Safest Cities in America In 2019

Michelle Wilson - June 11, 2019

We all have a different perspective on what “safe” means, and it’s hard to settle on the proper criteria to determine the safest cities in America. You could look at issues such as population density, the availability of law enforcement agencies, or crime rates. There are many factors that come into play.

The comparison of the rate of crime in America will reveal different and varying factors. The difference in these factors will probably be as a result of the diverse and scary headlines that we see in the news headlines. Yes, it is true, criminals today have become more gruesome and creative in their ways to terrorize the ordinary citizen, but this should not be a deterring factor for you to live in a particular area.

Despite this difficulty, we’re still going to take a crack at finding the safest places to live in the US.

FBI data

According to data released by the FBI, or the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the crime relating to violent home invasions between the years of 2016 and 2017 has significantly decreased. Said data is reflective of the past years that is data from 2010-2015. From 1993-2017, the FBI recorded that violent crimes significantly dropped with a margin of 49 percent.

This an accurate indication that America has become an even safer place to live! Even though the 2015/2016 numbers showed an increase in violent crimes, the figures showed a decline in 2017. Property crime has significantly decreased in the past decade, with a margin of 50 percent. Property crime, unlike violent crime, has not seen a significant rise since the year 2001.

An overall view of the rate of crime in the safest cities in America

The safest cities listed in this article are inclusive of all the states that are found in the United States. Some cities might be found in the same state or region, showing the rate of security in the areas. The FBI data shows that most of the safest cities in America are found in the Northeastern part of the country.

Nearly 70 percent of the FBI’s “safest cities in the United States” are seen to be in the North East. In totality, the cities saw a total of close to 500 cases of violent crimes in 2017. Although violent crimes were the most reported crimes to law enforcement agencies, they were not seen to be a significant issue in the cities.

Many people in these cities were very fearful of robbery in comparison to other crimes such as fraud or pickpocketing. However, on an overall average, the data shows that there were 0.2 crimes for every 100 American citizens. This is a good sign because the national average of crime in the country is 4.5 crimes for every 100 people.

This article will only discuss ten of the safest cities in America, but, it is sufficient to cast a broader net on the rate of crime. According to the FBI’s annual report on crime in 2018, the 100 cities that are classified to be the safest in the United States had a total of 17,468 crimes. Larceny took up close to 85 percent of these property crimes. Again, the bureau’s data showed that people’s perception is not always an indication of the current and correct facts.

The residents in these safest cities were seen to be most afraid of break-ins, but as the results would reveal, break-ins made a small percentage of the witnessed of the crime. Only 2,055 out of the total 17,468 crimes were reported as break-ins in the 100 safest cities in the United States.

Below are some of the safest cities in America, as suggested by the FBI as well as other law enforcement agencies in the United States.

1.   Sunnyvale

Located in California, Sunnyvale is in the heart of Silicon Valley and has one of the lowest rates of crimes in the United States. The violent crime in this region is so small that it has been proclaimed to be below average in the US. The low rate of violent rate in Sunnyvale is not only the only reason that makes it the safest place to live and work in America but is as also showed the lowest rate of mortality rate in the country.

Sunnyvale is located in the county of Santa Clara which primarily serves the Valley Transit Authority. The Department of Motor vehicles in the country has also claimed that the rate of vehicular mortality is at its lowest in comparison to the national US average. The rate of drug abuse in the area is also one of the lowest in the country, showing that it is one of the best places to raise a family and live in.

2.   Honolulu, Hawaii

Living on an island means that you will leave in a secluded area that is unaffected by the outside world. Law enforcement agencies show that the rate of crime in Honolulu, located in Hawaii, stands at about 230 cases for every 100,000 residents. The residents of this place also maintain the safety of Honolulu by avoiding (as much as possible) the use of vehicles.

The DMV revealed that only 12 percent of the Honolulu residents only use public transportation to access their places of work. Another 11 percent of the population only use bikes or walk to their places of work. Only 56 percent of Honolulu residents use their cars to go to work.

3.   Bellevue

Located in the Washington DC area, Bellevue is also one of the safest cities in America. The population of the town has increased over the past few years a factor that has enabled it to be a safer city. Although the growth of population between 2010 and 2014 was expected to affect the rate of crime negatively in the town, the converse of the claim has been true. According to the FBI, the rate of crime in Bellevue is ranked at number 22 of the safest cities.

4.   Frisco

Frisco is located in the state of Texas and has a population of 145,000. Frisco is situated about thirty miles from Dallas, and according to the law enforcement agencies, has the fourth lowest rate of violent crime in the country. Statistics suggest that there are only 80 violent crimes for every 100,000 residents.

5.   Fremont

Fremont is located in California in the San Francisco Bay in Almeda County. Fremont has one of the lowest rates of vehicular mortality rates in the country with about 6 cases of reported cases of vehicular deaths for every 100,000 residents. The said statistics are way below the national average.

6.   Cary

Cary is located in North Carolina and has one of the lowest rates of violent crimes in the United States. Cary, according to statistics, has the sixth lowest violent crime rate in the US with only 84 reported cases of violent cases for every 100,000 citizens.

7.   San Jose, California

San Jose is one of the safest cities in the Bay Area. There are three cities in the Bay Area, namely San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland. San Jose is the safest of the three in the sense of having lower violent crime cases. Drug poisoning is a significant issue in California, but in San Jose, there only 7.2 reported cases of drug poisoning for every 100,000 citizens.

8.   Salem

Located in Oregon, Salem has one of the most prolific qualities of air. Most health-related issues in the United States are related to air pollution on or pollution of other kinds. However, in Oregon, the health cases reported due to pollution are very low. According to the EPA, Oregon has one of the cleanest air qualities in the United States comes at the top three of cleanest cities.

9.   McAllen

McAllen is located along the border of the United States and Mexico. Many border states are considered as being very unsafe, but this is not the case for McAllen. McAllen is one of the safest cities in America with only 12 reported case of violent crimes in every 100,000 citizens. In 2013, for instance, there were only two reported murders in the city.

10.   Alexandria

This city is close to Washington DC along the River Potomac. Crime rates suggest that Alexandria is one of the safest cities in the United States once ranked at number five. The city is one of the cleanest in the country as close to 44 percent of the residents in the city commute to their places of work using their cars. Most of the residents use public transportation or walk to their workplaces.

While crime rates, population, and pollution levels are just a few factors one could consider when determining if a city or area is safe, they are definitely an excellent place to start. Either way, we’re confident that any city on this list is a safe bet for a safe place to live—arguably these are the safest cities in America.

Why Safety Matters?

Most people just want to find a safe place for their family to call home so it is important to know where safety is at its highest in the United States. If you are interested in the safety of your city, use our state-level criminal record tool to get a detailed view on crime stats where you live.