The Safest Places to Live in America: A Data-Driven Guide
Looking for a safe place to live? We ranked every city and town in our database by violent crime rate using the latest FBI data. Here are the safest places in America — from cities to small towns to entire states.
Key Insights
- →Merrimack, New Hampshire is the safest city (25K+ pop) with just 0.0 violent crimes per 100K
- →Maine is the safest state with a violent crime rate of 100.1
- →Northeast suburbs and Midwest college towns dominate the safest cities list
- →The national average violent crime rate is 359.1 per 100K — the safest cities are 90%+ below this
- →Property crime often tells a different story than violent crime
Contents
Top 50 Safest Cities (Population 25,000+)
These cities all have populations over 25,000 and the lowest violent crime rates in the nation. Many are suburban communities near major metros, college towns, or affluent bedroom communities.
| # | City | State | Population | Violent Rate | Property Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merrimack | New Hampshire | 29,650 | 0.0 | 344.0 |
| 2 | Westport | Connecticut | 27,606 | 3.6 | 1130.2 |
| 3 | Randolph Township | New Jersey | 27,159 | 3.7 | 290.9 |
| 4 | Harrison Town | New York | 31,718 | 6.3 | 476.1 |
| 5 | Greenwich | Connecticut | 63,651 | 9.4 | 867.2 |
| 6 | Bernards Township | New Jersey | 28,921 | 10.4 | 176.3 |
| 7 | Cranberry Township | Pennsylvania | 34,970 | 11.4 | 700.6 |
| 8 | Muskego | Wisconsin | 25,389 | 11.8 | 1532.2 |
| 9 | Monroe Township, Middlesex County | New Jersey | 49,652 | 12.1 | 261.8 |
| 10 | Columbus | Indiana | 51,867 | 13.5 | 82.9 |
| 11 | Cheshire | Connecticut | 29,399 | 13.6 | 384.4 |
| 12 | Genoa Township | Ohio | 28,085 | 14.2 | 270.6 |
| 13 | Middletown Township | Pennsylvania | 45,516 | 15.4 | 448.2 |
| 14 | East Hampton Town | New York | 25,765 | 15.5 | 372.6 |
| 15 | Simsbury | Connecticut | 25,108 | 15.9 | 573.5 |
| 16 | Westfield | New Jersey | 31,111 | 16.1 | 556.1 |
| 17 | Westtown-East Goshen Regional | Pennsylvania | 29,610 | 16.9 | 351.2 |
| 18 | Northbrook | Illinois | 33,610 | 17.9 | 1208.0 |
| 19 | Newtown | Connecticut | 27,890 | 17.9 | 351.4 |
| 20 | Wallingford | Connecticut | 43,561 | 18.4 | 449.9 |
| 21 | Moscow | Idaho | 26,684 | 18.7 | 1015.6 |
| 22 | Avon Lake | Ohio | 26,167 | 19.1 | 290.4 |
| 23 | Raritan Township | New Jersey | 25,018 | 20.0 | 119.9 |
| 24 | Northampton Township | Pennsylvania | 39,879 | 20.1 | 293.4 |
| 25 | Savannah | Georgia | 241,780 | 20.3 | 0.0 |
| 26 | Upper Macungie Township | Pennsylvania | 29,196 | 20.6 | 530.9 |
| 27 | Zionsville | Indiana | 33,121 | 21.1 | 277.8 |
| 28 | Buffalo Grove | Illinois | 42,283 | 21.3 | 716.6 |
| 29 | Haverford Township | Pennsylvania | 50,544 | 21.8 | 1026.8 |
| 30 | Peachtree City | Georgia | 40,820 | 22.0 | 815.8 |
| 31 | Farmington | Connecticut | 26,852 | 22.3 | 1534.3 |
| 32 | Parkland | Florida | 35,773 | 22.4 | 561.9 |
| 33 | Hampden Township | Pennsylvania | 35,576 | 22.5 | 238.9 |
| 34 | Wilmette | Illinois | 26,685 | 22.5 | 1187.9 |
| 35 | Warrington Township | Pennsylvania | 26,355 | 22.8 | 743.7 |
| 36 | Fairfield | Connecticut | 64,098 | 23.4 | 1410.3 |
| 37 | Bridgewater Township | New Jersey | 46,946 | 23.4 | 996.9 |
| 38 | Rockville Centre Village | New York | 25,472 | 23.6 | 471.1 |
| 39 | Horsham Township | Pennsylvania | 27,268 | 25.7 | 836.1 |
| 40 | Lyon Township | Michigan | 26,094 | 26.8 | 268.3 |
| 41 | Independence | Kentucky | 29,747 | 26.9 | 316.0 |
| 42 | Lower Providence Township | Pennsylvania | 25,975 | 26.9 | 546.7 |
| 43 | East Fishkill Town | New York | 29,607 | 27.0 | 405.3 |
| 44 | Bartlett | Illinois | 39,656 | 27.7 | 390.9 |
| 45 | Perrysburg | Ohio | 25,302 | 27.7 | 446.6 |
| 46 | Sammamish | Washington | 64,358 | 28.0 | 539.2 |
| 47 | Lawrence Township, Mercer County | New Jersey | 32,040 | 28.1 | 1829.0 |
| 48 | Huntley | Illinois | 28,439 | 28.1 | 429.0 |
| 49 | Upper Arlington | Ohio | 35,410 | 28.2 | 799.2 |
| 50 | New Milford | Connecticut | 28,377 | 28.2 | 539.2 |
Top 25 Safest Small Towns (Population 10,000–25,000)
Small towns often fly under the radar, but many offer exceptional safety combined with lower cost of living. These are the safest small communities in America.
| # | Town | State | Population | Violent Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roxbury Township | New Jersey | 23,773 | 0.0 |
| 2 | Ohio Township | Pennsylvania | 15,437 | 0.0 |
| 3 | Woolwich Township | New Jersey | 14,573 | 0.0 |
| 4 | Upper Uwchlan Township | Pennsylvania | 13,625 | 0.0 |
| 5 | Shawangunk Town | New York | 13,376 | 0.0 |
| 6 | Bainbridge Township | Ohio | 12,921 | 0.0 |
| 7 | Hanover | New Hampshire | 12,421 | 0.0 |
| 8 | Logan Township | Pennsylvania | 12,101 | 0.0 |
| 9 | Sleepy Hollow Village | New York | 12,088 | 0.0 |
| 10 | Fair Oaks Ranch | Texas | 11,955 | 0.0 |
| 11 | Douglas | Georgia | 11,677 | 0.0 |
| 12 | Douglass Township, Montgomery County | Pennsylvania | 10,935 | 0.0 |
| 13 | West Manheim Township | Pennsylvania | 10,755 | 0.0 |
| 14 | Brunswick Hills Township | Ohio | 10,621 | 0.0 |
| 15 | South Lebanon Township | Pennsylvania | 10,598 | 0.0 |
| 16 | Auburn | Georgia | 10,527 | 0.0 |
| 17 | Weston | Connecticut | 10,353 | 0.0 |
| 18 | Hillsdale | New Jersey | 10,264 | 0.0 |
| 19 | Vernon Township | New Jersey | 22,851 | 4.4 |
| 20 | Millburn Township | New Jersey | 22,415 | 4.5 |
| 21 | Holly Springs | Georgia | 20,625 | 4.8 |
| 22 | Broadview Heights | Ohio | 19,709 | 5.1 |
| 23 | Scarsdale Village | New York | 17,602 | 5.7 |
| 24 | Wyckoff Township | New Jersey | 17,594 | 5.7 |
| 25 | Pequannock Township | New Jersey | 15,964 | 6.3 |
Top 10 Safest States
State-level rankings give a broader picture. These states consistently rank among the safest in America across multiple metrics.
Regional Patterns
Safety varies significantly by region. Here's how the four major US regions compare:
Northeast suburbs are particularly safe. Communities in Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York's suburban counties consistently rank among the safest in the nation. Many offer excellent schools, walkable downtowns, and easy access to major cities.
Midwest college towns are another safe haven. University communities tend to have strong local economies, younger demographics, and active community engagement that correlates with lower crime.
Mountain West communities in states like Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming offer extremely low crime rates combined with outdoor recreation and growing economies.
What Makes a Place Safe?
Safety isn't random. Research consistently identifies several factors that correlate with lower crime:
💰 Economic Stability
Communities with higher median incomes, lower poverty rates, and lower unemployment tend to have less crime. Economic opportunity gives people alternatives to criminal activity, and stable communities invest more in social infrastructure.
🏫 Education
Areas with higher educational attainment consistently show lower crime rates. College towns appear frequently on safest-cities lists. Education correlates with employment, income, and social engagement — all protective against crime.
👮 Policing & Community Investment
Well-funded, community-oriented policing contributes to safety. But policing alone isn't enough — the safest communities combine good policing with strong schools, community programs, and economic opportunity.
🏘️ Community Cohesion
Social cohesion — neighbors knowing each other, community organizations, civic participation — is one of the strongest predictors of safety. Places where people are invested in their community tend to be safer.
🏗️ Housing Stability
High homeownership rates and housing stability correlate with lower crime. Transient populations and housing instability create conditions where crime is more likely to occur. The safest communities tend to have stable, long-term residents.
Methodology
Rankings are based on FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data for the most recent available year (2024). Cities are ranked by violent crime rate per 100,000 residents. We filtered for cities with populations of 25,000+ for the main list and 10,000-25,000 for the small towns list.
Important caveats: not all agencies report to the FBI. Some very safe communities may be missing from our data. Additionally, crime rates can change year to year — a city's ranking in one year may differ from the next. Use these rankings as a guide, not a guarantee.