When choosing a place to live, safety often tops the list of concerns. A new analysis from personal finance website SmartAsset offers a data-driven look at which midsize American cities are the safest, weighing not just crime but also the risk of natural disasters and the danger of traffic fatalities.
The study examined more than 300 cities with populations between 65,000 and 250,000, pulling data from multiple federal agencies. Researchers calculated a composite score based on each city's violent crime rate, property crime rate, natural disaster risk, and traffic fatality rate. The result is a ranking that highlights communities where residents face lower overall threats to their well-being.
Top 10 Safest Cities
According to the report, the safest city in the nation is Franklin, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. Franklin posted exceptionally low violent and property crime rates, along with a relatively low natural disaster risk and a traffic fatality rate well below the national average. Rounding out the top five are Westfield, New Jersey; Fishers, Indiana; Newton, Massachusetts; and Needham, Massachusetts.
The remaining spots in the top ten include Melrose, Massachusetts; Lexington, Massachusetts; Brookline, Massachusetts; Dublin, Ohio; and Milton, Massachusetts. Notably, eight of the top ten cities are located in the Northeast, with Massachusetts alone claiming six of them. This concentration reflects the region's generally lower crime rates and limited exposure to major natural disasters.
Methodology and Key Factors
SmartAsset's methodology combines data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The firm assigned equal weight to violent crime and property crime, then added in natural disaster risk and traffic fatality rates. Cities with very high crime or disaster scores were excluded from the top ranks.
Natural disaster risk considered the frequency and severity of events like hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and wildfires. Traffic fatalities were measured per capita, with safer cities showing rates far below the national average of about 12.9 deaths per 100,000 people.
While the Northeast dominated the top, other regions had strong showings. Fishers, Indiana and Dublin, Ohio represent the Midwest, and cities in the West and South were notably absent from the top ten.
Broader Context
The findings come amid ongoing debates about public safety and federal policy. In a related development, the U.S. government recently imposed travel restrictions on travelers from three African nations due to a worsening Ebola outbreak, a move that has sparked discussion about pandemic preparedness and border security. Meanwhile, the Trump administration's credibility crisis continues to erode U.S. alliances and national security, raising questions about the government's ability to protect citizens both at home and abroad.
On the domestic front, issues like the surge in spam calls—Arizona leads the nation in FTC complaints—and widespread food recalls linked to salmonella contamination highlight other dimensions of safety that affect daily life. These concerns, though different from crime or natural disasters, underscore the multifaceted nature of what it means to live in a safe community.
For families weighing a move, the SmartAsset study provides a useful benchmark. But as the report itself notes, safety is not just about crime statistics. It also involves the resilience of infrastructure, the effectiveness of emergency services, and the broader policy environment that shapes risk—from traffic laws to disaster preparedness funding.
