The Safest and Least Safe Cities in the U.S.
iStock.com/pixinoo
Connecting state and local government leaders
Columbia, Maryland tops a list for safest cities, while St. Louis is at the bottom, according to a recent report.
Columbia, Maryland tops the list for safest cities in the U.S. while St. Louis ranks as the most unsafe city, according to a report by WalletHub.
Cities following St. Louis as the least safe cities in the U.S. are:
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- San Bernardino, California
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Anchorage, Alaska
- St. Petersburg, Florida
- Lubbock, Texas
Following Columbia, which is located between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., as the safest cities are:
- South Burlington, Vermont
- Nashua, New Hampshire
- Yonkers, New York
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Portland, Maine
- Warwick, Rhode Island
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Burlington, Vermont
- Winston-Salem, North Carolina
WalletHub also reported on cities with the fewest traffic fatalities per capita. Topping that list is New York City with Mobile, Alabama coming in last. Following New York City for cities with the fewest traffic fatalities are:
- Yonkers, New York
- Jersey City, New Jersey
- Boston
- Minneapolis
Following Mobile for cities with the most traffic fatalities are Lubbock, Texas; St. Louis; Amarillo, Texas; and Charleston, South Carolina.
As for the most law enforcement employees per capita, there was a four-way tie for the No. 1 spot. The cities tied for first are Washington, D.C.; New York City; Chicago; and St. Louis. Baltimore placed fifth.
Irvine, California is the city with the fewest law enforcement employees per capita. Cities following Irvine are:
- Chula Vista, California
- Fremont, California
- Fontana, California
- Garden Grove, California
WalletHub also included cities that are most and least at risk for a natural disaster. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma ranked as the city most at risk for a natural disaster while Dover, Delaware is least at risk.
Following Oklahoma City for cities most at risk for a natural disaster are:
- Wichita, Kansas
- Garden Grove, California
- Huntington Beach, California
- San Jose, California
Following Dover for cities least at risk for a natural disaster are:
- Brownsville, Texas
- Corpus Christi, Texas
- Rochester, New York
- Buffalo, New York
To determine the safest cities to live in, WalletHub compared 182 cities, including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state across three key dimensions: home and community safety; natural disaster risk; and financial safety.
For more information from this report click here.
Andre Claudio is assistant editor at Route Fifty.
NEXT STORY: How the Pandemic Can Help Government Prepare for Future Crises