The 11 Safest Cities In The US

9 Min Read
Published June 10, 2024
FACT-CHECKED
Written By
Andrew DePietro
Reviewed By
Tom McLean
A woman and a man hold hands with their daughter as they walk down a safe neighborhood street.

For most Americans, safety is an important factor to consider when deciding where to live. To determine the safest cities in the United States, Quicken Loans used data from the Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates,

the FBI Crime Data Explorer
and NeighborhoodScout
to rank 450 cities in four key safety areas. Read on to learn more about the 11 safest cities in the U.S.

A city street in Lehi, Utah.A city street in Lehi, Utah.
An Errant Knight, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

1. Lehi, Utah

  • Population: 77,110
  • Police Officers Per 10,000 People: 8.62
  • Violent Crimes Per 10,000 People: 1.8
  • Property Crimes Per 10,000 People: 23.5
  • Total Score: 94.55

Several factors helped make Lehi the safest city in the U.S., but two in particular stand out: Lehi has the lowest violent crime rate and the lowest property crime rate in the whole study. Located south of Salt Lake City on the north shore of Utah Lake, Lehi is the only city in Utah to make the list. Economically, Lehi does well, boasting a median household income of $117,243 and an unemployment rate of just 4.4%.

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A historic building in downtown Bloomington, Illinois.A historic building in downtown Bloomington, Illinois.

2. Bloomington, Illinois

  • Population: 78,788
  • Police Officers Per 10,000 People: 20.31
  • Violent Crimes Per 10,000 People: 12.1
  • Property Crimes Per 10,000 People: 41
  • Total Score: 93.56

Located about 68 miles northeast of Illinois’ capital, Bloomington is home to Illinois Wesleyan University and the corporate headquarters for both State Farm Insurance and Country Financial. With a little more than 20 police officers for every 10,000 residents, Bloomington has a higher police per capita rate than Lehi. Also, Bloomington’s property crime and violent crime rates are well below the average of 50.52 violent crimes and 262.89 property crimes per 10,000 people.

An aerial view of Johns Creek, Georgia.An aerial view of Johns Creek, Georgia.

3. Johns Creek, Georgia

  • Population: 82,230
  • Police Officers Per 10,000 People: 9.89
  • Violent Crimes Per 10,000 People: 4.1
  • Property Crimes Per 10,000 People: 47.3
  • Total Score: 93.12

Northeast of Atlanta, Johns Creek is the only city in Georgia to make our list of the 11 safest cities in the U.S. Johns Creek has the lowest violent crime rate and lowest property crime rate in Georgia. Johns Creek is on the wealthy side, having a median household income of $153,882. Moreover, households earning $200,000 or more make up 33% of all households in Johns Creek.

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The Carnegie History Center in Bryan, Texas.The Carnegie History Center in Bryan, Texas.

4. Bryan, Texas

  • Population: 84,820
  • Police Officers Per 10,000 People: 19.35
  • Violent Crimes Per 10,000 People: 9.9
  • Property Crimes Per 10,000 People: 56.9
  • Total Score: 92.82

Located about halfway between Houston and Waco, Bryan has the fourth-lowest violent crime rate and the lowest property crime rate in Texas. Texas A&M University is located in adjacent College Station, so it makes sense that education accounts for nearly 29% of employment in Bryan.

The skyline of New Rochelle, New York.The skyline of New Rochelle, New York.

5. New Rochelle, New York

  • Population: 80,828
  • Police Officers Per 10,000 People: 24.21
  • Violent Crimes Per 10,000 People: 7.8
  • Property Crimes Per 10,000 People: 70.8
  • Total Score: 92.70

New Rochelle is the first New York city to rank on our list of the safest cities in the U.S. The town is northeast of the New York City borough of the Bronx. New Rochelle stands out for having the lowest property crime rate in New York and the state’s lowest violent crime rate.

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A sunset with clouds over a house in Flower Mound, Texas.A sunset with clouds over a house in Flower Mound, Texas.
Shiva Shenoy, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

6. Flower Mound, Texas

  • Population: 76,630
  • Police Officers Per 10,000 People: 17.27
  • Violent Crimes Per 10,000 People: 4.8
  • Property Crimes Per 10,000 People: 79.2
  • Total Score: 92.65

On the north shore of Grapevine Lake, northwest of Dallas, Flower Mound is the second of two Texas cities to make our ranking for the 11 safest cities in the U.S. Out of 450 cities analyzed, Flower Mound has the third-lowest rate of violent crimes, with only 4.8 per 10,000 citizens. Its property crime rate is lower than the average, with 79.2 property crimes per 10,000 people compared to the study’s average of 262.89 crimes per 10,000.

The Riverwalk in Naperville, Illinois.The Riverwalk in Naperville, Illinois.

7. Naperville, Illinois

  • Population: 149,089
  • Police Officers Per 10,000 People: 17.7
  • Violent Crimes Per 10,000 People: 5.2
  • Property Crimes Per 10,000 People: 81.3
  • Total Score: 92.85

Naperville is a western suburb of Chicago. It’s an affluent city with a median household income of $143,754, and households earning $200,000 or more account for one-third of all households. With only 5.2 violent crimes per 10,000 residents, Naperville’s rate is the fourth lowest in the study. Naperville is one of two Illinois cities to rank among the top 11 safest cities in the U.S.

A row of historic buildings in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.A row of historic buildings in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

8. Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

  • Population: 76,555
  • Police Officers Per 10,000 People: 22
  • Violent Crimes Per 10,000 People: 8.8
  • Property Crimes Per 10,000 People: 89.7
  • Total Score: 91.92

Located north of Philadelphia, right next to Allentown, Bethlehem is the #8 safest city in the U.S. Of all the Pennsylvania cities in our study, Bethlehem had the lowest violent crime, with only 8.8 crimes per 10,000 residents. Bethlehem’s property crime rate was also the lowest in the Keystone State. Bethlehem’s unemployment rate of 5.6% is higher than many of the safest cities in the U.S. but only slightly above the national average of 5.3%.

An aerial view of Fishers, Indiana.An aerial view of Fishers, Indiana.

9. Fishers, Indiana

  • Population: 99,041
  • Police Officers Per 10,000 People: 13.21
  • Violent Crimes Per 10,000 People: 8.1
  • Property Crimes Per 10,000 People: 77.9
  • Total Score: 91.79

Fishers is the first Indiana city on this list. The northeast suburb of Indianapolis has the lowest property crime rate and the second-lowest violent crime rate in the state. Fishers is economically well off, boasting a median household income of over $126,000 and an unemployment rate of 2.5%, and only 3.2% of residents live below the poverty line.

The entry to Carmel, Indiana's Arts & Design District.The entry to Carmel, Indiana's Arts & Design District.

10. Carmel, Indiana

  • Population: 99,453
  • Police Officers Per 10,000 People: 14.84
  • Violent Crimes Per 10,000 People: 6.6
  • Property Crimes Per 10,000 People: 82.6
  • Total Score: 91.76

Bordering Fishers on the west is Carmel, Indiana, which actually has the lower violent crime rate of the two. (Carmel reported 6.6 violent crimes per 10,000 people as opposed to Fishers having 8.1 violent crimes per 10,000 people.) Like Fishers, Carmel is a reasonably affluent suburb, having a median household income of $132,859. Plus Carmel has one of the lowest poverty rates in the country, at 3.6% of all residents, and one of the lowest unemployment rates, at a mere 2.6%.

A residential street and a red maple tree in O'Fallon, Missouri.A residential street and a red maple tree in O'Fallon, Missouri.

11. O’Fallon, Missouri

  • Population: 91,825
  • Police Officers Per 10,000 People: 16.19
  • Violent Crimes Per 10,000 People: 9.8
  • Property Crimes Per 10,000 People: 74.9
  • Total Score: 91.49

O’Fallon is a large western suburb of St. Louis, and its violent crime and property crime rates are the lowest in Missouri. This city is economically prosperous, having an annual unemployment rate of just 3.1% and a low poverty rate of 4.5%.

Methodology: Finding The Safest Cities In The US

To determine the safest cities in the U.S., Quicken Loans used data from the Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the FBI Crime Data Explorer and NeighborhoodScout. We analyzed 450 cities in terms of four criteria:

  • Violent crime rate per 10,000 people
  • Property crime rate per 10,000 people
  • Number of police officers per 10,000 people
  • Hate crime rate per 10,000 people

Each factor was given a score, with violent and property crime rates weighted by four and police officers per capita weighted by one-half. Scores were added up, and all cities were ranked from best to worst, with 100 being the highest score possible.

The Bottom Line

There is considerable geographic diversity in our list of the top 11 safest cities in the U.S. Five of the 11 cities are in the Midwest, and most of the safest cities in the U.S. have lower-than-average unemployment rates. Although crime rates are central to determining which neighborhood fits your conditions for living there, taking a holistic view is important, too. Factors such as the quality of educational institutions, taxes, traffic, access to entertainment, cultural and recreational activities, and home prices are significant factors that you should consider if you’re looking for a new place to call home.

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