When looking for a place to buy a home and start a family, considering safety is crucial. No family wants to constantly worry about the possibility of crime inside and out of their homes.
The safety of different areas in the United States varies greatly. Some have very little crime, while it is quite common in others.
To help prospective homebuyers decide where to buy a home, we analyzed the FBI’s crime database to find the safest (and most dangerous) cities, states, and regions of the U.S.
Note that the FBI did not have data for certain cities and states because they did not report or because of suspected misreporting.
To find the final safety score of each area, we considered violent crime rates (2.33x weight) as well as the rate of all other crimes (1x weight). All crime numbers were weighted by the population of the respective areas.
For reference, on a national level there were 4.18 violent crimes and 62.85 other crimes per 1,000 residents.
In this study:
- Safest Cities in the U.S.
- Safest States in the U.S.
- Safest Regional Divisions of the U.S.
- Safest Regions of the U.S.
- Methodology
Safest Cities in the United States
First, we looked at the safest cities in the U.S. on a national and state level. Only cities with at least 10,000 residents were included, leaving us with 1,246 in total.
Cities were ranked based on the rate of violent crime (2.33x weight) and the rate of all other crimes (1x weight). Cities with low crime rates had higher Safety Scores and vice-versa for those with high rates of crime.
Crime numbers were normalized by population to account for differing city sizes. The sixth and seventh columns show the number of crimes per one thousand residents.
To find the rankings in a specific state, click the State column header to sort by state or search the state abbreviation in the search bar. Note that states with abbreviations that are common in city names (such as “MA”) will return cities with that abbreviation in their name.
Safest States in the United States
Next, we ranked states based on their Safety Scores using the same weighting system. All towns and cities that the FBI had data for were included in the state rankings regardless of population. In total, 3,601 towns and cities were included in the state rankings.
Crime numbers were normalized by population to account for differing state sizes. The sixth and seventh columns show the number of crimes per one thousand residents.
Note that data was unavailable for some cities within the states listed as well as some states as a whole.
Safest Regional Divisions of the U.S.
Next, we used the state data shown above to rank regional divisions of the U.S. based on their Safety Scores using the same weighting system.
Crime numbers were normalized by population to account for differing state sizes. The sixth and seventh columns show the number of crimes per one thousand residents.
Note that data was unavailable for some cities as well as some states as a whole. The region that each division is a part of is included in parentheses after the division name.
Safest Regions of the U.S.
Next, we used the data shown above to rank regions of the U.S. based on their Safety Scores using the same weighting system.
Crime numbers were normalized by population to account for differing state sizes. The sixth and seventh columns show the number of crimes per one thousand residents.
Note that data was unavailable for some cities as well as some states as a whole.
Methodology
All of the data used in this report comes directly from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program for 2018. This program receives crime data from more than 18,000 city, university, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement programs on a voluntary basis.
Some cities and states did not report data to the FBI, while others were excluded if the FBI suspected over-reporting or under-reporting by the reporting agency. States excluded from the study include Alabama, Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Wyoming, as well as Washington D.C.
Only cities with a population of at least 10,000 were included in the city rankings section of this report. Rankings of states, divisions, and regions included all cities that the FBI had data for, regardless of population.
The Safety Score was determined based on the rate of violent crimes (2.33x weight) and the rate of all other crimes (1x weight). Violent crimes, as defined by the FBI, include murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Total crime numbers were weighted by the number of residents to account for differing city sizes.
We defined regions and divisions of the U.S. based on the U.S. Census Bureau and are as follows:
- Northeast
- New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont
- Mid-Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania
- Midwest
- East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin
- West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota
- South
- South Atlantic: Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C., and West Virginia
- East South Central: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee
- West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas
- West
- Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming
- Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington
Tips For Buying a Home With a Mortgage
When deciding on which city you should call home, safety is just one of the many factors that needs to be considered. And on top of all those considerations, you still need to figure out how to finance your home purchase.
LendEDU lists a few tips below if you are buying a home with a mortgage.
Set a Budget
Buying a home is one of the most consequential financial decisions you will likely ever make. This is especially true if you are using a mortgage because you will be making monthly payments on that home loan for years, perhaps decades, to come.
Because of this, you need to set a budget so that you are able to comfortably afford mortgage payments from month-to-month. LendEDU’s mortgage calculator will give you a good sense of what those payments will look like by factoring in the mortgage amount, interest rate, and loan terms.
Compare All of Your Options
There are so many different mortgage lenders out there so it’s important to compare all of your home loan options so you can get a feel for the market and make a well-informed decision. There are even online mortgage lenders for you to compare if you feel like conducting the homebuying process from the comforts of your couch.
Then, there are specific types of mortgage lenders like VA mortgage lenders that provide mortgages to veterans. VA mortgage rates typically hover close to standard 30-year mortgage rates.
Consider Refinancing In the Future
Once you have settled into your new home with the help of a mortgage and have successfully met monthly mortgage payments for a few years, it never hurts to look into refinancing your mortgage.
If you have a stable financial situation, you may be able to secure a lower interest rate by refinancing your home loan. LendEDU’s mortgage refinance calculator helps you do the math to see if refinancing your home loan makes sense.
Resources for Buying a Home
Here are at LendEDU, we have many resources related to mortgages and buying a home. Check out our favorites below:
- Mortgages Resource Directory
- Best Mortgage Lenders
- Best Mortgage Rates
- Home Buying with Student Debt
- First-Time Home Buyer Programs
- Mortgage Calculator
See more of LendEDU’s Research