These Are The 10 Safest Places In Idaho

Idaho may be nicknamed the “Gem State” for its abundance of various gemstones, but as we’ve unearthed in the latest analysis here on the Movoto Real Estate Blog, Idaho itself is a gem among states when it comes to safety. Of course, there were those places that really stood out in our analysis—and then there were those that could… use a little bit of polishing, to say the least. But we’ll get to them later. For now, here are the 10 safest places in Idaho, starting with the safest, Weiser: 1. City of Weiser
2. City of Rexburg
3. City of Meridian
4. City of Preston
5. City of Rupert
6. City of Emmett
7. City of Rathdrum
8. City of Moscow
9. City of Hailey
10. City of Mountain Home
If you’re wondering just what makes these 10 cities shine brighter than the rest when it comes to safety, keep reading. In the following paragraphs, we’ll go over the methodology of our analysis and then take a closer look at each of our top 10.

Our Methodology

We started by gathering a list of all of the places in Idaho with populations of 5,000 people or more. Then, we gathered the crime data for each place from the 2012 FBI Uniform Crime Report on the following criteria:

• Murder
• Rape
• Robbery
• Assault
• Burglary
• Theft
• Vehicle theft

After that, we divided these crimes into four different categories:

• Murders
• Violent crimes
• Property crimes
• Total crimes

Once we removed any places that did not report data to the Bureau, we were left with a total of 24 places to look at. We then calculated the crime rate per 100,000 residents in order to fairly compare cities with various population sizes. Using these crime rates, we ranked each place from one to 24 in each of our categories, with one being the safest. We then weighted the results so that murders, violent crimes, and property crimes each comprised 30 percent of the overall score, while total crimes comprised 10 percent. Finally, we averaged these results into an overall Big Deal Score, where the lowest score was our safest place, a real gem among safe cities, Weiser. For a look at how all 24 places in Idaho ranked, you can head down to the bottom of the post for a complete table. Otherwise, keep reading for closer investigation of the 10 safest cities.

1. Weiser

First up on our list is Weiser, for not only the lowest number of property crimes in the state (just 377 per 100,000 people), but also for one of the lowest numbers of violent crimes (36 per 100,000 people). Better still, of those 36 violent crimes per 100,000, all were assaults, meaning there were no murders, no rapes, and no robberies. All told, with a total of just 413 crimes per 100,000 people in 2012, residents had the lowest chance of being the victim of a crime in the state, and in fact, one of the lowest chances in the country: just 1 in 242.

2. Rexburg

Just like in Weiser, residents of this Madison County city can feel safe knowing that they have some of the lowest odds of being involved in a crime in the state: just a 1 in 115 chance. That’s because Rexburg had the second lowest number of total crimes for the year, with 869 per 100,000 people. Those 869 crimes were made up of 35 violent crimes per 100,000 people (the lowest in the state) and 834 property crimes per 100,000 people (the third lowest). To break this down even further, the 35 violent crimes consisted of no murders, eight rapes, four robberies, and 23 assaults per 100,000 people. The property crimes were made up of 15 vehicle thefts, 738 thefts, and 81 burglaries per 100,000.

3. Meridian

Like all of the other cities in our top 10, Meridian earned points for its lack of murders in 2012; but where it really stood out was for its impressively low number of total violent crimes. In 2012, Meridian had just 120 violent crimes, including, as mentioned before, no murders, 17 rapes, 12 robberies, and 91 assaults per 100,000 people. The city also had a reported 1,592 property crimes, for a total of 1,712 crimes per 100,000 people for the year. To understand just how very safe this is, just compare this to another place in Idaho, Coeur d'Alene, where that same year there were 4,944 crimes per 100,000 people.

4. Preston

With just over 5,200 residents, Preston is the smallest place on our list, and it’s just brimming with that small town community feel, largely thanks to its safety. What makes it safer than most other places in the state is a low total number of crimes: just 1,710 per 100,000 people for the year. Of those crimes, there were 1,558 property crimes (the fifth lowest in the state) and 152 violent crimes per 100,000 people (the seventh lowest in the state). To put this into perspective, let’s take a look at the city that ranked the lowest on our list, Garden City. In Garden City in 2012, there were 4,215 property crimes per 100,000 people, plus 505 violent crimes per 100,00 people, nine of which were murders.

5. Rupert

This city of Minidoka County came in high on our list for its low number of crimes in 2012, violent crimes in particular. Where some places like Hailey and Jerome had over 400 violent crimes per 100,000 people, Rupert had just 125. Of those, there were no murders, 71 rapes, 36 robberies, and 18 assaults per 100,000 people. In addition to these 125 violent crimes, Rupert had a reported 1,924 property crimes per 100,000 people, including 107 vehicle thefts, 1,407 thefts, and 410 burglaries, for a total of 2,049 crimes per 100,000 people for the year.

6. Emmett

This gem of Gem County scored well in our analysis, mainly for its low overall number of crimes in 2012: just 1,504 per 100,000 people. This was mostly due to an impressively low number of property crimes, 1,215 per 100,000 people, ranking it fourth in this category. The property crimes included 15 vehicle thefts, 851 thefts, and 349 burglaries per 100,000 people. Unfortunately, Emmett did not rank quite as well when it came to violent crimes (it ranked 17th here), with 289 violent crimes per 100,000 people. The good news, though, is that none of these were murders or robberies.

7. Rathdrum

This little city nestled in the Idaho Panhandle has a charming neighborhood atmosphere and a crime rate that many larger cities would envy. For example, in 2012 Rathdrum had just 2,295 crimes per 100,000 people. These included 2,095 property crimes and 200 violent crimes. Compare that to, say, Lewiston, where there were a total of 4,129 crimes per 100,000 people in 2012, and it is no wonder Rathdrum came in so high on our list.

8. Moscow

As the home of the University of Idaho, it may come as something of a surprise to learn that out of all of the places we looked at, this college town is one of the least violent. In 2012, there were just 131 violent crimes per 100,000 people, including no murders, 12 rapes, 16 robberies, and 103 assaults per 100,000. This may sound like a lot all spelled out like this, but compared to many other college towns, this is actually quite safe. In addition to having the sixth lowest number of violent crimes per 100,000 people, Moscow had a reported 2,768 property crimes, for a total of 2,899 crimes per 100,000 people.

9. Hailey

This city, nestled in the Rocky Mountains, is not only naturally beautiful, but, as our analysis clearly shows, one of the safest around. Out of all of the places we looked at, residents in Hailey are the third least likely to be involved in a crime, with just a 1 in 81 chance. This is due to the incredibly low overall number of crimes Hailey saw in 2012: 1,233 per 100,000 people, ranking it third in this category as well. Of those, there were a mere 818 property crimes per 100,000 people (the second lowest number in the state) and 415 violent crimes. Luckily, none of these violent crimes were murders, but still, Hailey ranked 22nd in this category, which bumped its overall ranking down to No. 9.

10. Mountain Home

Just like Hailey before it, Mountain Home ranked very well for its low number of property crimes and therefore, total number of crimes; but bumping it down on the list was its relatively high number of violent crimes. To be more specific, Mountain Home had a total of 1,945 crimes per 100,000 people, ranking it seventh in this category. Those included the sixth lowest number of property crimes (1,564 per 100,000) and the 19th lowest number of violent crimes (381 per 100,000).

Finding You A Home that Rocks

To see all 24 places we looked at in our analysis—including those cities that may be a little rough around the edges—just see the table below. As always, if you’re interested in moving to one of these cities, or anywhere at all, really, feel free to get in touch. In addition to bringing you illuminating lists like these, we also sell houses. And we pretty much rock at it. (Had to get one more geology joke in there.)