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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.

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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 West Virginia, 2021

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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.

Safest Cities in West Virginia, 2019

RankCitySafety Index
1St. Albans0.77
2Weirton0.5
3Morgantown0.4
4Fairmont0.05
5Vienna0.03
6Martinsburg-0.39
7South Charleston-0.47
8Beckley-0.63
9Parkersburg-0.87
10Bluefield-1.04
11Wheeling-1.21
12Huntington-1.27
13Charleston-1.66

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 Wisconsin, 2021

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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. 

Safest Cities in Wisconsin, 2019

RankCitySafety Index
1Cedarburg0.78
2Monroe0.76
3Grafton0.68
4New Berlin0.68
5Mequon0.61
6Muskego0.6
7Middleton0.59
8Burlington0.58
9Oconomowoc0.55
10Menomonee Falls0.53
11Oregon0.52
12Marshfield0.51
13Marinette0.5
14Whitefish Bay0.48
15Greendale0.46
16Waupun0.46
17Ashwaubenon0.45
18Waunakee0.45
19Kaukauna0.44
20Franklin0.44
21Town of Menasha0.43
22Fox Valley Metro0.42
23Cudahy0.41
24Sun Prairie0.41
25Port Washington0.41
26Hartford0.35
27Waukesha0.35
28Verona0.35
29Whitewater0.33
30Fort Atkinson0.32
31Brookfield0.31
32Pleasant Prairie0.31
33Hobart-Lawrence0.3
34Watertown0.3
35Caledonia0.3
36Oak Creek0.3
37De Pere0.28
38Plover0.27
39Shorewood0.26
40Beaver Dam0.26
41Mount Pleasant0.25
42Stevens Point0.25
43West Bend0.24
44Hudson0.23
45Neenah0.2
46South Milwaukee0.18
47Two Rivers0.18
48Chippewa Falls0.17
49Stoughton0.17
50Portage0.15
51River Falls0.15
52Baraboo0.14
53Onalaska0.13
54Glendale0.13
55Everest Metropolitan0.13
56Wauwatosa0.13
57Platteville0.1
58Greenfield0.08
59Menasha0.08
60Appleton0.08
61Wausau0.06
62Fond du Lac0.04
63Sheboygan0.04
64Menomonie0.04
65Oshkosh0.02
66Fitchburg-0.01
67Eau Claire-0.03
68Wisconsin Rapids-0.03
69Manitowoc-0.04
70Superior-0.07
71Kenosha-0.08
72West Allis-0.11
73Madison-0.11
74Janesville-0.16
75Brown Deer-0.17
76Grand Chute-0.21
77Green Bay-0.22
78La Crosse-0.22
79Beloit-0.28
80Racine-0.35
81Milwaukee-1.78

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 Michigan, 2021

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Parts of Michigan are not very safe: troubled cities such as Detroit and Flint are plagued by high rates of violent crime several times above the national average. However, the Great Lakes State is also home to scores of extremely safe communities. 

In fact, 26 Michigan cities scored above a 0.3 on our Safety Index, which measures the safety of a given community based on crime rates and the size of its police force. Let’s take a look at the eight very safe Michigan cities that managed to score above a 0.8 on the Safety Index.

Michigan’s safest community is Grosse Ile Township, comprising twelve islands on the Detroit River. Perhaps island life keeps people living peacefully, as the community of just over 10,000 logged zero violent crimes in 2017.

Michigan’s #2 spot is shared by two communities each earning a high 0.78 Safety Index score: Beverly Hills and Grosse Pointe Park. The two affluent suburbs of Detroit both recorded violent and property crime rates below state and national averages, with Beverly Hills sticking out for its tiny 0.09 violent crimes per 1,000 inhabitants.

Ranking #4 is Berkley, another suburb of Detroit that earned a 0.7 Safety Index score based on a very low violent crime rate of 0.46 per 1,000 and a property crime rate of just 6.79 per 1,000, which is less than half of Detroit’s rate of violent crime.

#5 on the list is Farmington, logging a 0.67 on the Safety Index. The well-to-do Oakland County community notched a mere 4 violent crimes in 2017.

Three more cities in Michigan, Bloomfield Township, Grand Haven and Birmingham, earn the distinction of a 0.6+ Safety Index score, a high guarantee of their relative safety.

Safest Cities in Michigan, 2019

RankCitySafety Index
1Grosse Ile Township0.88
2Beverly Hills0.78
3Grosse Pointe Park0.78
4Berkley0.7
5Farmington0.67
6Bloomfield Township0.66
7Grand Haven0.66
8Birmingham0.6
9Rochester0.56
10Trenton0.51
11Plymouth Township0.49
12Royal Oak0.49
13South Lyon0.49
14Fraser0.47
15Milford0.47
16Grosse Pointe Woods0.47
17West Bloomfield Township0.46
18Troy0.41
19Livonia0.39
20Novi0.36
21Farmington Hills0.36
22New Baltimore0.35
23Clawson0.35
24White Lake Township0.32
25Northville Township0.32
26Hamburg Township0.31
27Shelby Township0.27
28Marquette0.27
29Riverview0.26
30Metro Police Authority of Genesee County0.25
31Ferndale0.25
32Madison Heights0.24
33Fenton0.23
34Canton Township0.21
35Dewitt Township0.2
36Flushing Township0.19
37Escanaba0.19
38Green Oak Township0.19
39Midland0.18
40Davison Township0.17
41St. Clair Shores0.16
42Wyandotte0.16
43Thomas Township0.15
44Lincoln Township0.14
45Bath Township0.14
46Huron Township0.14
47Big Rapids0.13
48Sterling Heights0.12
49Dearborn0.1
50Grand Blanc Township0.09
51East Lansing0.09
52Waterford Township0.08
53Allen Park0.07
54Chesterfield Township0.07
55Wixom0.06
56Pittsfield Township0.05
57Southfield0.04
58Walker0.03
59Auburn Hills0.01
60Mount Pleasant0.01
61Brownstown Township0
62Oak Park0
63Ionia-0.03
64Van Buren Township-0.03
65Ann Arbor-0.04
66Sault Ste. Marie-0.05
67Sturgis-0.05
68Norton Shores-0.1
69Hazel Park-0.12
70Holland-0.13
71Portage-0.16
72Westland-0.16
73Saginaw Township-0.17
74Meridian Township-0.19
75Garden City-0.2
76Kalamazoo Township-0.2
77Grandville-0.21
78Kentwood-0.22
79Southgate-0.24
80Dearborn Heights-0.25
81Coldwater-0.25
82Clinton Township-0.29
83Monroe-0.3
84Alpena-0.35
85Genesee Township-0.37
86Warren-0.4
87Traverse City-0.41
88Niles-0.41
89Melvindale-0.46
90Burton-0.47
91Wyoming-0.48
92Owosso-0.5
93Fruitport Township-0.5
94Blackman Township-0.53
95Roseville-0.55
96Taylor-0.63
97Muskegon Township-0.66
98Mount Morris Township-0.73
99Grand Rapids-0.73
100Redford Township-0.86
101Emmett Township-0.89
102Bay City-0.9
103Cadillac-0.92
104Lincoln Park-0.94
105Muskegon-0.95
106Port Huron-0.99
107Hamtramck-1.03
108Harper Woods-1.05
109Romulus-1.08
110Ypsilanti-1.18
111Eastpointe-1.2
112Wayne-1.23
113Battle Creek-1.24
114Kalamazoo-1.32
115Lansing-1.51
116Jackson-1.73
117Flint Township-1.76
118Inkster-2.15
119Benton Township-2.15
120Saginaw-2.18
121Detroit-2.4
122Highland Park-2.82
123Muskegon Heights-2.91
124Flint-2.91

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 Minnesota, 2021

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Perhaps Minnesota’s cold weather renders the prospect of committing crimes less enticing, considering that its violent crime rate (11th in the nation) and property crime rate (20th in the nation) compare favorably with those of the rest of the United States. Thinking about a move to Minnesota? Let’s take an in-depth look at the Land of 10,000 Lakes’ five safest cities for a good idea of where to settle in the state.

Big Lake is Minnesota’s safest city: the modest community of 10.7K recorded just 1 violent crime in 2017 for a near nonexistent rate of 0.09 per 1,000, while its low property crime rate of 5.5 per 1,000 is similarly impressive.

Orono is about twice the size as Big Lake, yet city posted similarly impressive rates of violent and property crime well below state and national averages.

Third in the ranking is Worthington, the county seat of Nobles County which recorded a not-too-shabby 1.59 per 1,000 violent crime rate as well as a 15.61 property crime rate, which is below the state average.

Lino Lakes, an outer Twin Cities suburb, placed #4 in the ranking of Minnesota’s safest cities. The peaceful community of 21,000 earned a 0.43 on our Safety Index, owing to a very low violent crime rate of 0.43 per 1,000.

Rounding out the list of Minnesota’s top five safest cities is Hutchinson. The city’s violent and property crime rates don’t rank among the state’s safest, but are well under the national averages in both categories.

Safest Cities in Minnesota, 2019

RankCitySafety Index
1Big Lake0.51
2Orono0.5
3Worthington0.48
4Lino Lakes0.43
5Hutchinson0.39
6Eden Prairie0.37
7Grand Rapids0.37
8Hibbing0.36
9Centennial Lakes0.35
10Hopkins0.35
11South Lake Minnetonka0.35
12Farmington0.34
13Rosemount0.33
14Golden Valley0.32
15New Hope0.32
16St. Peter0.3
17New Ulm0.3
18Elk River0.3
19Lakeville0.27
20Savage0.26
21Chaska0.26
22Champlin0.25
23Plymouth0.25
24Northfield0.25
25Edina0.25
26Minnetonka0.24
27Fairmont0.23
28Cottage Grove0.22
29Albert Lea0.2
30Ramsey0.2
31North Mankato0.18
32Owatonna0.18
33Maple Grove0.17
34Sartell0.16
35Sauk Rapids0.16
36Buffalo0.15
37Eagan0.15
38Woodbury0.15
39Rochester0.13
40Mendota Heights0.13
41Stillwater0.13
42Mounds View0.11
43Rogers0.11
44Shakopee0.09
45Moorhead0.07
46Marshall0.07
47St. Louis Park0.07
48North St. Paul0.06
49Crystal0.05
50Anoka0.05
51New Brighton0.04
52Winona0.03
53Hastings0.03
54Apple Valley0.01
55Bloomington0.01
56Robbinsdale0.01
57Prior Lake-0.02
58Fergus Falls-0.04
59Inver Grove Heights-0.05
60Blaine-0.05
61North Branch-0.05
62Red Wing-0.05
63White Bear Lake-0.06
64Faribault-0.06
65Austin-0.08
66Burnsville-0.08
67Alexandria-0.11
68Columbia Heights-0.11
69Cloquet-0.12
70Coon Rapids-0.14
71Willmar-0.17
72Richfield-0.17
73Forest Lake-0.2
74Mankato-0.21
75Oakdale-0.21
76Brooklyn Park-0.25
77South St. Paul-0.32
78Fridley-0.36
79Brooklyn Center-0.39
80Duluth-0.42
81St. Cloud-0.45
82Maplewood-0.47
83Roseville-0.55
84St. Paul-0.59
85Brainerd-0.61
86West St. Paul-0.76
87Bemidji-1.03
88Minneapolis-1.53

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 Mississippi, 2021

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When states are ranked in categories like public education or economic production, it is Mississippi’s perennial misfortune to rank at the low end of the spectrum. Such is not the case in regards to violent crime, as Mississippi’s violent crime rate is the 16th lowest in the country, so they are doing something correctly. However, there’s a lot of missing data in the FBI’s statistical data for Mississippi, indicating that we aren’t getting the entire picture of crime in the state. 

Nevertheless, a handful of Mississippi cities achieved very favorable scores on our Safety Index, which uses FBI crime statistics and law enforcement employment numbers to determine the safety of a community. Let’s take a look at these cities.

Madison is Mississippi’s safest city, scoring a very impressive 1.02 score on the Safety Index via an extremely low violent crime rate of 0.42 per 1,000 and property crime rate of 9.53 per 1,000, which is well below half of the state average.

Not far behind in terms of low crime rates and relative safety is #2 Petal. The delicately named city of about 10.7K recorded a property crime rate less than a third that of the Mississippi average of 27.34 per 1,000.

Byram, a small city in Hinds County, earns the title of Mississippi’s #3 safest city on the strength of a very good 1.59 per 1,000 violent crime rate. Byram is followed closely behind by #4 Oxford, a larger city with a similarly low violent crime rate and slightly higher levels of property crime.

Two more Mississippi cities earn the distinction of a Safety Index score topping 0.5: McComb (#5), of Pike County, and Brandon (#6), of Rankin County.

Safest Cities in Mississippi, 2019

RankCitySafety Index
1Madison1.02
2Petal0.94
3Byram0.66
4Oxford0.61
5McComb0.53
6Brandon0.5
7Vicksburg0.46
8Ridgeland0.46
9Horn Lake0.31
10Southaven0.24
11Ocean Springs0.18
12Starkville0.16
13Brookhaven0.02
14Hattiesburg-0.01
15Laurel-0.09
16D'Iberville-0.12
17Pascagoula-0.13
18West Point-0.14
19Gautier-0.18
20Biloxi-0.29
21Meridian-0.29
22Gulfport-0.36

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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Safest Cities in Maryland, 2021

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Although it’s overall violent and property crime rates are marred by the high crime in Baltimore, by far Maryland’s largest city, the Old Line State is home to many very safe communities. In fact, six Maryland cities scored a 0.6 or higher on our Safety Index, which rates the safety of U.S. cities on a variety of factors, including crime rates and the concentration of law enforcement.

Maryland’s safest city is Bel Air, which earned a 0.57 Safety Index score based on a violent crime rate well below the state average and a high 4.06 per 1,000 ratio of law enforcement employees to residents.

Ranking #2 is the eloquently named Havre de Grace, which recorded a decent violent crime rate below the state average, along with a very good 14.1 per 1,000 property crime rate.

The #3 spot belongs to Easton, a city of 16,598 that earned a 0.38 Safety Index score based on a violent crime rate of 2.29 per 1,000 inhabitants, which is less than half the state average, along with a comfortingly high law enforcement to resident ratio above 3 per 1,000.

Ocean Pines is the final Maryland city to score above a 0.3 on the Safety Index (it scored a 0.33), which it did by managing very impressive crime rates compared to the state, at large: a violent crime rate below 2 per 1,000 and a property crime below 7 per 1,000.

Two more cities in Maryland, Tacoma Park and Bowie, achieved Safety Index scores above 0.2. Both prove to be relatively safe places to live, recording violent crime rates considerably below the state average.

Safest Cities in Maryland, 2019

RankCitySafety Index
1Bel Air0.57
2Havre de Grace0.51
3Easton0.38
4Ocean Pines0.33
5Takoma Park0.26
6Bowie0.23
7Aberdeen0.17
8Annapolis0.05
9New Carrollton-0.02
10Hagerstown-0.31
11Frederick-0.33
12Laurel-0.35
13Westminster-0.41
14Greenbelt-0.5
15Hyattsville-0.55
16Salisbury-1.18
17Cumberland-1.19
18Elkton-1.79
19Cambridge-1.8
20Baltimore-2.36

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!