Safest Cities in America (2023)
Ranked by Safety Context Score using per-capita crime rates — never raw counts. Population-adjusted violent and property crime rates compared to national averages with 5-year trends.
Why this ranking is different: Most "safest cities" lists use raw crime counts or cherry-picked metrics. Our Safety Context Score uses per-capita rates (violent 40%, property 30%) plus 5-year trend direction (30%). Cities must have 25,000+ residents to qualify.
Top 100 Safest Cities
| # | City | Population | Violent/100K | Property/100K | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florence, KY | 32K | 111.6 | 878.8 | A (87) |
| 2 | East Providence, RI | 47K | 132.8 | 800.4 | A (85) |
| 3 | North Bergen, NJ | 64K | 214.9 | 628.7 | A (85) |
| 4 | Nampa, ID | 100K | 124.9 | 753.1 | A (84) |
| 5 | Des Moines, IA | 214K | 180 | 871.4 | A (83) |
| 6 | Meriden, CT | 61K | 184.8 | 1,132 | A (82) |
| 7 | Waterbury, CT | 114K | 77.9 | 1,974 | A (81) |
| 8 | Concord, NH | 44K | 139.1 | 1,190 | A (81) |
| 9 | Cranston, RI | 83K | 122.3 | 875.9 | A (81) |
| 10 | Pocatello, ID | 57K | 229.4 | 1,109 | A (81) |
| 11 | New Britain, CT | 74K | 54.4 | 1,242 | A (80) |
| 12 | Hagerstown, MD | 44K | 163.5 | 1,056 | A (80) |
| 13 | Murray, UT | 51K | 140.6 | 1,454 | A (80) |
| 14 | Laredo, TX | 255K | 175.6 | 2,051 | B (79) |
| 15 | Burlington, VT | 45K | 98.6 | 1,495 | B (79) |
| 16 | Bridgeport, CT | 149K | 192.1 | 1,187 | B (78) |
| 17 | Hoboken, NJ | 60K | 127 | 1,823 | B (78) |
| 18 | Lincoln, NE | 291K | 316 | 1,008 | B (77) |
| 19 | Jurupa Valley, CA | 112K | 150.3 | 1,979 | B (77) |
| 20 | Portland, ME | 68K | 233.5 | 1,354 | B (77) |
| 21 | Greenwich, CT | 64K | 184.8 | 1,960 | B (77) |
| 22 | South Jordan, UT | 77K | 161.4 | 2,208 | B (77) |
| 23 | Columbus, OH | 906K | 105.9 | 3,037 | B (76) |
| 24 | Chandler, AZ | 276K | 229.1 | 2,073 | B (76) |
| 25 | Irving, TX | 257K | 131.7 | 2,820 | B (76) |
| 26 | Hayward, CA | 163K | 172.4 | 1,390 | B (76) |
| 27 | Honolulu, HI | 351K | 101.2 | 3,243 | B (75) |
| 28 | Tallahassee, FL | 196K | 184.3 | 1,633 | B (75) |
| 29 | Newport News, VA | 186K | 239.4 | 1,702 | B (75) |
| 30 | Norwalk, CT | 91K | 239.2 | 1,960 | B (75) |
| 31 | Warner Robins, GA | 80K | 313.4 | 1,312 | B (75) |
| 32 | Orem, UT | 97K | 237 | 2,182 | B (75) |
| 33 | Layton, UT | 81K | 320.3 | 1,427 | B (75) |
| 34 | Trenton, NJ | 91K | 381 | 691.5 | B (75) |
| 35 | Union City, NJ | 71K | 300.9 | 1,433 | B (75) |
| 36 | Vineland, NJ | 64K | 97.7 | 1,886 | B (75) |
| 37 | Plainfield, NJ | 55K | 318.5 | 1,421 | B (75) |
| 38 | Hamilton, OH | 64K | 317.8 | 1,735 | B (75) |
| 39 | Gilbert, AZ | 268K | 238.1 | 2,124 | B (74) |
| 40 | Wilmington, NC | 115K | 176.2 | 2,646 | B (74) |
| 41 | Palm Bay, FL | 120K | 199.6 | 1,151 | B (74) |
| 42 | Tupelo, MS | 38K | 378.6 | 1,641 | B (74) |
| 43 | Roanoke, VA | 100K | 177 | 2,146 | B (74) |
| 44 | Syracuse, NY | 149K | 374.4 | 1,153 | B (74) |
| 45 | Edison, NJ | 108K | 72.3 | 1,220 | B (74) |
| 46 | Hialeah, FL | 223K | 180.4 | 2,172 | B (73) |
| 47 | Ithaca, NY | 32K | 283.5 | 1,222 | B (73) |
| 48 | Lexington, KY | 323K | 466 | 913.3 | B (72) |
| 49 | Jersey City, NJ | 292K | 424 | 716.7 | B (72) |
| 50 | Santa Clarita, CA | 229K | 358 | 1,909 | B (72) |
| 51 | Mobile, AL | 187K | 362.9 | 2,141 | B (72) |
| 52 | Bangor, ME | 32K | 73.8 | 1,507 | B (72) |
| 53 | Hattiesburg, MS | 48K | 212.6 | 1,292 | B (72) |
| 54 | Caldwell, ID | 62K | 486 | 739.4 | B (72) |
| 55 | Corvallis, OR | 60K | 306.5 | 1,757 | B (72) |
| 56 | Avondale, AZ | 89K | 206.7 | 2,200 | B (72) |
| 57 | New Rochelle, NY | 80K | 359.9 | 819.5 | B (72) |
| 58 | Madison, WI | 270K | 394.9 | 1,752 | B (71) |
| 59 | Garden Grove, CA | 173K | 530.4 | 1,178 | B (71) |
| 60 | Round Rock, TX | 133K | 188.7 | 1,615 | B (71) |
| 61 | Augusta, GA | 202K | 488.8 | 1,239 | B (71) |
| 62 | Akron, OH | 190K | 123.6 | 3,145 | B (71) |
| 63 | Plymouth, MN | 81K | 312.2 | 1,803 | B (71) |
| 64 | Danbury, CT | 87K | 215.6 | 2,057 | B (71) |
| 65 | Binghamton, NY | 48K | 512.5 | 1,125 | B (71) |
| 66 | Hackensack, NJ | 44K | 388.8 | 741.8 | B (71) |
| 67 | Minneapolis, MN | 430K | 347.1 | 1,237 | B (70) |
| 68 | Bakersfield, CA | 403K | 234.3 | 1,485 | B (70) |
| 69 | Gulfport, MS | 73K | 291.2 | 2,872 | B (70) |
| 70 | Owensboro, KY | 60K | 251.6 | 1,120 | B (70) |
| 71 | Georgetown, KY | 37K | 345.7 | 1,516 | B (70) |
| 72 | Nashua, NH | 91K | 191.8 | 734.8 | B (70) |
| 73 | Stamford, CT | 135K | 373.3 | 1,601 | B (70) |
| 74 | Lewiston, ID | 34K | 184 | 2,068 | B (70) |
| 75 | Hillsboro, OR | 107K | 204.3 | 3,513 | B (70) |
| 76 | Oro Valley, AZ | 47K | 215.7 | 2,252 | B (70) |
| 77 | Colorado Springs, CO | 479K | 342.7 | 2,579 | B (69) |
| 78 | Chesapeake, VA | 249K | 403.9 | 1,687 | B (69) |
| 79 | Dayton, OH | 138K | 229.5 | 1,410 | B (69) |
| 80 | West Palm Beach, FL | 117K | 226.5 | 2,209 | B (69) |
| 81 | Meridian, ID | 118K | 265.7 | 917.4 | B (69) |
| 82 | Fishers, IN | 101K | 370.8 | 1,804 | B (69) |
| 83 | Eau Claire, WI | 69K | 618.3 | 797.7 | B (69) |
| 84 | Charlotte, NC | 875K | 394.3 | 1,984 | B (68) |
| 85 | Boston, MA | 676K | 512.6 | 988.5 | B (68) |
| 86 | Henderson, NV | 320K | 354.4 | 1,368 | B (68) |
| 87 | Newark, NJ | 312K | 365.4 | 1,848 | B (68) |
| 88 | Centennial, CO | 108K | 203.1 | 2,802 | B (68) |
| 89 | Alexandria, VA | 159K | 343.5 | 2,146 | B (68) |
| 90 | Springfield, MA | 156K | 234.7 | 1,448 | B (68) |
| 91 | Manchester, NH | 116K | 130.3 | 1,646 | B (68) |
| 92 | Woodbury, MN | 75K | 255.6 | 1,363 | B (68) |
| 93 | Milford, CT | 55K | 146.8 | 1,394 | B (68) |
| 94 | Bayonne, NJ | 72K | 185.6 | 1,949 | B (68) |
| 95 | Battle Creek, MI | 51K | 430.8 | 913.9 | B (68) |
| 96 | East Lansing, MI | 49K | 406.9 | 1,752 | B (68) |
| 97 | Austin, TX | 979K | 241.4 | 1,666 | B (67) |
| 98 | Indianapolis, IN | 888K | 590.9 | 1,112 | B (67) |
| 99 | Scottsdale, AZ | 241K | 152.8 | 2,405 | B (67) |
| 100 | Eugene, OR | 177K | 452.4 | 1,757 | B (67) |
All rates per 100,000 residents. Source: FBI UCR 2023.
Cities Needing Most Improvement
These cities have the lowest Safety Context Scores. This does not mean these cities are "dangerous" — it means their per-capita crime rates are higher than average. Many of these cities are actively investing in public safety improvements, and trend data shows whether they are making progress.
| City | Violent/100K | Property/100K | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette, LA | 1,349 | 4,635 | F (15) |
| Kansas City, MO | 1,009 | 4,546 | F (16) |
| Knoxville, TN | 1,352 | 4,516 | F (16) |
| Hobbs, NM | 1,090 | 4,695 | F (16) |
| Washington, DC | 1,137 | 5,596 | F (19) |
| Baton Rouge, LA | 1,324 | 4,520 | F (19) |
| Jonesboro, AR | 854.1 | 5,147 | F (19) |
| Moreno Valley, CA | 959.1 | 3,935 | F (20) |
| Hoover, AL | 848.2 | 4,469 | F (21) |
| Marana, AZ | 979.5 | 3,531 | F (21) |
| Santa Fe, NM | 1,051 | 4,514 | F (22) |
| Thousand Oaks, CA | 945.9 | 3,865 | F (23) |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 720 | 4,675 | F (25) |
| Huntsville, AL | 907.2 | 4,282 | F (25) |
| Nashville, TN | 1,002 | 2,216 | F (26) |
| Lewisville, TX | 847.1 | 4,178 | F (26) |
| Fayetteville, AR | 1,091 | 4,617 | F (26) |
| Monroe, LA | 728.9 | 4,722 | F (26) |
| Roswell, NM | 1,027 | 4,406 | F (26) |
| Springfield, OR | 545.9 | 5,334 | F (27) |
| Torrance, CA | 959.1 | 2,521 | F (28) |
| Lenexa, KS | 927.4 | 3,889 | F (28) |
| Everett, WA | 639.3 | 5,311 | F (28) |
| Las Vegas, NV | 898.6 | 3,589 | F (29) |
| Murrieta, CA | 698.4 | 3,959 | F (29) |
| Florence, AL | 834.6 | 3,586 | F (29) |
| Clarksville, TN | 1,419 | 3,394 | F (30) |
| Wichita, KS | 697.7 | 4,037 | F (31) |
| Boulder, CO | 871.6 | 4,012 | F (31) |
| Oxnard, CA | 835.4 | 3,747 | F (31) |
| Odessa, TX | 877.8 | 3,332 | F (31) |
| Muncie, IN | 822.6 | 3,419 | F (31) |
| Bentonville, AR | 1,113 | 4,430 | F (31) |
| Corona, CA | 826.5 | 2,521 | F (32) |
| Lancaster, CA | 954.7 | 1,791 | F (32) |
| Denton, TX | 926.1 | 2,589 | F (33) |
| Shreveport, LA | 741.7 | 4,491 | F (33) |
| Pasadena, CA | 884 | 3,063 | F (33) |
| Chicago, IL | 857.8 | 2,236 | F (34) |
| Tulsa, OK | 972.2 | 3,416 | F (34) |
| Thornton, CO | 825 | 3,980 | F (34) |
| League City, TX | 851.5 | 3,948 | F (34) |
| Dothan, AL | 526.2 | 4,443 | F (34) |
| Renton, WA | 635.3 | 4,295 | F (34) |
| San Jose, CA | 649.7 | 3,228 | D (35) |
| Seattle, WA | 682.7 | 5,016 | D (35) |
| Tucson, AZ | 916.6 | 3,173 | D (35) |
| Olathe, KS | 748.7 | 2,609 | D (35) |
| Athens, GA | 805.9 | 3,789 | D (35) |
| Winston-Salem, NC | 792.9 | 1,866 | D (36) |