City living has its perks. From pizza at 3 am to major events on your doorstep. Yet, nothing can diminish your living standards or well-being quite like crime. Cities often have crime problems, but some do stand out for safety. These are the 10 safest cities to live across the U.S.
Thousand Oaks, CA
Thousand Oaks ranks very well when it comes to being safe. They have the lowest crime rate amongst cities that have a population over 100,000. Studies have suggested that Thousand Oaks has been able to rank highly due to strong community policing strategies as well as strong social programs. Thousand Oaks also benefited from the city seeing drops in both their violent crime and property crime rates recently.
Nashua, New Hampshire
Nashua, New Hampshire is at the top of the list because, as of 2024, it had the second-fewest assaults per capita. Whenever there are fewer assault charges in a city, it makes it much safer. Not only did Nashua have fewer assaults, but they were also ranked inside the top 10 when it came to home, community, and financial safety by multiple indexes. Overall, Nashua appears to be one of the safer cities in the United States.
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Hopkinton, Massachusetts
Hopkinton has been steadily rising in its overall population. A portion of that growth is potentially down to it being one of the safer places to live. Their rate of crime for every 1,000 residents is just 2.22, which is unbelievably low compared to other cities. This city is listed as having family-friendly neighborhoods with very low crime rates. So, if you’re looking for a safe city for your family, Hopkinton, Massachusetts might be an option.
Columbia, Maryland
Columbia in Maryland has been ranked high by some sources. For instance, WalletHub listed Columbia as the safest city in the United States in 2023. The city ranked second in 2024 for both home and community safety. Even if dropping one spot in 2024, Columbia is considered one of the safest cities in the country.
Warwick, Rhode Island
Warwick, Rhode Island has skyrocketed upwards on some lists over the past few years. The reason for this is because of a decline in assaults across the area. Numbers have fallen so much that the city now ranks as one of the lowest for assaults per capita. Warwick, despite its seemingly ominous name, is one of the safest places to live.
Bergenfield, New Jersey
Bergenfield has done an excellent job at keeping themselves integrated with the community. The police department in the city has been nothing but dedicated when it comes to improving public safety with several separate safety programs. To make it even better, the department created and runs a program called Crime Stoppers. Residents can submit crime tips anonymously and win a reward if it pays off. This is one of the many reasons why the city has ranked so well in terms of safety, and how they have a rate of crime of just 3.23 per 1,000 residents.
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Denville Township, New Jersey
Another New Jersey city lands on this list thanks to how thorough they are when it comes to stopping crime. Denville Township has a significantly low crime rate, with one person out of every 8,550 residents being at risk of a violent crime. One initiative that has helped keep crime stats low is the partnership between the Denville Police Department and the Ring Neighbors App. This partnership gives police access to real-time information, giving them an advantage in the fight against crime.
Johns Creek, GA
Johns Creek in Georgia might have a bit of a larger population compared to some of the other cities, though it still performs incredibly well in several safety categories. Arguably the most important is the violent crime ratio. They have a violent crime rate of just 0.4, which is exactly the type of low number that you’d be looking for when searching for a place to live. Don’t worry about any property damage either, the property crime rate is down to 4.8. Whether you’re worried about violent crime, property damage, or anything else in between, Johns Creek has statistically done a very good job at keeping its community safe.
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Wylie, Texas
The city of Wylie has a ton of similarities to Johns Creek (number 8 on this list), particularly when it comes to its violent crime and property crime rate throughout 2024. The difference here is that Wylie has a much lower population, approximately 20,000 residents fewer than Johns Creek. Still, Wylie has held onto a strong violent crime rate of 0.6 and a property rate that’s sitting at 5.8. Wylie has proven to be a strong place to settle down without the worry of picking everything up and moving to a separate city.
Norton, Massachusetts
Norton has done a phenomenal job at keeping their people out of harm’s way. The Norton Police Department even went so far as to create the Problem-Oriented Policing Anti-Crime Team back in the year 2015. This team was created so that crime can be combatted in a far more effective manner than how it would be otherwise. It hasn’t just helped lower the violent crime rate, but it is also the fact that there is a low property crime rate. That rate is sitting at just 1.35 for every 1,000 residents. It’s a larger city, though it remains one of the safest in the country.