Though Ohio is in the midrange of U.S. states in terms of crime rates, with the 25th lowest property crime rate and 18th lowest violent crime rate, a considerable number of its cities earned very high scores on our Safety Index, which factors in FBI crime stats and law enforcement employment numbers to judge the safety of a community.
In all, 50 Ohio cities earned a Safety Index score of 0.3 or above, meaning they are very safe communities to live in, while 13 recorded a 0.6 or above, placing them in the upper echelon of U.S. cities in terms of safety. Let’s look at Ohio’s five safest cities to see the best the Buckeye State has to offer.
Maumee is Ohio’s safest city, earning a remarkably high 0.98 Safety Index score. The cozy community of around 14K logged a violent crime rate of 0.36 per 1,000, which is less than a tenth of the national average.
Similarly sized Brecksville recorded even more impressive crime rates, including a 0.15 per 1,000 rate of violent crime and 3.87 per 1,000 rate of property crime. Brecksville is in the #2 position because its ratio of law enforcement officers to residents is lower than #1 Maumee’s.
Ranking third, Cleveland suburb Solon continues Ohio’s streak of low-crime communities, managing a very low 0.56 violent crimes per 1,000 residents. At number four, Wickliffe is not far behind: the city of 12.6K recorded just 9 violent crimes in 2017 for a 0.77 Safety Index score.
New Albany rounds out Ohio’s top five safest communities. The Columbus area suburb recorded less than fifteen violent and property crimes combined in 2017.
Rank | City | Safety Index |
---|---|---|
1 | Maumee | 0.98 |
2 | Brecksville | 0.97 |
3 | Solon | 0.83 |
4 | Wickliffe | 0.82 |
5 | New Albany | 0.79 |
6 | Sylvania | 0.76 |
7 | Worthington | 0.68 |
8 | Macedonia | 0.67 |
9 | Aurora | 0.66 |
10 | Bedford Heights | 0.65 |
11 | Blue Ash | 0.61 |
12 | Lyndhurst | 0.6 |
13 | Perrysburg Township | 0.6 |
14 | Amherst | 0.59 |
15 | Centerville | 0.55 |
16 | Tiffin | 0.54 |
17 | Seven Hills | 0.53 |
18 | Avon Lake | 0.51 |
19 | Springboro | 0.51 |
20 | Powell | 0.5 |
21 | North Ridgeville | 0.5 |
22 | Clayton | 0.5 |
23 | Hilliard | 0.49 |
24 | Miamisburg | 0.49 |
25 | Harrison | 0.49 |
26 | Brunswick | 0.49 |
27 | Berea | 0.48 |
28 | Bedford | 0.44 |
29 | Streetsboro | 0.43 |
30 | Strongsville | 0.42 |
31 | Poland Township | 0.42 |
32 | Mason | 0.42 |
33 | North Olmsted | 0.41 |
34 | Upper Arlington | 0.39 |
35 | Pierce Township | 0.38 |
36 | Richmond Heights | 0.38 |
37 | Tallmadge | 0.38 |
38 | Mentor | 0.36 |
39 | Kettering | 0.36 |
40 | Monroe | 0.35 |
41 | Gahanna | 0.35 |
42 | Clearcreek Township | 0.35 |
43 | Vandalia | 0.35 |
44 | Cambridge | 0.34 |
45 | Eastlake | 0.33 |
46 | Copley Township | 0.33 |
47 | Wadsworth | 0.33 |
48 | Toledo | 0.31 |
49 | Shawnee Township | 0.31 |
50 | Kent | 0.3 |
51 | Norton | 0.28 |
52 | Delhi Township | 0.27 |
53 | Lakewood | 0.26 |
54 | Ashland | 0.26 |
55 | Bowling Green | 0.24 |
56 | Bexley | 0.23 |
57 | Parma | 0.23 |
58 | Van Wert | 0.2 |
59 | Troy | 0.2 |
60 | Cuyahoga Falls | 0.19 |
61 | Union Township, Clermont County | 0.19 |
62 | Stow | 0.18 |
63 | Cleveland Heights | 0.18 |
64 | Xenia | 0.17 |
65 | Miami Township, Clermont County | 0.17 |
66 | West Carrollton | 0.14 |
67 | Delaware | 0.14 |
68 | Beavercreek | 0.12 |
69 | Defiance | 0.12 |
70 | Forest Park | 0.09 |
71 | Fairfield | 0.08 |
72 | Greenville | 0.08 |
73 | Fairborn | 0.07 |
74 | Springfield Township, Hamilton County | 0.05 |
75 | Englewood | 0.05 |
76 | Austintown | 0.04 |
77 | Huber Heights | 0.04 |
78 | Reading | 0.03 |
79 | Salem | 0.02 |
80 | Mount Vernon | -0.02 |
81 | American Township | -0.03 |
82 | Zanesville | -0.07 |
83 | Reynoldsburg | -0.09 |
84 | Sidney | -0.1 |
85 | Elyria | -0.16 |
86 | Findlay | -0.18 |
87 | Wilmington | -0.19 |
88 | Colerain Township | -0.22 |
89 | Urbana | -0.22 |
90 | Fairfield Township | -0.23 |
91 | Alliance | -0.23 |
92 | Piqua | -0.27 |
93 | Sandusky | -0.28 |
94 | Washington Court House | -0.31 |
95 | Heath | -0.32 |
96 | Lancaster | -0.34 |
97 | Wooster | -0.43 |
98 | Barberton | -0.44 |
99 | Steubenville | -0.51 |
100 | Columbus | -0.56 |
101 | Youngstown | -0.59 |
102 | Hamilton | -0.62 |
103 | Circleville | -0.63 |
104 | Lorain | -0.66 |
105 | Cincinnati | -0.83 |
106 | Warren | -0.85 |
107 | Akron | -0.86 |
108 | Whitehall | -0.94 |
109 | Middletown | -0.94 |
110 | Lima | -1.01 |
111 | Springfield | -1.26 |
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.
West Virginia fares pretty well among the states in crime, posting the 15th lowest property crime rate and 23rd lowest violent crime rate, both of which are below the U.S. national average. However, this tendency towards low crime is not well reflected in West Virginia’s larger cities within our population parameter of 10,000 or higher, indicating that the state’s small communities are much safer, on average. Of West Virginia’s 13 larger cities, 8 earned negative scores on our Safety Index, indicating higher-than-average crime rates, while 5 garnered positive scores. Let’s take a look at these 5 West Virginia cities.
St. Albans is West Virginia’s safest city. The small Kanawha community recorded a 1.53 per 1,000 violent crime rate, which is less than half of the nationwide average. Not far behind is #2 Weirton, a city of nearly 19K located in the city’s northern tip with violent and property crime rates less than half of the national rate in both categories.
West Virginia’s #3 safest city is Morgantown, the county seat of Monongalia County picturesquely located on the Monongahela River. The home of West Virginia University recorded a respectable 2.65 per 1,000 violent crime rate and 15.38 per 1,000 property crime rate, which are below state averages.
There’s a bit of a drop off between West Virginia’s three safest cities and those below them in the ranking. Yet, #4 Fairmont’s violent and property crime rates, while not spectacular, are still an improvement on the national average in each category. Despite its higher than average property crime, #5 Vienna logged a not too shabby 2.11 per 1,000 violent crime rate.
Rank | City | Safety Index |
---|---|---|
1 | St. Albans | 0.77 |
2 | Weirton | 0.5 |
3 | Morgantown | 0.4 |
4 | Fairmont | 0.05 |
5 | Vienna | 0.03 |
6 | Martinsburg | -0.39 |
7 | South Charleston | -0.47 |
8 | Beckley | -0.63 |
9 | Parkersburg | -0.87 |
10 | Bluefield | -1.04 |
11 | Wheeling | -1.21 |
12 | Huntington | -1.27 |
13 | Charleston | -1.66 |
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.
Although Oklahoma’s statewide crime rates are not very impressive (the state is 40th in property crime and 39th in violent crime), many of the Sooner State’s cities are very safe, logging low rates of violent and property crime. Here’s a glance at Oklahoma’s five safest cities.
Weatherford earns the honor of being named Oklahoma’s safest city on the strength of a violent crime rate of just 1.64 per 1,000, which is less than half of the national average. The city’s below average property crime rate is not bad, either.
In the #2 spot is Elk City, a city in Beckham County with remarkably low crime numbers. The city, a stop along Historic U.S. Route 66, logged a mere 9 violent crimes in 2017 for an average below 1 violent crime per 1,000. Elk City’s property crime rate is less impressive, yet still below the national average.
Oklahoma City suburb Yukon is #3 in the ranking of Oklahoma’s safest cities. Yukon’s violent crime rate is less than a third of the Oklahoma state average, making it a safe, family friendly community to settle down in for those commuting into OKC for work.
Fourth place, Miami is the capital city of Oklahoma’s Miami Tribe as well as that of four other Native tribes. While its crime rates are not as impressive as those of the state’s top three safest cities, Miami still logged violent and property crime rates under state and national averages.
At #5 is El Reno, another Oklahoma City suburb that posted a 2.77 per 1K violent crime rate and 17.2 per 1K property crime rate.
Rank | City | Safety Index |
---|---|---|
1 | Weatherford | 0.58 |
2 | Elk City | 0.56 |
3 | Yukon | 0.45 |
4 | Miami | 0.37 |
5 | El Reno | 0.31 |
6 | Guymon | 0.31 |
7 | Newcastle | 0.31 |
8 | Mustang | 0.3 |
9 | Guthrie | 0.27 |
10 | Edmond | 0.24 |
11 | Claremore | 0.23 |
12 | Duncan | 0.22 |
13 | Owasso | 0.21 |
14 | Broken Arrow | 0.18 |
15 | Altus | 0.18 |
16 | Bixby | 0.16 |
17 | Sand Springs | 0.15 |
18 | Choctaw | 0.15 |
19 | Stillwater | 0.14 |
20 | Sapulpa | 0.14 |
21 | Jenks | 0.11 |
22 | Moore | 0.09 |
23 | Glenpool | 0.05 |
24 | Bartlesville | 0.03 |
25 | Bethany | -0.06 |
26 | Midwest City | -0.07 |
27 | Norman | -0.1 |
28 | Woodward | -0.1 |
29 | Tahlequah | -0.11 |
30 | Enid | -0.14 |
31 | Ada | -0.2 |
32 | Warr Acres | -0.38 |
33 | Chickasha | -0.44 |
34 | Durant | -0.45 |
35 | Ardmore | -0.64 |
36 | McAlester | -0.65 |
37 | Ponca City | -0.88 |
38 | Okmulgee | -0.95 |
39 | Oklahoma City | -1 |
40 | Del City | -1.03 |
41 | Lawton | -1.04 |
42 | Muskogee | -1.59 |
43 | Tulsa | -1.61 |
44 | Shawnee | -1.63 |
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.
Among the 50 states, Wisconsin does pretty well in terms of safety, recording the 13th lowest property crime rate and 22nd lowest violent crime rate. However, Wisconsin’s safety record is much more impressive when you look at its individual cities: 45 of the state’s cities scored a 0.2 or higher on our Safety Index, which indicates low violent and property crime rates below national averages. Furthermore, 6 Wisconsin cities scored a 0.6 or above on the Safety Index, placing them among the safest in the country.
Cedarburg is Wisconsin’s safest city. A modestly-sized suburb of Milwaukee located in Ozaukee County, Cedarburg logged remarkably low crime rates, including a near non-existent 0.09 per 1,000 violent crime rate, and a property crime rate about one-third of the Wisconsin state average.
At second place, Monroe is not far behind. The famed “Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA” recorded just 16 violent crimes in 2017 which calculates into a 1.49 per 1,000 violent crime rate, which is under half of the state average.
Sharing the #3 spot are Grafton, of Ozaukee County and New Berlin, of Waukesha County. Both cities earned a high 0.68 score on the Safety Index based on remarkably low violent crime rates below 0.35 per 1,000, along with very respectable property crime rates.
Two more Wisconsin cities distinguished themselves through Safety Index scores above a 0.6: Mequon and Muskego. Both cities have populations around 25,000 and recorded violent crime rates a mere fraction of the U.S. national average.
Rank | City | Safety Index |
---|---|---|
1 | Cedarburg | 0.78 |
2 | Monroe | 0.76 |
3 | Grafton | 0.68 |
4 | New Berlin | 0.68 |
5 | Mequon | 0.61 |
6 | Muskego | 0.6 |
7 | Middleton | 0.59 |
8 | Burlington | 0.58 |
9 | Oconomowoc | 0.55 |
10 | Menomonee Falls | 0.53 |
11 | Oregon | 0.52 |
12 | Marshfield | 0.51 |
13 | Marinette | 0.5 |
14 | Whitefish Bay | 0.48 |
15 | Greendale | 0.46 |
16 | Waupun | 0.46 |
17 | Ashwaubenon | 0.45 |
18 | Waunakee | 0.45 |
19 | Kaukauna | 0.44 |
20 | Franklin | 0.44 |
21 | Town of Menasha | 0.43 |
22 | Fox Valley Metro | 0.42 |
23 | Cudahy | 0.41 |
24 | Sun Prairie | 0.41 |
25 | Port Washington | 0.41 |
26 | Hartford | 0.35 |
27 | Waukesha | 0.35 |
28 | Verona | 0.35 |
29 | Whitewater | 0.33 |
30 | Fort Atkinson | 0.32 |
31 | Brookfield | 0.31 |
32 | Pleasant Prairie | 0.31 |
33 | Hobart-Lawrence | 0.3 |
34 | Watertown | 0.3 |
35 | Caledonia | 0.3 |
36 | Oak Creek | 0.3 |
37 | De Pere | 0.28 |
38 | Plover | 0.27 |
39 | Shorewood | 0.26 |
40 | Beaver Dam | 0.26 |
41 | Mount Pleasant | 0.25 |
42 | Stevens Point | 0.25 |
43 | West Bend | 0.24 |
44 | Hudson | 0.23 |
45 | Neenah | 0.2 |
46 | South Milwaukee | 0.18 |
47 | Two Rivers | 0.18 |
48 | Chippewa Falls | 0.17 |
49 | Stoughton | 0.17 |
50 | Portage | 0.15 |
51 | River Falls | 0.15 |
52 | Baraboo | 0.14 |
53 | Onalaska | 0.13 |
54 | Glendale | 0.13 |
55 | Everest Metropolitan | 0.13 |
56 | Wauwatosa | 0.13 |
57 | Platteville | 0.1 |
58 | Greenfield | 0.08 |
59 | Menasha | 0.08 |
60 | Appleton | 0.08 |
61 | Wausau | 0.06 |
62 | Fond du Lac | 0.04 |
63 | Sheboygan | 0.04 |
64 | Menomonie | 0.04 |
65 | Oshkosh | 0.02 |
66 | Fitchburg | -0.01 |
67 | Eau Claire | -0.03 |
68 | Wisconsin Rapids | -0.03 |
69 | Manitowoc | -0.04 |
70 | Superior | -0.07 |
71 | Kenosha | -0.08 |
72 | West Allis | -0.11 |
73 | Madison | -0.11 |
74 | Janesville | -0.16 |
75 | Brown Deer | -0.17 |
76 | Grand Chute | -0.21 |
77 | Green Bay | -0.22 |
78 | La Crosse | -0.22 |
79 | Beloit | -0.28 |
80 | Racine | -0.35 |
81 | Milwaukee | -1.78 |
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.
Oregon is an outlier among U.S. states due its starkly contrasting rates of violent and property crime. Its violent crime rate of 2.82 per 1,000 is good for 15th lowest in the nation, yet its property crime rate is 7th highest in the U.S.
Regardless, a handful of Oregon cities are very safe and family friendly communities, with 8 of them scoring above a 0.2 on our Safety Index, which factors in FBI crime data along with law enforcement employment numbers to rate the safety of a given community. A score of 0.2 or higher indicates a very favorable level of public safety and crime rates below national averages. However, four Oregon cities truly distinguished themselves with Safety Index scores higher than 0.3. Let’s take a closer look at them.
Oregon’s safest community is Newberg-Dundee, actually two cities in the Portland area combined for statistical purposes. Newberg-Dundee logged an impressive violent crime rate of 1.42 per 1,000 inhabitants.
Lake Oswego is Oregon’s second safest city. The affluent Clackamas County community recorded very impressive crime rates well below state and national averages, making it one of the best places in the state to live. In particular, Lake Oswego’s violent crime rate of 0.38 per 1,000 (about a tenth of the national average) stands out as an admirable achievement.
La Grande, a city of around 13K in the northeast part of the state, ranks #3 on the list, earning a Safety Index score of 0.36 based on the strength of its low rate of violent crime. #4 Sherwood bests La Grande in both violent and property crimes, which are some of the lowest in the state. Sherwood is kept out a higher position in the ranking due to its low ratio of law enforcement employees to residents, although with such a low rate of crime, perhaps a large police force is unnecessary.
Rank | City | Safety Index |
---|---|---|
1 | Newberg-Dundee | 0.54 |
2 | Lake Oswego | 0.43 |
3 | La Grande | 0.36 |
4 | Sherwood | 0.31 |
5 | Monmouth | 0.25 |
6 | Canby | 0.24 |
7 | Milwaukie | 0.21 |
8 | Beaverton | 0.2 |
9 | Albany | 0.18 |
10 | Silverton | 0.13 |
11 | St. Helens | 0.05 |
12 | Corvallis | 0.04 |
13 | Bend | 0.02 |
14 | Hillsboro | 0 |
15 | Tualatin | 0 |
16 | Tigard | -0.01 |
17 | Hermiston | -0.02 |
18 | McMinnville | -0.03 |
19 | Prineville | -0.04 |
20 | Forest Grove | -0.05 |
21 | Keizer | -0.09 |
22 | Dallas | -0.09 |
23 | Lebanon | -0.11 |
24 | Central Point | -0.11 |
25 | Cottage Grove | -0.17 |
26 | Ashland | -0.17 |
27 | Grants Pass | -0.21 |
28 | Redmond | -0.23 |
29 | Springfield | -0.38 |
30 | Woodburn | -0.39 |
31 | Gresham | -0.44 |
32 | Eugene | -0.44 |
33 | Salem | -0.47 |
34 | Klamath Falls | -0.48 |
35 | Roseburg | -0.51 |
36 | Medford | -0.94 |
37 | Portland | -0.97 |
38 | Coos Bay | -1 |
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.
Good news for Wyoming residents: the Cowboy state is among the top ten safest in the country based on its low violent and property crime rates. This is reflected in the performance of Wyoming’s cities on our Safety Index, which utilizes FBI crime statistics and law enforcement employee data to calculate the safety of a community.
Just 2 of Wyoming’s 10 cities with a population over 10K received negative Safety Index scores (Cheyenne and Rock Springs), indicating higher than average crime rates, meaning that the other 8 performed very favorably. Of the 8 Wyoming cities to earn a positive Safety Index score, 4 truly distinguished themselves, earning a 0.5 or higher. Let’s take a closer look at Wyoming’s 4 safest cities.
Our pick for the safest city in Wyoming is Sheridan, a community in the northern part of the state located halfway between Yellowstone Park and Mount Rushmore that is known for its strong rodeo and cowboy culture. The city logged just 8 violent crimes in 2017, which amounts to a very low 0.44 per 1,000 violent crime rate, less than a quarter of Wyoming’s already low state average.
Placing #2 in the list of ranking of Wyoming’s safest cities is Green River, of the wonderfully named Sweetwater County. The mining and energy hub recorded a terrific 1.63 per 1,000 violent crime rate along with a property crime rate below 10 per 1,000. At #3 Jackson, county seat of Teton County and gateway to the Grand Teton National Park, fared nearly as well, posting violent and property crime rates below the national averages in both categories.
Laramie is the 4th of our 4 Wyoming cities to achieve that lofty goal of a 0.5 Safety Index score or higher. The city of over 32K recorded just 30 violent crimes in 2017, for a violent crime rate of less than 1 incident per 1,000 residents.
Rank | City | Safety Index |
---|---|---|
1 | Sheridan | 0.57 |
2 | Green River | 0.55 |
3 | Jackson | 0.54 |
4 | Laramie | 0.52 |
5 | Gillette | 0.44 |
6 | Evanston | 0.4 |
7 | Casper | 0.14 |
8 | Riverton | 0.03 |
9 | Rock Springs | -0.14 |
10 | Cheyenne | -0.28 |
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.
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.
Rank | City | Safety Index |
---|---|---|
1 | Munhall | 0.71 |
2 | Willistown Township | 0.7 |
3 | Whitemarsh Township | 0.68 |
4 | Whitehall | 0.67 |
5 | Lower Merion Township | 0.63 |
6 | Cecil Township | 0.62 |
7 | Horsham Township | 0.62 |
8 | Upper Providence Township, Delaware County | 0.59 |
9 | Upper St. Clair Township | 0.59 |
10 | Jefferson Hills Borough | 0.58 |
11 | Central Bucks Regional | 0.56 |
12 | Lower Moreland Township | 0.56 |
13 | Silver Spring Township | 0.56 |
14 | West Mifflin | 0.52 |
15 | Tredyffrin Township | 0.52 |
16 | Upper Southampton Township | 0.51 |
17 | East Whiteland Township | 0.5 |
18 | Buckingham Township | 0.5 |
19 | Mount Lebanon | 0.5 |
20 | Towamencin Township | 0.49 |
21 | Upper Dublin Township | 0.49 |
22 | Forks Township | 0.48 |
23 | Warwick Township, Bucks County | 0.48 |
24 | Derry Township, Dauphin County | 0.47 |
25 | Easttown Township | 0.47 |
26 | West Chester | 0.47 |
27 | Ferguson Township | 0.46 |
28 | South Fayette Township | 0.46 |
29 | Upper Saucon Township | 0.46 |
30 | South Park Township | 0.46 |
31 | Northampton Township | 0.46 |
32 | Newtown Township, Delaware County | 0.46 |
33 | Newtown Township, Bucks County | 0.46 |
34 | Emmaus | 0.45 |
35 | Upper Allen Township | 0.45 |
36 | Lower Salford Township | 0.44 |
37 | New Britain Township | 0.43 |
38 | Upper Macungie Township | 0.42 |
39 | Upper Gwynedd Township | 0.42 |
40 | Franklin Park | 0.42 |
41 | Adams Township, Butler County | 0.42 |
42 | Ephrata | 0.42 |
43 | Upper Uwchlan Township | 0.41 |
44 | Haverford Township | 0.41 |
45 | Peters Township | 0.41 |
46 | Penn Township, Westmoreland County | 0.41 |
47 | Meadville | 0.41 |
48 | Buffalo Valley Regional | 0.4 |
49 | Northwest Lancaster County Regional | 0.4 |
50 | Northern Berks Regional | 0.4 |
51 | Patton Township | 0.39 |
52 | Murrysville | 0.39 |
53 | Radnor Township | 0.38 |
54 | West Hempfield Township | 0.38 |
55 | Doylestown Township | 0.38 |
56 | Lower Burrell | 0.38 |
57 | Lower Makefield Township | 0.38 |
58 | Hampton Township | 0.38 |
59 | Bethel Park | 0.38 |
60 | Aston Township | 0.37 |
61 | Montgomery Township | 0.37 |
62 | Northern Regional | 0.37 |
63 | Lansdale | 0.37 |
64 | McCandless | 0.37 |
65 | Upper Merion Township | 0.37 |
66 | Plumstead Township | 0.36 |
67 | Palmer Township | 0.36 |
68 | Warrington Township | 0.36 |
69 | Upper Moreland Township | 0.36 |
70 | Moon Township | 0.36 |
71 | Pennridge Regional | 0.36 |
72 | Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County | 0.35 |
73 | Lower Gwynedd Township | 0.35 |
74 | North Fayette Township | 0.35 |
75 | West Deer Township | 0.35 |
76 | Franconia Township | 0.34 |
77 | Plymouth Township, Montgomery County | 0.34 |
78 | Salisbury Township | 0.34 |
79 | West Lampeter Township | 0.34 |
80 | Cranberry Township | 0.34 |
81 | Springfield Township, Montgomery County | 0.34 |
82 | St. Marys City | 0.33 |
83 | Phoenixville | 0.33 |
84 | West Hills Regional | 0.33 |
85 | Penn Township, York County | 0.32 |
86 | New Hanover Township | 0.32 |
87 | Marple Township | 0.32 |
88 | Uwchlan Township | 0.32 |
89 | Lower Saucon Township | 0.32 |
90 | Hatfield Township | 0.32 |
91 | West Goshen Township | 0.31 |
92 | Baldwin Borough | 0.31 |
93 | North Strabane Township | 0.31 |
94 | State College | 0.31 |
95 | Spring Township, Berks County | 0.3 |
96 | Whitpain Township | 0.3 |
97 | Nether Providence Township | 0.3 |
98 | Elizabeth Township | 0.3 |
99 | Robinson Township, Allegheny County | 0.3 |
100 | Shaler Township | 0.29 |
101 | Hampden Township | 0.29 |
102 | Amity Township | 0.29 |
103 | West Norriton Township | 0.29 |
104 | Bethlehem Township | 0.29 |
105 | Exeter Township, Berks County | 0.29 |
106 | East Pennsboro Township | 0.29 |
107 | Easton | 0.28 |
108 | East Hempfield Township | 0.28 |
109 | Limerick Township | 0.28 |
110 | Cumru Township | 0.27 |
111 | North Huntingdon Township | 0.27 |
112 | Douglass Township, Montgomery County | 0.27 |
113 | Harrison Township | 0.27 |
114 | Manheim Township | 0.27 |
115 | Waynesboro | 0.26 |
116 | Hilltown Township | 0.26 |
117 | Southwestern Regional | 0.26 |
118 | Logan Township | 0.25 |
119 | Warminster Township | 0.25 |
120 | Ridley Township | 0.25 |
121 | North Versailles Township | 0.24 |
122 | Westtown-East Goshen Regional | 0.24 |
123 | Northern Lancaster County Regional | 0.24 |
124 | Bensalem Township | 0.22 |
125 | North Middleton Township | 0.22 |
126 | Wyomissing | 0.21 |
127 | Middletown Township | 0.21 |
128 | Ross Township | 0.21 |
129 | Greensburg | 0.2 |
130 | Springfield Township, Delaware County | 0.2 |
131 | South Whitehall Township | 0.19 |
132 | Northern York Regional | 0.18 |
133 | Mifflin County Regional | 0.18 |
134 | Slate Belt Regional | 0.18 |
135 | East Lampeter Township | 0.18 |
136 | Northeastern Regional | 0.18 |
137 | Monroeville | 0.17 |
138 | Southern Regional York County | 0.16 |
139 | Lehigh Township, Northampton County | 0.16 |
140 | Colonial Regional | 0.15 |
141 | Columbia | 0.15 |
142 | Carlisle | 0.15 |
143 | Lower Pottsgrove Township | 0.15 |
144 | Falls Township, Bucks County | 0.15 |
145 | Elizabethtown | 0.15 |
146 | West Whiteland Township | 0.13 |
147 | Abington Township, Montgomery County | 0.13 |
148 | Richland Township, Bucks County | 0.13 |
149 | Millcreek Township, Erie County | 0.13 |
150 | Newberry Township | 0.12 |
151 | Scott Township, Allegheny County | 0.12 |
152 | Bloomsburg Town | 0.12 |
153 | Coal Township | 0.12 |
154 | Scranton | 0.12 |
155 | Lower Providence Township | 0.11 |
156 | York Area Regional | 0.11 |
157 | Hopewell Township | 0.1 |
158 | Manor Township, Lancaster County | 0.1 |
159 | Lower Allen Township | 0.1 |
160 | Muhlenberg Township | 0.1 |
161 | Plum | 0.08 |
162 | Washington Township, Franklin County | 0.07 |
163 | Lower Paxton Township | 0.07 |
164 | Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County | 0.06 |
165 | East Norriton Township | 0.05 |
166 | Kingston | 0.05 |
167 | Rostraver Township | 0.05 |
168 | Hermitage | 0.05 |
169 | Bristol Township | 0.03 |
170 | Butler Township, Butler County | 0.02 |
171 | Upper Chichester Township | 0.02 |
172 | Berwick | 0.01 |
173 | Pocono Township | 0.01 |
174 | Hanover | 0 |
175 | Sandy Township | -0.01 |
176 | Nanticoke | -0.04 |
177 | Fairview Township, York County | -0.04 |
178 | Erie | -0.05 |
179 | Hazleton | -0.05 |
180 | Altoona | -0.05 |
181 | Spring Garden Township | -0.07 |
182 | Whitehall Township | -0.07 |
183 | Hanover Township, Luzerne County | -0.07 |
184 | Richland Township, Cambria County | -0.08 |
185 | Springettsbury Township | -0.09 |
186 | Center Township | -0.09 |
187 | Lansdowne | -0.09 |
188 | North Lebanon Township | -0.1 |
189 | West Manchester Township | -0.1 |
190 | Pocono Mountain Regional | -0.11 |
191 | Caln Township | -0.15 |
192 | Lebanon | -0.15 |
193 | Chambersburg | -0.15 |
194 | Stroud Area Regional | -0.16 |
195 | Norristown | -0.21 |
196 | Lower Southampton Township | -0.24 |
197 | Upper Darby Township | -0.25 |
198 | Pottsville | -0.29 |
199 | Williamsport | -0.29 |
200 | Washington, Washington County | -0.29 |
201 | Allentown | -0.37 |
202 | Penn Hills | -0.38 |
203 | Swatara Township | -0.39 |
204 | Philadelphia | -0.4 |
205 | Pittsburgh | -0.44 |
206 | Sharon | -0.45 |
207 | New Kensington | -0.51 |
208 | Wilkes-Barre | -0.57 |
209 | Butler | -0.61 |
210 | Reading | -0.65 |
211 | Bethlehem | -0.7 |
212 | Pottstown | -0.76 |
213 | Johnstown | -0.84 |
214 | Indiana | -0.91 |
215 | Lancaster | -0.92 |
216 | Wilkinsburg | -0.99 |
217 | Yeadon | -1.07 |
218 | Harrisburg | -1.12 |
219 | York | -1.14 |
220 | Chester | -1.97 |
221 | Darby | -2.43 |
222 | McKeesport | -2.8 |
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.
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).
Rank | City | Safety Index |
---|---|---|
1 | Narragansett | 0.99 |
2 | East Greenwich | 0.93 |
3 | Scituate | 0.78 |
4 | Smithfield | 0.72 |
5 | South Kingstown | 0.71 |
6 | Glocester | 0.71 |
7 | Middletown | 0.7 |
8 | Portsmouth | 0.69 |
9 | Bristol | 0.69 |
10 | Tiverton | 0.68 |
11 | Westerly | 0.61 |
12 | North Providence | 0.61 |
13 | Barrington | 0.6 |
14 | Warwick | 0.56 |
15 | Johnston | 0.56 |
16 | North Kingstown | 0.55 |
17 | Warren | 0.55 |
18 | Newport | 0.5 |
19 | North Smithfield | 0.5 |
20 | Cumberland | 0.49 |
21 | Burrillville | 0.47 |
22 | East Providence | 0.45 |
23 | Cranston | 0.42 |
24 | Coventry | 0.42 |
25 | Lincoln | 0.31 |
26 | West Warwick | 0.3 |
27 | Central Falls | -0.16 |
28 | Pawtucket | -0.16 |
29 | Woonsocket | -0.19 |
30 | Providence | -0.28 |
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.