Wallethub: Safest Cities in America 

Threats to safety in the U.S. come in many forms, from public health crises and natural disasters to mass shootings and traffic accidents. People can feel unsafe in other ways, too. Aside from the types of hazards that can cause bodily injury or other physical harm, taking out an unaffordable second mortgage, forgoing health insurance or even visiting unsecured websites are also ways people run into danger. One big worry for many people right now is the cost of inflation, which threatens Americans’ financial safety.  

No one can avoid all danger, however, and we take on a certain level of risk based on where we choose to live. Some cities are simply better at protecting their residents from harm. To determine where Americans can feel most secure — in more than one sense — WalletHub compared more than 180 cities across 41 key indicators of safety. Our 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. 

Top 5 Safest Cities in the U.S.

1. Warwick, RI
2. Overland Park, KS  
3. Burlington, VT
4. Juneau, AK    
5. Yonkers, NY 

“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.”

Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst

In-Depth Look at the Safest Cities 

Warwick, RI

Warwick, RI, is the safest city, with the third-lowest number of aggravated assaults per capita and the 32nd-lowest number of murders out of the 182 cities in our study. It also has the seventh-lowest number of thefts per capita, so residents can worry less about both violent and non-violent crimes. 

When it comes to natural disasters, Warwick ranks as the city with the seventh-lowest risk of hail, 10th-lowest risk of wildfires, 23rd-lowest risk of tornadoes and 29th-lowest risk of earthquakes. 

Finally, Warwick provides good conditions for financial safety. It has the fourth-lowest percentage of residents without health insurance as well as the fourth-lowest percentage who are living in poverty. The city also has the 37th-fewest fraud complaints per capita.

Overland Park, KS

Overland Park, KS, is the second-safest city in 2025, in part because of its safe roads. It has the fifth-lowest pedestrian fatality rate in the country along with the 21st-lowest percentage of uninsured motorists. While accidents do occur, the city fortunately has the 15th-lowest traffic fatalities rate among the cities analyzed.

One area where Overland Park really shines, which many people might not think about, is financial safety. It has the 14th-lowest unemployment rate in the country, at 3.3%, the fifth-highest median credit score, the lowest share of residents who are living in poverty, and the fourth-lowest share of owner occupied housing units with a mortgage that spend 35% of their income on housing. This demonstrates that residents are doing well financially and are at a reduced risk of being unable to pay their bills, losing their property or becoming homeless. 

On top of that, Overland Park has the fourth-highest employer-based retirement plan access rate and the sixth-highest participation rate. Together, these factors make Overland Park one of the strongest cities in the country for financial security and retirement readiness.

Burlington, VT

Burlington, VT, ranks as the third-safest city, in part because it has the 26th-lowest murder rate and the 17th-highest share of sheltered homeless population. It also has the 25th-lowest number of rape offenses and there were no terrorist attack or related incidents recorded in the city along the past decade.

In addition, Burlington residents are at relatively low risk for several types of natural disasters or severe weather. The city has the  14th-lowest risk of flooding, 21st-lowest risk of tornadoes, and 31st-lowest risk of wildfires. 

Burlington residents are also quite safe from fraudsters – the city has the fourth-fewest identity theft complaints and the 22nd-fewest fraud complaints per capita. In addition, Burlington has the seventh-lowest percentage of uninsured population, which prevents people from racking up hefty expenses after an accident. 

Methodology 

In order to determine the safest cities in which to live, WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across three key dimensions: 1) Home & Community Safety, 2) Natural-Disaster Risk, and 3) Financial Safety. 

We evaluated those dimensions using 41 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of safety. 

We then determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample. In determining our sample, we considered only the city proper in each case, excluding cities in the surrounding metro area.