With fears of falling victim to cybercrime and mass shootings topping the list of crime worries among Americans, according to the most recent Gallup polls, the personal-finance website WalletHub took an in-depth look at 2017’s Safest Cities in America.
To determine where Americans can feel most protected against life’s hazards, including nonphysical forms of danger, WalletHub’s analysts compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 35 key metrics. The dataset ranges from assaults per capita to unemployment rate to road quality.
With a total score of 87.18, Warwick, RI was ranked the third safest city in America in the report. Finishing 2nd in “Home & Community Safety Rank”, 38th in “Financial Safety Rank” and 17th in “National Disaster Risk Rank”. Providence finished 66th on the list with a total score of 78.23 (66 in “Home and Community Safety Rank”, 134 in “Financial Safety Rank” and 6th in “National Disaster Risk Rank.)
| Safest Cities in America | Least Safe Cities in America | ||||
| 1 | Nashua, NH | 173 | Jackson, MS | ||
| 2 | South Burlington, VT | 174 | Baton Rouge, LA | ||
| 3 | Warwick, RI | 175 | Chattanooga, TN | ||
| 4 | Columbia, MD | 176 | Orlando, FL | ||
| 5 | Gilbert, AZ | 177 | Little Rock, AR | ||
| 6 | Fargo, ND | 178 | Detroit, MI | ||
| 7 | Lewiston, ME | 179 | Oklahoma City, OK | ||
| 8 | Plano, TX | 180 | San Bernardino, CA | ||
| 9 | Portland, ME | 181 | St. Louis, MO | ||
| 10 | Brownsville, TX | 182 | Fort Lauderdale, FL |
Safest vs. Least Safe
- Corpus Christi, Texas, has the fewest hate-crime incidents (per 100,000 residents), 0.31, which is 71.8 times fewer than in Boston, the city with the most at 22.25.
- Yonkers, New York, has the fewest thefts (per 1,000 residents), 13, which is 6.8 times fewer than in Salt Lake City, the city with the most at 88.
- Washington has the most law-enforcement employees (per 100,000 residents), 639, which is 5.7 times more than in Irvine, California, the city with the fewest at 113.
- Aurora, Colorado, has among the fewest pedestrian fatalities (per 100,000 residents), 0.28, which is 27.2 times fewer than in Jackson, Mississippi, the city with the most at 7.62.
- South Burlington, Vermont, has the lowest unemployment rate, 2.1 percent, which is 5.2 times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest at 10.9 percent.
- Pearl City, Hawaii, has the lowest share of the uninsured population, 3.8 percent, which is 9.1 times lower than in the Brownsville, Texas, registering the highest at 34.6 percent.
To read the full report and your city’s rank, visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/