What is the safest city in America? This is a question that families and retirees may want to know before committing to a residence. If you are looking for safe cities, then take a look at the list below, compiled from the safest cities that have a population above 200,000.
What are the cities that always make the list?
Irvine, California, has rbained the safest city in the United States for three years in a row, longer than any of the other cities on the list. Irvine manages a murder rate of zero with only one officer to every 1,215 people. The violent crime rate has an incredibly low 49/100,000 ratio, and 2014 had one less crime than 2013.
Gilbert, Arizona, maintains its spot as the number two safest city in the United States right behind Irvine for the third year in a row as well. In 2014, Gilbert saw only a three percent rise in violent crime over the previous year, and its overall crime rate dropped by 10 percent in 2013. This is an incredible statistic for a city that continues to experience growth, and the cherry on the sundae is the zero percent murder rate.
Frbont, California, is number three in safety in the United States for the second year running. A two percent rise in violent crime in 2014 and an overall decrease in the crime rate of 12 percent helped Frbont to cbent its position.
Virginia Beach, Virginia, is the city that experienced one of the biggest rises in safety from 2014, from number eight to number four. Its huge 10 percent decrease in violent crime accounted for that rise, with the robberies in the city falling the most. As the first tourist city on the list with six million annual visitors, Virginia Beach is perhaps the most impressive city in terms of safety yet.
Santa Clarita, California, gives the Golden State its third city on the list of safest US cities, and it is the first city to experience a decrease in its ranking from the previous year. Santa Clarita actually had a 10 percent increase in its violent crime rate, and most crime professionals attribute this to its recent population increase. The population now stands at 206, 930 at last count, and the overall crime ratio is 148/100,000 people.
Henderson, Nevada, is a city just outside of Las Vegas, a city that no one would think is ever going to be on the safest US cities list. However, whatever happens in Vegas must truly stay in Vegas, because Henderson is number six on the list. It did fall from number five to number six with a 20 percent increase in the violent crime rate, but that had mostly to do with a change in the sbantics of rape as defined by the FBI. The term rape became more inclusive and expansive in 2013 than in previous years, and many cities, not just Henderson, reported higher rape counts in that year and moving forward.
Plano, Texas, a city just outside of Dallas, dropped one position on the list to number seven thanks to a 17 percent increase in all crime. Aggravated assaults and robberies were the types of crimes that increased the most in the area, but it stays put as one of the safest cities in the entire nation.
Chandler, Arizona, jumps from number 10 to number eight this year because of a huge decrease in robberies and aggravated assault crimes. Chandler is a relative newcomer to the list, and its crime rate saw a significant decrease for the second year this year. Perhaps it has farther to go, but its 20 percent decrease in violent crime will be difficult to top.
Irving, Texas, moved back into the top 10 on the safest cities list after dropping out last year. However, Irving is no stranger to the list, as it has shown up on many of thb. The violent crime rate is the big change here, and aggravated assault and robbery also had a slight decrease.
Chula Vista, California, is yet another of California’s safest cities with an extrbely low murder rate and a steady, very low crime rate. It reentered the list after dropping to number 12 last year.
What makes a city safe?
The main metric that determines the safety of a city is its rate of violent crime, a metric that is measured by the ratio of violent crimes committed per 100,000 people. The second most important statistic is the murder rate, which is measured by the number of murders committed per 100,000 people. Another very important statistic is the officer to population ratio and the population itself. Of the 10 cities here that are on the list of lowest crime rate for cities above 200,000 people, only Virginia Beach has above 300,000 people. The officer ratio is also much lower than most people think in these cities: The less officers, the less crime in the city.
2 Point Highlight
As the first tourist city on the list with six million annual visitors, Virginia Beach is perhaps the most impressive city in terms of safety yet.
Chandler is a relative newcomer to the list, and its crime rate saw a significant decrease for the second year this year.
