Safest Cities in America

Adam McCann, WalletHub Financial WriterOct 10, 2022

Adam McCann, WalletHub Financial Writer
Oct 10, 2022

Threats to safety in the U.S. come in many forms, from the continued presence of the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters to mass shootings and traffic accidents.

People can feel unsafe in other ways, too. Aside from the types of hazards that can cause bodily injury or other physical harm, taking out an unaffordable second mortgage, forgoing health insurance or even visiting unsecured websites are also ways people run into danger. One of the biggest worries for many people right now is the cost of inflation, which reached a four-decade high this year and threatens Americans’ financial safety.

No one can avoid all danger, however, and we take on a certain level of risk based on where we choose to live. Some cities are simply better at protecting their residents from harm. To determine where Americans can feel most secure — in more than one sense — WalletHub compared more than 180 cities across 42 key indicators of safety. Our data set ranges from the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated and assaults per capita to the unemployment rate and road quality.

Table of Contents

Main Findings

Embed on your website

Safest Cities in the U.S.

Overall Rank*	City	Total Score	Home & Community Safety	Natural-Disaster Risk	Financial Safety
1	Columbia, MD	85.99	1	63	92
2	Nashua, NH	84.44	11	27	2
3	Laredo, TX	83.96	4	24	107
4	Portland, ME	83.49	16	11	8
5	Warwick, RI	83.19	5	22	98
6	Yonkers, NY	83.19	3	39	113
7	Gilbert, AZ	82.04	12	14	60
8	Burlington, VT	81.90	27	37	11
9	Raleigh, NC	81.46	19	55	24
10	Lewiston, ME	81.40	33	12	21
11	Juneau, AK	81.39	60	50	1
12	Winston-Salem, NC	81.03	26	40	59
13	Madison, WI	80.92	15	89	49
14	Bismarck, ND	80.51	37	64	18
15	South Burlington, VT	80.25	59	36	3
16	Chandler, AZ	80.11	41	8	38
17	Fremont, CA	79.98	10	157	5
18	Virginia Beach, VA	79.85	20	44	100
19	Scottsdale, AZ	79.75	35	53	41
20	Brownsville, TX	79.70	22	2	153
21	Boise, ID	79.56	38	71	23
22	Cedar Rapids, IA	79.53	28	101	32
23	Manchester, NH	79.51	53	30	16
24	Pearl City, HI	79.48	2	N/A	10
25	Pembroke Pines, FL	79.45	14	48	152
26	Irvine, CA	79.25	6	150	61
27	Cape Coral, FL	79.19	13	111	115
28	Worcester, MA	79.01	43	17	69
29	Peoria, AZ	78.87	48	26	65
30	Casper, WY	78.70	56	20	83
31	Bridgeport, CT	78.33	47	16	108
32	Fargo, ND	77.99	73	77	13
33	Chesapeake, VA	77.97	30	69	130
34	Las Cruces, NM	77.89	51	66	79
35	Salem, OR	77.89	65	70	37
36	Fort Wayne, IN	77.83	54	59	81
37	Aurora, IL	77.77	17	91	155
38	Chula Vista, CA	77.69	18	132	74
39	Santa Rosa, CA	77.66	21	153	14
40	Glendale, CA	77.50	8	151	124
41	Henderson, NV	77.41	25	95	140
42	Tempe, AZ	77.40	77	9	54
43	Charlotte, NC	77.34	69	57	36
44	Providence, RI	77.33	50	10	126
45	Cheyenne, WY	77.25	49	97	82
46	Mesa, AZ	77.24	61	18	80
47	Nampa, ID	77.19	66	49	71
48	San Diego, CA	77.11	36	130	33
49	Irving, TX	77.06	29	125	70
50	Lincoln, NE	77.00	62	105	19
51	Missoula, MT	76.86	58	108	51
52	Rochester, NY	76.82	75	4	101
53	Durham, NC	76.82	82	42	34
54	Santa Clarita, CA	76.77	7	168	147
55	Grand Prairie, TX	76.65	39	112	105
56	Sioux Falls, SD	76.57	67	103	25
57	Hialeah, FL	76.36	9	128	176
58	Vancouver, WA	76.35	81	87	26
59	Grand Rapids, MI	76.31	86	7	53
60	Spokane, WA	76.09	90	19	39
61	Tampa, FL	75.69	68	92	84
62	Omaha, NE	75.61	71	107	45
63	Oxnard, CA	75.55	31	148	89
64	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	75.47	34	159	47
65	Salt Lake City, UT	75.42	80	116	22
66	Oceanside, CA	75.32	42	144	57
67	New Haven, CT	75.13	101	6	73
68	Huntington Beach, CA	74.82	32	170	63
69	Greensboro, NC	74.71	102	33	67
70	North Las Vegas, NV	74.65	40	99	169
71	Tallahassee, FL	74.63	88	28	131
72	Norfolk, VA	74.24	74	81	150
73	San Jose, CA	74.19	72	169	6
74	Newport News, VA	73.84	97	21	146
75	Honolulu, HI	73.83	23	N/A	27
76	Garden Grove, CA	73.78	44	171	88
77	Glendale, AZ	73.58	112	13	106
78	Ontario, CA	73.57	57	156	75
79	Plano, TX	73.50	105	113	42
80	Fontana, CA	73.49	52	163	87
81	Minneapolis, MN	73.40	99	131	17
82	Billings, MT	73.34	134	58	9
83	Moreno Valley, CA	73.28	45	166	119
84	Overland Park, KS	73.23	98	121	48
85	Boston, MA	73.11	129	35	20
86	San Antonio, TX	73.07	94	73	132
87	Jersey City, NJ	73.06	89	84	136
88	Sacramento, CA	72.96	91	119	56
89	Columbia, SC	72.91	87	83	157
90	Newark, NJ	72.90	78	29	179
91	Des Moines, IA	72.72	83	143	50
92	Santa Ana, CA	72.71	55	167	116
93	Mobile, AL	72.57	100	43	164
94	Anaheim, CA	72.55	63	154	99
95	Arlington, TX	72.42	84	122	122
96	Rapid City, SD	72.35	108	129	35
97	El Paso, TX	72.32	109	74	133
98	Huntington, WV	72.31	119	47	104
99	Lubbock, TX	72.29	110	114	64
100	Montgomery, AL	72.20	95	93	165
101	Port St. Lucie, FL	71.92	24	N/A	114
102	Gulfport, MS	71.87	111	56	162
103	Tucson, AZ	71.71	117	65	118
104	Amarillo, TX	71.64	85	162	68
105	Jacksonville, FL	71.61	120	62	128
106	Columbus, GA	71.51	113	38	167
107	West Valley City, UT	71.47	46	N/A	30
108	Anchorage, AK	71.40	92	161	44
109	Miami, FL	71.37	70	118	178
110	Fort Smith, AR	71.23	133	94	46
111	Aurora, CO	71.14	96	133	117
112	Knoxville, TN	70.90	118	78	135
113	Phoenix, AZ	70.82	137	25	94
113	Fresno, CA	70.82	121	117	76
115	St. Paul, MN	70.67	64	N/A	15
116	Augusta, GA	70.64	136	61	171
117	Huntsville, AL	70.58	107	142	97
118	Modesto, CA	70.52	124	135	31
119	Toledo, OH	70.48	128	60	141
120	Pittsburgh, PA	70.44	138	72	58
121	Nashville, TN	70.41	122	115	77
121	Tulsa, OK	70.41	116	120	102
123	Dover, DE	70.39	131	1	173
124	Louisville, KY	70.37	127	106	78
125	Austin, TX	70.23	143	98	29
126	Riverside, CA	70.21	93	164	95
127	New York, NY	70.13	132	34	138
128	Charleston, WV	69.99	150	45	28
129	Fort Worth, TX	69.88	104	134	144
130	Buffalo, NY	69.72	152	5	40
131	Akron, OH	69.64	126	68	163
132	Garland, TX	69.64	130	110	111
133	Chicago, IL	69.64	115	79	174
134	Atlanta, GA	69.63	123	82	154
135	Reno, NV	69.51	114	158	72
136	San Francisco, CA	69.50	146	123	4
137	Portland, OR	69.48	151	86	12
138	Fayetteville, NC	69.25	140	51	151
139	Long Beach, CA	69.10	103	152	134
140	Wichita, KS	68.66	106	172	110
141	Cincinnati, OH	68.44	145	76	137
142	Albuquerque, NM	68.41	149	88	66
143	Corpus Christi, TX	68.27	160	3	90
144	Bakersfield, CA	68.16	125	146	109
145	Wilmington, DE	68.10	144	23	175
146	Lexington-Fayette, KY	68.09	76	N/A	52
147	Springfield, MO	67.92	142	127	86
148	Seattle, WA	67.92	148	141	7
149	Stockton, CA	67.72	135	140	85
150	St. Petersburg, FL	67.54	79	N/A	55
151	Indianapolis, IN	67.35	138	124	120
152	Shreveport, LA	67.23	147	100	143
153	Houston, TX	67.18	141	102	158
154	Orlando, FL	66.74	163	32	96
155	Milwaukee, WI	66.66	154	52	148
156	Las Vegas, NV	65.35	153	96	161
157	Colorado Springs, CO	64.86	157	126	112
158	Tacoma, WA	64.18	159	145	91
159	Columbus, OH	64.16	169	46	139
160	Charleston, SC	63.94	155	165	93
161	Baltimore, MD	63.28	167	67	159
162	Kansas City, MO	63.00	162	138	129
163	Little Rock, AR	62.94	156	147	145
164	Denver, CO	62.80	166	139	62
165	New Orleans, LA	62.48	170	31	177
166	Dallas, TX	62.19	172	104	121
167	Birmingham, AL	61.90	161	136	170
168	Washington, DC	61.75	177	80	103
169	Cleveland, OH	61.26	171	54	180
170	Philadelphia, PA	61.12	176	15	160
171	Richmond, VA	60.82	178	75	127
172	Los Angeles, CA	60.75	164	149	149
173	Chattanooga, TN	60.54	175	109	125
174	Jackson, MS	60.48	168	137	172
175	Oakland, CA	60.45	174	155	43
176	Oklahoma City, OK	58.49	158	173	123
177	Memphis, TN	58.47	173	85	182
178	Baton Rouge, LA	56.51	182	90	166
179	Detroit, MI	55.58	181	41	181
180	San Bernardino, CA	54.41	180	160	142
181	Fort Lauderdale, FL	48.78	165	N/A	168
182	St. Louis, MO	42.81	179	N/A	156

Note: *No. 1 = Safest
With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that city, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

Traffic Fatalities per Capita

Fewest

Fewest
1. Columbia, MD
2. Glendale, CA
3. Pearl City, HI
4. Honolulu, HI
5. Oxnard, CA

Most

Most
T-173. Baton Rouge, LA
T-173. St. Louis, MO
T-173. Detroit, MI
T-173. Jackson, MS
T-173. Memphis, TN

Law-Enforcement Employees per Capita

Most

Most
T-1. Washington, DC
T-1. New York, NY
T-1. Jersey City, NJ
T-1. St. Louis, MO
T-1. Chicago, IL

Fewest

Fewest
172. Fontana, CA
173. Modesto, CA
174. Fremont, CA
175. Irvine, CA
176. Chula Vista, CA

Assaults per Capita

Fewest

Fewest
1. Irvine, CA
2. Nashua, NH
3. Warwick, RI
4. Glendale, CA
5. Virginia Beach, VA

Most

Most
T-173. Birmingham, AL
T-173. St. Louis, MO
T-173. Little Rock, AR
T-173. Detroit, MI
T-173. Memphis, TN

Hate Crimes per Capita

Fewest

Fewest
1. Tampa, FL
2. Tulsa, OK
3. St. Louis, MO
4. Milwaukee, WI
5. Laredo, TX

Most

Most
T-163. Salem, OR
T-163. Washington, DC
T-163. Seattle, WA
T-163. South Burlington, VT
T-163. Cleveland, OH

Unemployment Rate

Lowest

Lowest
T-1. Miami, FL
T-1. Springfield, MO
T-1. Manchester, NH
T-1. Hialeah, FL
T-1. Sioux Falls, SD
T-1. South Burlington, VT

Highest

Highest
176. Brownsville, TX
177. Wilmington, DE
178. Cleveland, OH
179. Dover, DE
180. Detroit, MI

% of Households with Emergency Savings

Highest

Highest
1. Wichita, KS
2. Portland, ME
T-3. Minneapolis, MN
T-3. St. Paul, MN
T-5. Portland, OR
T-5. Vancouver, WA

Lowest

Lowest
T-116. Miami, FL
T-116. Hialeah, FL
T-116. Fort Lauderdale, FL
T-116. Pembroke Pines, FL
120. Memphis, TN

% of Uninsured Population

Lowest

Lowest
1. South Burlington, VT
2. Pearl City, HI
3. Fremont, CA
4. Worcester, MA
5. Warwick, RI

Highest

Highest
178. Dallas, TX
179. Houston, TX
180. Garland, TX
181. Laredo, TX
182. Brownsville, TX

Natural-Disaster Risk Level

Lowest

Lowest
1. Dover, DE
2. Brownsville, TX
3. Corpus Christi, TX
4. Rochester, NY
5. Buffalo, NY

Highest

Highest
169. San Jose, CA
170. Huntington Beach, CA
171. Garden Grove, CA
172. Wichita, KS
173. Oklahoma City, OK

Ask the Experts

For the best ways to improve safety, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in with their thoughts on the following key questions:

What steps should local authorities take to help reduce the public costs associated with cleanups after major natural disasters? Should flood or other types of insurance be mandatory?
What measures can police departments take to increase public trust? How important is it to have a police force that is representative of the local community?
What can consumers do to increase their financial literacy, considering sound financial decisions increase a person's financial safety?

Ask the Experts

Steven G. Koven
Ph.D. – Professor, Department of Urban and Public Affairs – University of Louisville
Read More

Jason D. Rivera
Ph.D., MS, MPA – Associate Professor, Department of Public Management; Coordinator, MPA Emergency Management Specialization – John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Read More

Keith Boeckelman
Professor, Department of Political Science – Western Illinois University
Read More

Gary L. Rose
Ph.D. – Professor and Chair, Department of Government – Sacred Heart University
Read More

Doug Babcock
Adjunct Instructor – Saint Michael's College
Read More

Kenneth Kickham
Ph.D. – Professor and Chair, Department of Political Science, University of Central Oklahoma
Read More

Methodology

In order to determine the safest cities in which to live, WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across three key dimensions: 1) Home & Community Safety, 2) Natural-Disaster Risk, and 3) Financial Safety.

We evaluated those dimensions using 42 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of safety.

We then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample. In determining our sample, we considered only the city proper in each case, excluding cities in the surrounding metro area.

Home & Community Safety - Total Points: 50

Percentage of Residents Who Are Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19: Double Weight (~4.76 Points)
Presence of Terrorist Attacks: Triple Weight (~7.14 Points)
Note: This binary metric considers the presence or absence of terrorist attack or terrorist-related incident in the city between 2012 and 2022.
Number of Mass Shootings: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Murders & Non-Negligent Manslaughters per Capita: Triple Weight (~7.14 Points)
Forcible Rapes per Capita: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Assaults per Capita: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Thefts per Capita: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Sex Offenders per Capita: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Law-Enforcement Employees per Capita: Half Weight (~1.19 Points)
Active Firefighters per Capita: Half Weight (~1.19 Points)
EMTs & Paramedics per Capita: Half weight (~1.19 Points)
Note: “EMTs” refer to Emergency Medical Technicians.
Hate Crimes per Capita: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Share of Sheltered Homeless: Half Weight (~1.19 Points)
Perception of Safety (Safety walking alone during daylight/night): Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Note: These data are based on perceptions of visitors of Numbeo website in the past 3 years. If the value is 0, it means it is perceived as very low, and if the value is 100, it means it is perceived as very high.
Drug Poisoning Deaths per Capita: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Traffic Fatalities per Capita: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Pedestrian Fatalities per Capita: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Note: “Pedestrians” also includes pedacyclists.
Road Quality: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)

Natural-Disaster Risk - Total Points: 30

Earthquake Risk Level: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Flood Risk Level: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Hail Risk Level: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Hurricane Storm-Surge Risk Level: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Tornado Risk Level: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Wildfire Risk Level: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)

Financial Safety - Total Points: 20

Unemployment Rate: Double Weight (~2.11 Points)
Underemployment Rate: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
Share of Uninsured Population: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
Share of Uninsured Drivers: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
Foreclosure Rate: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
Median Credit Score: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
Debt-to-Income Ratio: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
Share of Owner Occupied Housing Units Spending at Least 35% of Their Household Income on Housing: : Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
Poverty Rate: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
Fraud & Other Complaints per Capita: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
Note: “Other” includes both financial and nonfinancial complaints.
Identity-Theft Complaints per Capita: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
Share of Unbanked Households: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
Job Security: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
Note: (Number of Employees in 2022 June - Number of Employees in 2021 June) / Number of Employees in 2021 June.
Employment Growth: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
Note: This metric was adjusted for the working-age population growth and compares figures between 2022 and 2021.
Share of Households with Emergency Savings: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
Note: This metric measures the share of households that saved for unexpected expenses or emergencies in the past 12 months.
Retirement Plan Access & Participation Rate: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
Note: “Retirement Plan” includes only employer-based plans.
Personal Bankruptcy Filings per Capita: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
Share of Seriously Underwater Mortgages: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
Note: This metric measures the proportion of seriously underwater mortgages, where the combined estimated balance of loans secured by those properties was at least 25 percent more than their estimated market value.

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, TransUnion, Parents for Megan’s Law, U.S. Fire Administration, US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Wm. Robert Johnston, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Chmura Economics & Analytics, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Federal Highway Administration, The Road Information Program, The Pew Charitable Trusts, County Health Rankings, Numbeo, Gun Violence Archive, ATTOM Data Solutions – U.S. Natural Hazard Housing Risk Index, ATTOM Data Solutions - U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, ATTOM Data Solutions – U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Insurance Information Institute and The New York Times.

Supporting Video Files:

Questions & Answers(18 questions)

How do you justify these moronic parameters having any impact on public safety?

Upvote

Help me understand how Chicago is not among the 5 most unsafe cities in the US. Have you looked at their murder rate lately?

Upvote

3) Was this methodology based on peer-reviewed research indicating a correlation between these metrics and your definition for safety?

Upvote

1) how are you defining safety?2)How did you decide what metrics to use and how to weight them?

Upvote

How do you rate Lewiston , Maine as a safe City. There are killings there all the time!!!!

Upvote

Why in the world would you include "percentage of fully vaccinated" in your analysis? The vaccine does not stop the spread of Covid.

Upvote

For St. Louis, is that the 300K population of the city or the 2. 8M of the St Louis bi-state area?

Upvote

Why is vaccination rates included at all let alone at double weight? What evidence do you have to show to support its use as a factor?

Upvote

Is Syracuse N Y on this list

Upvotes

Hasnt Newport Tn safety improved

Upvotes

Was this article helpful?

Disclaimer: Editorial and user-generated content is not provided or commissioned by financial institutions. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and have not been approved or otherwise endorsed by any financial institution, including those that are WalletHub advertising partners. Our content is intended for informational purposes only, and we encourage everyone to respect our content guidelines. Please keep in mind that it is not a financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered.

Certain offers that appear on this site originate from paying advertisers, and this will be noted on an offer’s details page using the designation "Sponsored", where applicable. Advertising may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). At WalletHub we try to present a wide array of offers, but our offers do not represent all financial services companies or products.