Safest Cities in America – Security and Safety on a Large Scale

Sometimes it is important to pull back from talking about our security solutions and to think about security and safety on a large scale. Equipping your home or business with cameras is all about creating safety. That sense of security not only applies to your property, but also spills over to your community. We always promote the idea of creating a safer community for you and your loved ones or coworkers.

Safety within communities can be a huge factor in where people decide to live as well as open business establishments. The idea here is to identify the safest cities in America and look at what makes them such havens for comfortable residence and commerce. By understanding what makes them this way, we can better equip our communities with the same factors.

Top 10 Safest Cities in America

Join us as we look at the top 10 safest cities in America as well as examine what makes security tick in those communities. The list is compiled by looking at Violent Crime Rate along with property crime rate. These 10 cities had the lowest combined rates, thus making them the safest places to live and start businesses in the country.

Here’s the top 10:

10. Albany, New York

Population: 882,000

Violent Crime Rate: 291

Property Crime Rate: 1,954

Albany, in upstate New York, kicks off our list as a safe haven in the Northeast. With a property crime rate under 2,000 per 100k people homes as well as businesses in the area remain at a high level of safety. Another statistic that contributes to the relatively low violent crime rate is a low murder rate. Out of the top 150 most populated metropolitan areas, Albany consistently makes the top 10 of low murder rates.

9. Boston, Massachusetts

Population: 4,772,000

Violent Crime Rate: 305

Property Crime Rate: 1,291

Boston may come as a surprise inclusion on the list. Though it is a large metropolitan area, with a population approaching 5 million people, their crime rates are extremely low per capita. With mass urbanization being a trend of our current culture, it is nice to know there are sill relatively safe urban centers. You’ll notice that even with the high population and dense city landscape, the property crime rate is down significantly even from #10 on the list.

8. Santa Rosa, California

Population: 500,000

Violent Crime Rate: 400

Property Crime Rate: 1,500

Santa Rosa lies in the heart of beautiful wine country. It is a seriously safe place in northern California. Though the numbers seem just slightly higher than the previous entry, let us explain why we ranked this higher as one of the safest cities in America. Within the violent crime rate, Santa Rosa had a recently reported murder rate of only 12. This is extremely low in proportion to the population. For that reason, we’ve included it at the #8 spot.

7. Santa Barbara, California

Population: 443,000

Violent Crime Rate: 340

Property Crime Rate: 1,945

Santa Barbra, in the upper portion of Southern California, makes the list of safest cities in America for many of the same reasons as the previous entrants. Not only does it have a property crime rate lower than 2k, but it also has a reported murder rate of only 8 in 2017. These stats make it an attractive place to move or open a business. Not to mention the idyllic coastal scenery and perennially temperate weather.

6. Lakeland, Florida

Population: 650,000

Violent Crime Rate: 285

Property Crime Rate: 1,960

Nationally, Lakeland has low crime rates in both categories. When it comes to our list, these numbers are generally consistent with the rest. The factor that sets Lakeland apart is that along with a low murder rate, the instances of property crime were inexpensive to property owners. Instead of large claims that would take a property owner months to sort out, we are talking about petty vandalism like minor graffiti and small damages. This low rate along with the lack of severity makes this an excellent place for both residential and commercial development.

5. Providence, Rhode Island

Population: 1,600,000

Violent Crime Rate: 294

Property Crime Rate: 1,685

Providence is another example of a large urban center with very low crime rates. First of all, the violent crime rate of 294 is well below the national average (which sits in the high 300s). Along with that, the murder rate is almost non-existent with 2017 data only reporting 2 per 100,000 people.

4. Boise, Idaho

Population: 677,000

Violent Crime Rate: 235

Property Crime Rate: 1,761

Boise is growing at a rate of 1.7% each year. It is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. For that reason, it’s consistently low crime rates (despite the population growth) earns it a spot in our top 5 safest cities in America.

Worcester, Massachusetts

Population: 930,000

Violent Crime Rate: 360

Property Crime Rate: 1,276

The northeastern portion of the United States has some of the safest cities in America. There’s no doubt that these cities dominate the top 5. Here, you have a violent crime rate below average along with a very low property crime rate. Again, we have an instance of low murder rate within the violent crimes which leads to such a high placement. In recent years, this rate has barely touched double digits in total.

Afraid of having your retail location broken into? Communities with high property crime rates experience this all the time. Look at what one of our clients caught on their LaView Security System:

Manchester, New Hampshire

Population: 400,000

Violent Crime Rate: 265

Property Crime Rate: 1,387

With a murder rate for an entire year being reported under 5, Manchester had to be high on our list. Combine that with notably low crime rates in general, and you have a great place to raise a family. This is a place where you’d do well to grow your roots.

Portland, Maine

Population: 525,000

Violent Crime Rate: 127

Property Crime Rate: 1,476

To complete the top-end trifecta of safe northeaster cities, Portland, Maine shows all the signs of a great community. Not only does it have an extremely low violent crime rate in general, but it also only had 4 murders in 2017. This tops the list of safest cities in America because it showed excellent numbers in every category.

What Makes the Safest Cities in America?

As we looked at the data that comprised our list, we thought about what qualities these cities had in common. We figured there had to be some thread of connectivity that made these communities so safe over the last couple years. The result is a quick reference list of what to look for when considering a move to a new city.

An Active and Involved Community: 

This is something that makes communities better across the board. This has to do particularly with local police departments. If a city has a PD that does a lot of community outreach, you know you are in the right place. It is about making citizens, young and old, comfortable with their community officers as well as aware of their civil responsibilities when it comes to safety. Educational events, volunteer events and community engagement are all high on the priority list here.

Above Average Median Income:

There wasn’t much way around recognizing the fact that the higher the average income, the safer cities were. This didn’t hold true completely across the board, but it was a general rule of thumb when it comes to safety. People who make more annually typically care about promoting community safety with either security solutions or other means of community safety. The national household income is around $59,000. If you are researching your next living destination, you’ll want to take that into consideration. If a city’s median income far exceeds this, there is a good chance there is more community engagement for safety.

Community Leaders:

It is always important for citizens to take leadership roles when it comes to town hall meetings, educational board hearings and other civil gatherings. Having a strong voice of the people can help with communication and collaboration when it comes to promoting safety in communities.

Education:

There is strong evidence that the highest ranking locations on our list of the safest cities in America had a high rate of college graduates. If you live in a city with 60% or more of its population being college graduates, you are more likely to experience more awareness and activism when it comes to safety.

Our Biggest Tips for Creating the Safest Cities in America

Here is a quick guide of tips.

• Invest in home security: You guessed it. We believe that home surveillance and other home security solutions are important for promoting safety.
• Be involved with your community: As we said, community leadership is important. So is community engagement. Take place in local municipal meetings and hearings. Your voice may be needed on important safety issues!
• Be vigilant: If you see suspicious activity in your neighborhood, don’t hesitate to report it. The best thing you can do for your, your loved ones and other in the neighborhood is be aware of your surroundings. Sometimes a speculative call on some suspicious activity can make all the difference in catching illegal activity.

Want more information on how our security solutions can secure your community? Read more below:

Caught On LaView – Outdoor Surveillance Cameras

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