Newsletters
Travel
Melissa Wells
- WalletHub released a 2023 report listing the safest cities in the US.
- Cities were ranked based on 41 indicators of safety, including rates of crime and natural disasters.
- Nashua, New Hampshire, scored the highest, followed by Columbia, Maryland.
Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read preview
Thanks for signing up!
Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go.
Advertisem*nt
You might be shocked to learn that, out of 163 countries, the US was ranked the 131st safest country in the world in 2023 by the Global Peace Index.
So where is the safest place to live in the US?
The personal-finance website WalletHub released a 2023 report listing the safest cities in the US. The study looked at 182 cities across the US — the 150 most populated and at least two of the most populated cities in each state — and ranked them based on 41 factors across three key areas: home and community safety, natural-disaster risk, and financial safety.
Among the factors considered were the number of mass shootings, murders and assaults per capita, hate crimes per capita, earthquake risk, unemployment rate, and fraud complaints per capita.
Advertisem*nt
Ultimately, danger is unavoidable, but some cities are safer than others for its residents.
These cities are the safest in the US, according to WalletHub.
Advertisem*nt
20. Boise, Idaho
Boise, Idaho, had an estimated population of 236,634 people in July 2022, according to the US Census Bureau. According to US News & World Report, its violent and property crime rates were lower than the national average rate in 2020.
19. Chesapeake, Virginia
Chesapeake, Virginia, has an estimated population of over 252,000 people, according to the US Census Bureau. NeighborhoodScout reported that your chances of becoming the victim of a violent crime were one in 216.
Advertisem*nt
18. Raleigh, North Carolina
Insider reported that some found the cost of living and lack of diversity too difficult to stay in North Carolina. However, Raleigh ranks in the top 10 of the 25 most neighborly cities in the US, according to Neighbor.com. It is also the 18th-safest city in the US by WalletHub's rankings.
17. Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville, Texas, has the second-lowest natural-disaster risk level in WalletHub's study. That said, it also has the highest percentage of uninsured people. In fact, the top five cities with the highest percentage of uninsured people are all in Texas.
Advertisem*nt
16. Cape Coral, Florida
Cape Coral, Florida, is known for its 400 miles of canals, according to the City of Cape Coral website. It is the 16th-safest city in the US, according to WalletHub.
15. Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck, North Dakota, ties for the lowest unemployment rate with Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Manchester, New Hampshire; Rapid City, South Dakota; South Burlington, Vermont; and Nashua, New Hampshire.
Advertisem*nt
14. Chandler, Arizona
Chandler, Arizona, has more than 280,000 residents, according to the US Census Bureau. CrimeGrade.org gave the city an A- grade, meaning the crime rate is significantly lower than the average US city. The average grade for a US city is a C.
13. Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston, Maine, is the 13th-safest city in the US, by WalletHub's rankings. According to The Council for Community and Economic Research, the cost of living in Lewiston, Maine, is 3% lower than the national average.
Advertisem*nt
12. Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia, has the fifth-lowest assaults per capita after Glendale, California; Warwick, Rhode Island; Nashua, New Hampshire; and Irvine, California. It is also ranked the 12th-safest city in the US by WalletHub.
11. Laredo, Texas
Laredo, Texas, has the second-highest percentage of uninsured people. Despite scoring lower in the "financial safety" section of WalletHub's study, the ranking for "home and community safety" and "natural-disaster risk" set Laredo apart as a safer city than most.
Advertisem*nt
10. Scottsdale, Arizona
The 10th-safest city in the US is Scottsdale, Arizona, according to the WalletHub report. With a population of more than 240,000 people, it is one of two Arizona cities to make the top 10.
9. Burlington, Vermont
According to the US Census Bureau, the city of Burlington is made up of just over 44,000 residents. It has the fifth-lowest percentage of uninsured people. Like Arizona, Vermont also had two cities in the top 10 safest cities.
Advertisem*nt
8. Yonkers, New York
Located on the Hudson River in Westchester County, New York, the city of Yonkers has a crime rate that falls well below the New York state average, as reported by The Yonkers Ledger.
It's worth noting that Yonkers scored low in financial safety but ranked the fourth-safest city in the "home and community" ranking.
7. Casper, Wyoming
Casper, Wyoming, is safer than most cities, with CrimeGrade.org giving the city a B-, meaning the crime rate is slightly lower than the average US city.
Advertisem*nt
6. Portland, Maine
As Maine's largest metro area, Portland is considered the seventh-best place to live in the US out of the 150 most populous metro areas analyzed by US News & World Report.
It is also the sixth-safest city in the US by WalletHub's rankings. It has the second-highest percentage of households with emergency savings, which contributes to it being named the No. 1 city in terms of financial safety.
5. Warwick, Rhode Island
Warwick is the third-largest city in Rhode Island, with a population of more than 83,000. It is the fifth-safest city and has the third-fewest assaults per capita, WalletHub found.
Advertisem*nt
4. Gilbert, Arizona
Located southeast of Phoenix, Arizona, Gilbert has a population of more than 275,000, according to the US Census Bureau. Despite a high financial-safety ranking, the city's cost of living is 19% higher than the national average, according to PayScale.
Advertisem*nt
3. South Burlington, Vermont
South Burlington, Vermont, ties with Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Manchester, New Hampshire; Bismarck, North Dakota; Rapid City, South Dakota; and Nashua, New Hampshire, for the lowest unemployment rate in the US. It also has the third-lowest percentage of uninsured people, thus ranking the city high in financial safety.
However, South Burlington, Vermont, also ties with Cincinnati, Ohio; Salem, Oregon; Washington, DC; Seattle, and Cleveland for the most hate crimes per capita, according to WalletHub.
Advertisem*nt
2. Columbia, Maryland
Columbia, Maryland, is a planned community with a population of over 104,000 recorded at the 2020 census. After Baltimore, it has the second-highest population in Maryland and is the second-safest city in the US.
Advertisem*nt
1. Nashua, New Hampshire
New Hampshire ranks as the second-safest state in the US, behind only Maine, according to US News & World Report. Its city of Nashua tops WalletHub's list as the safest city in the US.
Nashua has the second-fewest assaults per capita and ties for the lowest unemployment rate alongside Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Manchester, New Hampshire; Bismarck, North Dakota; Rapid City, South Dakota, and South Burlington, Vermont.
Read next
Advertisem*nt
