City0.7
5Herndon0.66
6Manassas Park0.6
7Williamsburg0.57
8Blacksburg0.51
9Alexandria0.48
10Bristol0.44
11Staunton0.38
12Culpeper0.38
13Martinsville0.37
14Manassas0.37
15Poquoson0.35
16Virginia Beach0.34
17Hopewell0.31
18Waynesboro0.25
19Harrisonburg0.22
20Charlottesville0.19
21Radford0.19
22Suffolk0.16
23Winchester0.02
24Hampton0.02
25Fredericksburg0.01
26Lynchburg0.01
27Colonial Heights-0.09
28Chesapeake-0.11
29Newport News-0.12
30Roanoke-0.24
31Norfolk-0.3
32Danville-0.5
33Petersburg-0.52
34Portsmouth-0.9

Methodology

We used the most recent FBI crime statistics to create state rankings. There were initially 7,430 cities in the data set. After filtering out the cities with populations of less than 10,000, 2,929 cities remained. We then calculated violent crime rates and property crime rates by dividing the crime numbers by the population to get rates per 1,000. We also calculated the ratio of law enforcement workers to per 1,000. These were weighted with -50% for the violent crime rate, -25% for the property crime rate, and +25% for the law enforcement rate. The resulting metric gave us a the safety index score. The higher this number more safe the city is.

Did your district make the list? Share the good news!

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Safest Cities in Texas, 2021

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Texas ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of safety, recording the 30th lowest property crime rate and 35th lowest violent crime rate. However, this is not the full picture, as Texas’ violent crime rate is elevated by higher crime rates in its largest cities. 

Owing to its size and the diversity of its communities, Texas is actually home to a large selection of very safe cities boasting low violent and property crime rates. Let’s take a look at some of the Lone Star State’s safest communities. 

Memorial Villages, Texas’ safest community, is actually an adjoining group of independent municipalities west of downtown Houston. Known for its exciting mix of residential architecture, the Memorial Villages area is also very safe, recording a terrifically low 0.08 per 1,000 violent crime rate based on just 1 recorded violent crime occurring in 2017.  

Mansfield, Texas #2 safest city, is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Area. The fast-growing city of 67K logged a violent crime rate less than a third of the Texas state average of 4.39 per 1,000, as well as a property crime rate half of the state average. Logging similarly low crime numbers is #3 Roma, a small border city along the Rio Grande in Starr County. 

Ranking #4 in the list of Texas’ safest cities is Seabrook, a pleasant community located on Galveston Bay with a waterfront known for its cozy bed and breakfasts and antique shops. Seabrook’s low violent and property crime rates are well under half of Texas state averages, which should provide comfort for residents and visitors alike.

Rounding out Texas’ top five safest cities is Midlothian, a fast-growing suburb of Dallas known as a steel and cement industry hub that boasts a violent crime rate below 1 incident per 1,000 residents. 

Safest Cities in Texas, 2019

RankCitySafety Index
1Memorial Villages1.13
2Mansfield0.82
3Roma0.79
4Seabrook0.69
5Midlothian0.67
6West University Place0.64
7Southlake0.64
8Rio Grande City0.61
9Colleyville0.6
10University Park0.58
11Keller0.56
12Hewitt0.55
13Trophy Club0.55
14Friendswood0.52
15Hidalgo0.48
16Sachse0.47
17Sulphur Springs0.47
18Santa Fe0.44
19Del Rio0.43
20Prosper0.42
21Georgetown0.41
22Allen0.41
23McAllen0.39
24Coppell0.39
25Azle0.38
26Clute0.37
27Robinson0.36
28Little Elm0.35
29Selma0.35
30North Richland Hills0.35
31Wylie0.35
32Royse City0.35
33Anna0.33
34Grapevine0.33
35Euless0.32
36Crowley0.32
37Kerrville0.31
38Bedford0.31
39Cibolo0.29
40Frisco0.29
41White Settlement0.28
42Buda0.28
43Benbrook0.28
44The Colony0.27
45League City0.26
46Pearsall0.24
47Carrollton0.23
48Saginaw0.23
49Seagoville0.23
50Belton0.21
51Alton0.21
52Beeville0.2
53Missouri City0.2
54Watauga0.2
55Ingleside0.19
56McKinney0.18
57Dickinson0.17
58Cleburne0.17
59Kilgore0.16
60Red Oak0.14
61Live Oak0.14
62Kyle0.1
63Burleson0.09
64Schertz0.09
65Lewisville0.09
66Rockport0.07
67Irving0.06
68Abilene0.03
69Athens0.03
70Galveston0
71Midland0
72South Houston0
73Ennis-0.01
74Grand Prairie-0.03
75Webster-0.04
76Nederland-0.06
77Laredo-0.06
78Wichita Falls-0.07
79Cedar Hill-0.09
80Greenville-0.1
81Baytown-0.11
82Andrews-0.11
83Denton-0.11
84El Paso-0.12
85Hereford-0.12
86Vernon-0.14
87DeSoto-0.14
88Haltom City-0.17
89Sweetwater-0.17
90Burkburnett-0.17
91Garland-0.17
92Pleasanton-0.18
93Gainesville-0.18
94Plainview-0.19
95Brownwood-0.19
96Edinburg-0.19
97Seguin-0.2
98Pasadena-0.21
99Addison-0.21
100Bryan-0.22
101Austin-0.22
102Universal City-0.23
103Denison-0.24
104Kingsville-0.25
105Sherman-0.25
106San Benito-0.29
107Orange-0.3
108Tyler-0.33
109San Angelo-0.34
110Stafford-0.35
111Glenn Heights-0.37
112Mesquite-0.41
113Waco-0.42
114Fort Worth-0.43
115Texas City-0.47
116Duncanville-0.47
117Groves-0.5
118Converse-0.52
119Terrell-0.55
120Henderson-0.61
121Corsicana-0.62
122La Marque-0.62
123Marshall-0.66
124Copperas Cove-0.67
125Port Arthur-0.68
126Dallas-0.7
127Mercedes-0.71
128Big Spring-0.75
129Paris-0.75
130Raymondville-0.78
131Killeen-0.82
132Odessa-0.88
133Balch Springs-0.91
134Corpus Christi-0.91
135Levelland-1.02
136San Antonio-1.1
137Beaumont-1.35
138Houston-1.37
139Alamo-1.39
140Texarkana-1.78
141Donna-2.11

Methodology

We used the most recent FBI crime statistics to create state rankings. There were initially 7,430 cities in the data set. After filtering out the cities with populations of less than 10,000, 2,929 cities remained. We then calculated violent crime rates and property crime rates by dividing the crime numbers by the population to get rates per 1,000. We also calculated the ratio of law enforcement workers to per 1,000. These were weighted with -50% for the violent crime rate, -25% for the property crime rate, and +25% for the law enforcement rate. The resulting metric gave us a the safety index score. The higher this number more safe the city is.

Did your district make the list? Share the good news!

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Safest Cities in Tennessee, 2021

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Looking at Tennessee’s statewide crime statistics, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that it’s not a safe place to be. The state has the 3rd highest violent crime rate and the 9th highest property crime rate in the nation. However, these figures don’t tell the whole story, as Tennessee’s poor showing is mostly to do with very high crime rates in large cities like Memphis, Nashville and Chattanooga that skew the numbers. 

In fact, plenty of Tennessee cities boast exemplary safety records, with low crime rates and well-staffed police forces. In all, 13 cities in the state earned a Safety Index score of 0.2 or higher. The Safety Index is our way of determining the safety of a given community based on FBI crime data, population, and law enforcement employee numbers, and a score above 0.2 indicates that a city is very safe. However, four Tennessee cities truly distinguished themselves with SI scores topping 0.4, placing them among the nation’s elite in terms of safety.

Germantown is our pick for Tennessee’s safest city. The affluent Memphis suburb garnered a Safety Index score of 0.84, which is remarkable for a city its size. Germantown’s high SI score is based on its very low 0.79 per 1,000 violent crime rate, which is less than six times lower than the state average, in addition to its similarly low rate of property crime.

?On second place, Collierville can’t quite match Germantown’s safety record, but does quite well in its own right. The community of nearly 50K logged a violent crime less than three times lower than the state average, along with an impressive 18.3 per 1,000 property crime rate, rendering it a safe choice for families settling in the Memphis metropolitan area. 

Third place, Brentwood and fourth place, Collegedale are two more Tennessee cities to distinguish themselves via crime rates well below state and national averages. Both logged violent crime rates below 1 incident per 1,000 residents, a mere fraction of Tennessee’s 6.52 per 1,000 state average.

Safest Cities in Tennessee, 2019

RankCitySafety Index
1Germantown0.84
2Collierville0.5
3Brentwood0.49
4Collegedale0.42
5Soddy-Daisy0.35
6Hendersonville0.31
7Martin0.31
8Portland0.28
9Mount Juliet0.24
10Franklin0.24
11Maryville0.23
12Spring Hill0.2
13Gallatin0.2
14Bartlett0.05
15Sevierville0.03
16White House0.02
17Bristol-0.01
18Goodlettsville-0.06
19Greeneville-0.1
20Paris-0.11
21Smyrna-0.21
22Oak Ridge-0.26
23Johnson City-0.31
24Lebanon-0.37
25Clinton-0.39
26Cookeville-0.4
27McMinnville-0.46
28Lewisburg-0.48
29Elizabethton-0.49
30Murfreesboro-0.54
31Clarksville-0.55
32Red Bank-0.59
33Tullahoma-0.63
34Lawrenceburg-0.65
35Alcoa-0.67
36Columbia-0.74
37Crossville-0.78
38Morristown-0.81
39Shelbyville-0.84
40Manchester-0.89
41East Ridge-0.9
42Jackson-0.91
43Kingsport-0.93
44Union City-0.99
45Springfield-1.08
46Knoxville-1.3
47Cleveland-1.37
48Dyersburg-1.4
49Nashville Metropolitan-1.43
50Chattanooga-1.5
51Dickson-1.53
52Athens-1.68
53Memphis-2.83

Methodology

We used the most recent FBI crime statistics to create state rankings. There were initially 7,430 cities in the data set. After filtering out the cities with populations of less than 10,000, 2,929 cities remained. We then calculated violent crime rates and property crime rates by dividing the crime numbers by the population to get rates per 1,000. We also calculated the ratio of law enforcement workers to per 1,000. These were weighted with -50% for the violent crime rate, -25% for the property crime rate, and +25% for the law enforcement rate. The resulting metric gave us a the safety index score. The higher this number more safe the city is.

Did your district make the list? Share the good news!

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Safest Cities in South Dakota, 2021

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With a higher-than-average violent crime rate and lower-than-average property crime, South Dakota is something of an anomaly as far as its overall crime situation is concerned. Fortunately, for those seeking a safe haven in the Mount Rushmore state, South Dakota is home to three cities with favorably low rates in both key crime categories.

Brandon is South Dakota’s safest city. The quaint Sioux Falls suburb recorded a scant 26 property crimes in 2017, calculating into an extremely low 2.57 per 1,000 rate of property crime, which is lower than the national violent crime rate. Even more impressive is Brandon’s violent crime situation: none were reported in 2017, the latest year for which complete statistics are available. If there’s anywhere in South Dakota where you can be completely assured of the safety of you and your loved ones, it’s Brandon.

Ranking #2 in South Dakota is Brookings, which, with a population of 24,198, is the 4th largest city in the state. The city’s violent crime rate of 1.49 per 1,000 is around a third of South Dakota’s state average, while its property crime rate is also below the state average. This is all the more impressive considering that Brookings is home to South Dakota State University, the state’s largest higher learning institute.

Huron, named after the Huron Native American tribe, is the last of the three South Dakota cities deemed to be very safe. The city earned a 0.14 Safety Index score based on the strength of its  violent and property crime rates below state average. 

Safest Cities in South Dakota, 2019

RankCitySafety Index
1Brandon0.6
2Brookings0.34
3Huron0.14
4Watertown0.06
5Spearfish-0.07
6Pierre-0.09
7Aberdeen-0.17
8Vermillion-0.2
9Yankton-0.22
10Mitchell-0.43
11Sioux Falls-0.46
12Rapid City-0.78

Methodology

We used the most recent FBI crime statistics to create state rankings. There were initially 7,430 cities in the data set. After filtering out the cities with populations of less than 10,000, 2,929 cities remained. We then calculated violent crime rates and property crime rates by dividing the crime numbers by the population to get rates per 1,000. We also calculated the ratio of law enforcement workers to per 1,000. These were weighted with -50% for the violent crime rate, -25% for the property crime rate, and +25% for the law enforcement rate. The resulting metric gave us a the safety index score. The higher this number more safe the city is.

Did your district make the list? Share the good news!

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Safest Cities in South Carolina, 2021

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Although it’s not one of the safer states in the country, South Carolina is home to a number of communities that are quite safe and family-friendly. In total, 9 South Carolina cities scored a 0.25 or higher on our Safety Index, which factors in FBI crime statistics and law enforcement employee numbers to determine the safety of a given community.

 A score of 0.25 or higher indicates a high level of safety and crime rates below national averages, i.e., a suitable community to settle down and raise a family in. Let’s look at some of South Carolina’s safest cities.

North Myrtle Beach is the safest city in South Carolina, according to our Safety Index. While property crime is high in the beachside community, it logged a violent crime rate below the state average and features one of the most well staffed police forces around, boasting a law enforcement to resident ratio of 9.17 per 1,000 residents.

Second is Clemson, home to Clemson University, boasts considerably lower crime rates than #1 North Myrtle Beach, logging a very low 0.49 per 1,000 violent crime rate and 19.16 per 1,000 property crime rate. Clemson is kept out of the top spot only because of its lower ratio of police to residents, yet depending on your perspective, it may actually be the safest city in the state.

Two other South Carolina cities, Tega Cay (#3) and Charleston (#4), scored above a 0.5 on the Safety Index, with each city logging violent and property crime rates below state and national averages. Tega Cay boasts a lower violent crime rate, yet Charleston offers a considerably higher ratio of police officers to residents.

Safest Cities in South Carolina, 2019

RankCitySafety Index
1North Myrtle Beach0.91
2Clemson0.59
3Tega Cay0.58
4Charleston0.55
5Aiken0.43
6Bluffton0.4
7North Augusta0.29
8Mount Pleasant0.25
9Mauldin0.25
10Lexington0.07
11Summerville-0.07
12Hanahan-0.09
13Goose Creek-0.11
14Port Royal-0.2
15Greer-0.21
16Greenville-0.35
17Moncks Corner-0.36
18Orangeburg-0.4
19Anderson-0.41
20Irmo-0.44
21Beaufort-0.45
22Sumter-0.5
23Newberry-0.55
24Gaffney-0.58
25Conway-0.64
26Forest Acres-0.71
27Columbia-0.94
28Easley-0.95
29North Charleston-1.06
30West Columbia-1.46
31Myrtle Beach-1.69
32Florence-2.07
33Greenwood-2.29

Methodology

We used the most recent FBI crime statistics to create state rankings. There were initially 7,430 cities in the data set. After filtering out the cities with populations of less than 10,000, 2,929 cities remained. We then calculated violent crime rates and property crime rates by dividing the crime numbers by the population to get rates per 1,000. We also calculated the ratio of law enforcement workers to per 1,000. These were weighted with -50% for the violent crime rate, -25% for the property crime rate, and +25% for the law enforcement rate. The resulting metric gave us a the safety index score. The higher this number more safe the city is.

Did your district make the list? Share the good news!

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Safest Cities in Rhode Island, 2021

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With the 9th lowest violent and property crime rates in the nation, Rhode Island can definitely lay claim to being one of the safest states to live in. Of all of the state’s cities, just 4 (Central Falls, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, and Providence) recorded violent crime rates above the national average. The rest enjoy low rates of both violent and property crime, though 7 cities truly distinguished themselves through earning a Safety Index score above 0.7, putting them in the upper echelon of safe cities in the United States.

Narragansett is Rhode Island’s safest community. The coastal resort town, whose population is known to double in size during the summer months, recorded a violent crime rate of just 0.64 per 1,000, Furthermore, Narragansett logged a property crime rate of 6.94 per 1,000, which is unusually low for a resort community. Following closely behind is #2 East Greenwich, the wealthiest municipality in Rhode Island, which boasts a violent crime rate even lower than Narragansett.

Ranking #3 is Scituate, a modestly-sized town in Providence County that logged just 5 violent crimes and 43 property crimes in 2017, followed by #4 Smithfield, a city that boasts a similar violent crime rate yet slightly higher property crime rate.

Three other Rhode Island cities, South Kingstown, Glocester, and Middletown, earned a Safety Index of 0.7, based on the strength of violent and property crime rates a mere fraction of national averages in each category. Of these, Glocester has the lowest amount of crime, posting a 0.29 per 1,000 violent crime rate and 3.26 property crime rate (lower than the overall U.S. violent crime rate).

Safest Cities in Rhode Island, 2019

RankCitySafety Index
1Narragansett0.99
2East Greenwich0.93
3Scituate0.78
4Smithfield0.72
5South Kingstown0.71
6Glocester0.71
7Middletown0.7
8Portsmouth0.69
9Bristol0.69
10Tiverton0.68
11Westerly0.61
12North Providence0.61
13Barrington0.6
14Warwick0.56
15Johnston0.56
16North Kingstown0.55
17Warren0.55
18Newport0.5
19North Smithfield0.5
20Cumberland0.49
21Burrillville0.47
22East Providence0.45
23Cranston0.42
24Coventry0.42
25Lincoln0.31
26West Warwick0.3
27Central Falls-0.16
28Pawtucket-0.16
29Woonsocket-0.19
30Providence-0.28

Methodology

We used the most recent FBI crime statistics to create state rankings. There were initially 7,430 cities in the data set. After filtering out the cities with populations of less than 10,000, 2,929 cities remained. We then calculated violent crime rates and property crime rates by dividing the crime numbers by the population to get rates per 1,000. We also calculated the ratio of law enforcement workers to per 1,000. These were weighted with -50% for the violent crime rate, -25% for the property crime rate, and +25% for the law enforcement rate. The resulting metric gave us a the safety index score. The higher this number more safe the city is.

Did your district make the list? Share the good news!

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Safest Cities in Pennsylvania, 2021

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Among the 50 states, Pennsylvania fares very well in terms of safety: the Keystone State’s violent crime rate is 21st lowest in the nation, while its property crime rate is 8th lowest. Pennsylvania’s overall safety looks more impressive when we examine its cities on an individual basis.

We gave each of Pennsylvania’s cities with a population over 10,000 a score on our Safety Index, which factors in FBI crime data as well as law enforcement employee numbers, and 99 of the state’s cities scored a 0.3 or above, indicating a high level of safety and crime rates considerably below national averages. What’s more, 7 Pennsylvania cities earned a score of 0.6 or higher on the Safety Index, placing them among the safest cities in the country to settle down in and raise a family.

Munhall is Pennsylvania’s safest city, garnering a 0.71 Safety Index score on the strength of an extremely low violent crime rate of 0.54 per 1,000 and a property crime rate a quarter of the national average. With a Safety Index score of 0.7, Willistown Township is close behind. The small community of near 11K didn’t log a single violent crime in 2017.

Whitemarsh Township is third in the ranking of Pennsylvania’s safest cities. The Philadelphia suburb posted an admirable 0.56 per 1k violent crime rate. Another suburb of Pennsylvania, Whitehall, lands at #4 with some of the most impressively low crime rates in the state. Whitehall logged just 4 violent crimes in 2017, the latest year for which complete statistics are available.

Three further Pennsylvania communities, Lower Merion Township, Cecil Township, and Horsham Township, truly distinguished themselves as extremely safe places to live, with each recording violent crime rates a small fraction of the nationwide average.

Safest Cities in Pennsylvania, 2019

RankCitySafety Index
1Munhall0.71
2Willistown Township0.7
3Whitemarsh Township0.68
4Whitehall0.67
5Lower Merion Township0.63
6Cecil Township0.62
7Horsham Township0.62
8Upper Providence Township, Delaware County0.59
9Upper St. Clair Township0.59
10Jefferson Hills Borough0.58
11Central Bucks Regional0.56
12Lower Moreland Township0.56
13Silver Spring Township0.56
14West Mifflin0.52
15Tredyffrin Township0.52
16Upper Southampton Township0.51
17East Whiteland Township0.5
18Buckingham Township0.5
19Mount Lebanon0.5
20Towamencin Township0.49
21Upper Dublin Township0.49
22Forks Township0.48
23Warwick Township, Bucks County0.48
24Derry Township, Dauphin County0.47
25Easttown Township0.47
26West Chester0.47
27Ferguson Township0.46
28South Fayette Township0.46
29Upper Saucon Township0.46
30South Park Township0.46
31Northampton Township0.46
32Newtown Township, Delaware County0.46
33Newtown Township, Bucks County0.46
34Emmaus0.45
35Upper Allen Township0.45
36Lower Salford Township0.44
37New Britain Township0.43
38Upper Macungie Township0.42
39Upper Gwynedd Township0.42
40Franklin Park0.42
41Adams Township, Butler County0.42
42Ephrata0.42
43Upper Uwchlan Township0.41
44Haverford Township0.41
45Peters Township0.41
46Penn Township, Westmoreland County0.41
47Meadville0.41
48Buffalo Valley Regional0.4
49Northwest Lancaster County Regional0.4
50Northern Berks Regional0.4
51Patton Township0.39
52Murrysville0.39
53Radnor Township0.38
54West Hempfield Township0.38
55Doylestown Township0.38
56Lower Burrell0.38
57Lower Makefield Township0.38
58Hampton Township0.38
59Bethel Park0.38
60Aston Township0.37
61Montgomery Township0.37
62Northern Regional0.37
63Lansdale0.37
64McCandless0.37
65Upper Merion Township0.37
66Plumstead Township0.36
67Palmer Township0.36
68Warrington Township0.36
69Upper Moreland Township0.36
70Moon Township0.36
71Pennridge Regional0.36
72Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County0.35
73Lower Gwynedd Township0.35
74North Fayette Township0.35
75West Deer Township0.35
76Franconia Township0.34
77Plymouth Township, Montgomery County0.34
78Salisbury Township0.34
79West Lampeter Township0.34
80Cranberry Township0.34
81Springfield Township, Montgomery County0.34
82St. Marys City0.33
83Phoenixville0.33
84West Hills Regional0.33
85Penn Township, York County0.32
86New Hanover Township0.32
87Marple Township0.32
88Uwchlan Township0.32
89Lower Saucon Township0.32
90Hatfield Township0.32
91West Goshen Township0.31
92Baldwin Borough0.31
93North Strabane Township0.31
94State College0.31
95Spring Township, Berks County0.3
96Whitpain Township0.3
97Nether Providence Township0.3
98Elizabeth Township0.3
99Robinson Township, Allegheny County0.3
100Shaler Township0.29
101Hampden Township0.29
102Amity Township0.29
103West Norriton Township0.29
104Bethlehem Township0.29
105Exeter Township, Berks County0.29
106East Pennsboro Township0.29
107Easton0.28
108East Hempfield Township0.28
109Limerick Township0.28
110Cumru Township0.27
111North Huntingdon Township0.27
112Douglass Township, Montgomery County0.27
113Harrison Township0.27
114Manheim Township0.27
115Waynesboro0.26
116Hilltown Township0.26
117Southwestern Regional0.26
118Logan Township0.25
119Warminster Township0.25
120Ridley Township0.25
121North Versailles Township0.24
122Westtown-East Goshen Regional0.24
123Northern Lancaster County Regional0.24
124Bensalem Township0.22
125North Middleton Township0.22
126Wyomissing0.21
127Middletown Township0.21
128Ross Township0.21
129Greensburg0.2
130Springfield Township, Delaware County0.2
131South Whitehall Township0.19
132Northern York Regional0.18
133Mifflin County Regional0.18
134Slate Belt Regional0.18
135East Lampeter Township0.18
136Northeastern Regional0.18
137Monroeville0.17
138Southern Regional York County0.16
139Lehigh Township, Northampton County0.16
140Colonial Regional0.15
141Columbia0.15
142Carlisle0.15
143Lower Pottsgrove Township0.15
144Falls Township, Bucks County0.15
145Elizabethtown0.15
146West Whiteland Township0.13
147Abington Township, Montgomery County0.13
148Richland Township, Bucks County0.13
149Millcreek Township, Erie County0.13
150Newberry Township0.12
151Scott Township, Allegheny County0.12
152Bloomsburg Town0.12
153Coal Township0.12
154Scranton0.12
155Lower Providence Township0.11
156York Area Regional0.11
157Hopewell Township0.1
158Manor Township, Lancaster County0.1
159Lower Allen Township0.1
160Muhlenberg Township0.1
161Plum0.08
162Washington Township, Franklin County0.07
163Lower Paxton Township0.07
164Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County0.06
165East Norriton Township0.05
166Kingston0.05
167Rostraver Township0.05
168Hermitage0.05
169Bristol Township0.03
170Butler Township, Butler County0.02
171Upper Chichester Township0.02
172Berwick0.01
173Pocono Township0.01
174Hanover0
175Sandy Township-0.01
176Nanticoke-0.04
177Fairview Township, York County-0.04
178Erie-0.05
179Hazleton-0.05
180Altoona-0.05
181Spring Garden Township-0.07
182Whitehall Township-0.07
183Hanover Township, Luzerne County-0.07
184Richland Township, Cambria County-0.08
185Springettsbury Township-0.09
186Center Township-0.09
187Lansdowne-0.09
188North Lebanon Township-0.1
189West Manchester Township-0.1
190Pocono Mountain Regional-0.11
191Caln Township-0.15
192Lebanon-0.15
193Chambersburg-0.15
194Stroud Area Regional-0.16
195Norristown-0.21
196Lower Southampton Township-0.24
197Upper Darby Township-0.25
198Pottsville-0.29
199Williamsport-0.29
200Washington, Washington County-0.29
201Allentown-0.37
202Penn Hills-0.38
203Swatara Township-0.39
204Philadelphia-0.4
205Pittsburgh-0.44
206Sharon-0.45
207New Kensington-0.51
208Wilkes-Barre-0.57
209Butler-0.61
210Reading-0.65
211Bethlehem-0.7
212Pottstown-0.76
213Johnstown-0.84
214Indiana-0.91
215Lancaster-0.92
216Wilkinsburg-0.99
217Yeadon-1.07
218Harrisburg-1.12
219York-1.14
220Chester-1.97
221Darby-2.43
222McKeesport-2.8

Methodology

We used the most recent FBI crime statistics to create state rankings. There were initially 7,430 cities in the data set. After filtering out the cities with populations of less than 10,000, 2,929 cities remained. We then calculated violent crime rates and property crime rates by dividing the crime numbers by the population to get rates per 1,000. We also calculated the ratio of law enforcement workers to per 1,000. These were weighted with -50% for the violent crime rate, -25% for the property crime rate, and +25% for the law enforcement rate. The resulting metric gave us a the safety index score. The higher this number more safe the city is.

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