With the U.S. experiencing over 26,000 motor vehicle deaths and more than 340 mass shootings so far this year, the personal-finance company WalletHub has released its report on 2025’s Safest Cities in America, as well as expert commentary.

To determine where Americans can feel most protected against life’s hazards, including nonphysical forms of danger, WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 41 key metrics. The data set ranges from traffic fatalities per capita and assaults per capita to the unemployment rate and the percentage of the population that is uninsured.

Safest Cities in America

Warwick, Rhode Island was number one in the study, rated as the safest city in the country. Second was Overland Park, KS, followed by Burlington, VT; Juneau, AK; Yonkers, NY; Casper, WY; South Burlington, VT; Columbia, MD; Lewiston, ME; and, at number 10, Salem, Oregon. Santa Rosa was California’s safest city, coming in at number 14 overall.

Least Safe Cities in America

Rated at number 173, one of the least safe cities, was Cleveland, Ohio, followed by Philadelphia, PA; San Bernardino, CA; Houston, TX; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Baltimore, MD; Detroit, MI; Baton Rouge, LA; Memphis, TN; and, the least safe city, according to the study, is New Orleans, Louisiana, at number 182.

Safest vs. Least Safe

Virginia Beach, Virginia, has the fewest aggravated assault incidents (per 100,000 residents), which is 51.9 times fewer than in Memphis, Tennessee, the city with the most.

Nampa, Idaho, has the fewest thefts (per 1,000 residents), which is 10.5 times fewer than in Oakland, California, the city with the most.

Washington, D.C., has the most law-enforcement employees (per 100,000 residents), which is 5.2 times more than in Irvine, California, the city with the fewest.

Lincoln, Nebraska, has among the fewest pedestrian fatalities (per 100,000 residents), which is 33.4 times fewer than in Jackson, Mississippi, the city with the most.

“When people think about safety in a city, their minds probably immediately go to things like the crime rate, auto fatality rate or risk of natural disasters. The safest cities in America protect residents from these threats of bodily harm and property damage, but on top of that, they also help secure people’s financial safety. Financial safety includes things like minimizing the risk of fraud and identity theft, keeping the population employed and insured, and combating homelessness,” explained WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo. “Warwick, RI, is the safest city with the third-lowest number of aggravated assaults, the seventh-lowest number of thefts, and the 32nd-lowest number of murders per capita out of the 182 cities in our study. Warwick also provides good conditions for financial safety, as it has the fourth-lowest percentage of residents without health insurance, as well as the fourth-lowest percentage who are living in poverty. On top of that, the city has the 37th-fewest fraud complaints per capita.”

To read the full report, visit:

https://wallethub.com/edu/safest-cities-in-america/41926

Expert Commentary

What are some of the top public safety issues this year?

“We are experiencing a transformation in how criminals are using technology to invent new crimes and are creating new ways to commit traditional crimes. Successful mitigation necessitates the actions and collaboration of law enforcement personnel across all branches and jurisdictions. Cooperation and information sharing between agencies is key to enforcement and keeping up to date with new and emerging trends… On an economic level, the biggest concern is criminal activity that could erode trust in our financial markets. There are criminal groups who incorporate increasingly sophisticated financial activity in their criminal schemes. Examples include obtaining unreleased business press releases to place financial trades or placing short positions and then engaging in damaging activity against the company.”

Michael Breslin – Director, Strategic Client Relations, Federal Law Enforcement, LexisNexis Special Services, Inc

What measures can police departments take to increase public trust? How important is it to have a police force that is representative of the local community?

“Police departments can increase public trust through transparent practices and open communication… Communication is vitally important in the aftermath of use-of-force incidents, including but not exclusively those involving deadly force. Police should regularly update the community and release as much information as they can as soon as they can. When they must withhold information due to ongoing investigations into the incidents or for other reasons, they should explain the need for nondisclosure. Representativeness matters. It is unrealistic to expect police to be a strict cross-section of the community, but agencies should be generally representative of their constituents for several reasons. Public trust is enhanced when police ‘look like’ the communities they serve. Victims may be better served when officers have a variety of backgrounds and skillsets, thus allowing the officer with the most relevant skills to help victims.”

Jacinta M. Gau, Ph.D. – Professor, University of Central Florida