These are America’s 25 safest small towns

February 27, 2022

After two years of upheaval due to the pandemic, politics and social unrest, many Americans crave normalcy in 2022. Many Americans fled — or dreamt of fleeing — large cities during COVID-19 surges. Seeking respite in America’s smaller cities and towns has its appeal, but how much safer are small towns in reality?

To test the theory that small cities and towns are the safest places in America, MoneyGeek analyzed crime statistics by quantifying the cost of crime and ranking small cities and towns nationwide and in every state. This analysis followed MoneyGeek’s previous ranking of the safest large cities in America.

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Key Findings

The cost of crime for small cities increased by 12% from 2019 to 2020, the latest data available. The average U.S. city saw a 15% increase in the cost of crime during the same period.
Small cities and towns are twice as safe as big cities. Our analysis found that the median cost of crime in cities and towns with populations between 30,000 and 100,000 was $640, compared to cities with populations over 100,000, where the median cost of crime was $1,320.
A small city or town can be just as dangerous as a large city. The cost of crime per capita in Petersburg, Virginia, is $9,022, nearly as high as St. Louis, Missouri, where the per capita cost of crime is $11,574. Federal Way, Washington (pop. 97,071), has a cost of crime per capita of $1,203, comparable to New York City ($1,204).

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Calculating the Cost of Crime

Crime takes a toll on communities — not just emotionally, but also economically. In addition to direct costs from property loss, services for victims and policing and corrections, residents of higher-crime locales often pay higher rates on car insurance, homeowners insurance and renters insurance.

To quantify the cost of crime in smaller cities and towns, MoneyGeek analyzed crime data and calculated the cost of crime in each place. We included data on violent crimes — such as murder and aggravated assault — and property crimes — such as burglaries and car theft. Though property crimes are much more common, violent crimes are more costly.

MoneyGeek analyzed crime statistics and quantified the cost of those crimes to identify the safest and least safe small cities and towns — those with 30,000 to 100,000 residents.

Most of the safest small cities and towns in America are in the Northeast or Midwest, with four of the top ten cities in New York or New Jersey, three in Illinois and three in Massachusetts. The least safe towns are more distributed throughout the country, with Petersburg, Virginia at the top.

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25. Danville, California

Crime Cost per Capita: $84
Violent Crime Rate: $46.9
Property Crime Rate: $533.5
Cost of Crime ($000s): $3,752
Population: $44,800

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24. Mount Prospect, Illinois

Crime Cost per Capita: $84
Violent Crime Rate: $48.5
Property Crime Rate: $63.5
Cost of Crime ($000s): $4,483
Population: 53,570

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23. Park Ridge, Illinois

Crime Cost per Capita: $82
Violent Crime Rate: $51.5
Property Crime Rate: $203.3
Cost of Crime ($000s): $3,036
Population: 36,888

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22. Rancho Santa Margarita, California

Crime Cost per Capita: $78
Violent Crime Rate: $39.7
Property Crime Rate: $588.8
Cost of Crime ($000s): $3,743
Population: 47,894

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21. Old Bridge Township, New Jersey

Crime Cost per Capita: $77
Violent Crime Rate: $39.7
Property Crime Rate: $543.2
Cost of Crime ($000s): $5,018
Population: 65,537

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20. Fair Lawn, New Jersey

Crime Cost per Capita: $75
Violent Crime Rate: $36.5
Property Crime Rate: $741.4
Cost of Crime ($000s): $2,458
Population: 32,910

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19. Marlboro Township, New Jersey

Crime Cost per Capita: $74
Violent Crime Rate: $27.8
Property Crime Rate: $762.8
Cost of Crime ($000s): $2,949
Population: 39,593

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18. Lone Peak, Utah

Crime Cost per Capita: $74
Violent Crime Rate: $16.6
Property Crime Rate: $907.6
Cost of Crime ($000s): $2,244
Population: 30,191

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17. Greenwich, Connecticut

Crime Cost per Capita: $69
Violent Crime Rate: $12.7
Property Crime Rate: $868.1
Cost of Crime ($000s): $4,364
Population: 63,012

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16. Princeton, New Jersey

Crime Cost per Capita: $69
Violent Crime Rate: $35.0
Property Crime Rate: $623.1
Cost of Crime ($000s): $2,179
Population: 31,458

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15. Bloomfield Township, Michigan

Crime Cost per Capita: $69
Violent Crime Rate: $23.8
Property Crime Rate: $513.6
Cost of Crime ($000s): $2,899
Population: 42,059

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14. Upper Arlington, Ohio

Crime Cost per Capita: $65
Violent Crime Rate: $30.9
Property Crime Rate: $ 945.0
Cost of Crime ($000s): $ 2,313
Population: 35,557

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13. Middletown Township, New Jersey

Crime Cost per Capita: $64
Violent Crime Rate: $24.6
Property Crime Rate: $ 547.8
Cost of Crime ($000s): $ 4,147
Population: 65,170

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12. Parkland, Florida

Crime Cost per Capita: $62
Violent Crime Rate: $22.4
Property Crime Rate: $561.9
Cost of Crime ($000s): $2,214
Population: 35,773

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11. Northbrook, Illinois

Crime Cost per Capita: $59
Violent Crime Rate: $30.4
Property Crime Rate: $200.4
Cost of Crime ($000s): $1,944
Population: 32,927

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10. Lexington, Massachusetts

Crime Cost per Capita: $59
Violent Crime Rate: $36.2
Property Crime Rate: $344.0
Cost of Crime ($000s): $1942
Population: 33,138

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9. Yorktown, New York

Crime Cost per Capita: $53
Violent Crime Rate: $19.3
Property Crime Rate: $542.9
Cost of Crime ($000s): $1,911
Population: 36,284

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8. Orland Park, Illinois

Crime Cost per Capita: $49
Violent Crime Rate: $37.9
Property Crime Rate: $65.5
Cost of Crime ($000s): $2,818
Population: 57,993

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7. Long Beach, New York

Crime Cost per Capita: $42
Violent Crime Rate: $38.9
Property Crime Rate: $137.5
Cost of Crime ($000s): $1,414
Population: 33,461

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6. Monroe Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey

Crime Cost per Capita: $39
Violent Crime Rate: $19.7
Property Crime Rate: $249.7
Cost of Crime ($000s): $1,788
Population: 45,653

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5. Bartlett, Illinois

Crime Cost per Capita: $39
Violent Crime Rate: $22.2
Property Crime Rate: $61.6
Cost of Crime ($000s): $1,571
Population: 40,577

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4. Shrewsbury, Massachusetts

Crime Cost per Capita: $38
Violent Crime Rate: $10.3
Property Crime Rate: $359.6
Cost of Crime ($000s): $1,464
Population: 38,656

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3. Carmel Town, New York

Crime Cost per Capita: $35
Violent Crime Rate: $14.7
Property Crime Rate: $331.4
Cost of Crime ($000s): $1,186
Population: 34,093

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2. Franklin, Massachusetts

Crime Cost per Capita: $32
Violent Crime Rate: $17.5
Property Crime Rate: $93.3
Cost of Crime ($000s): $1,081
Population: 34,281

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1. Buffalo Grove, Illinois

Crime Cost per Capita: $22
Violent Crime Rate: $12.4
Property Crime Rate: $49.5
Cost of Crime ($000s): $906
Population: 40,380

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Methodology

To rank the safest small cities and towns in the United States, MoneyGeek started with standardized crime statistics reported to the FBI. To determine crime rates per 100,000 people, population data accessed from the FBI was added to the analysis. For purposes of this analysis, MoneyGeek focused on cities with a population between 30,000 and 100,000 residents.

MoneyGeek relied on research by professors Kathryn McCollister and Michael French of the University of Miami and Hai Fang of the University of Colorado Denver to determine the cost of crime to society. Their findings were integrated into the broader data set to better understand the societal cost of crime within individual cities.

This article originally appeared on MoneyGeek.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.