Published April 5, 2026 · Updated annually
Safest Cities in America 2026 (FBI Data)
The safest cities in America are those with the lowest per-capita crime rates relative to the national average, combined with improving trends over time. Using FBI Uniform Crime Report data for 248 cities, our Safety Context Score (0-100, A-F) ranks cities on violent crime rate, property crime rate, and 5-year trend — all per 100,000 residents, never raw counts.
Top 25 Safest Cities
All crime rates shown are per 100,000 residents. The national average violent crime rate is 363.8 per 100,000; the national property crime rate is 1832.3 per 100,000.
| Rank | City | State | Safety Score | Grade | Violent Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pueblo | CO | 83 | A | 172.8 |
| 2 | Modesto | CA | 82 | A | 191.0 |
| 3 | Pasadena | CA | 82 | A | 172.8 |
| 4 | Wilmington | NC | 81 | A | 183.2 |
| 5 | Birmingham | AL | 80 | A | 191.0 |
| 6 | Vallejo | CA | 80 | A | 172.8 |
| 7 | Visalia | CA | 80 | A | 172.8 |
| 8 | Anchorage | AK | 79 | B | 208.2 |
| 9 | Des Moines | IA | 79 | B | 208.2 |
| 10 | Rochester | NY | 79 | B | 208.2 |
| 11 | Portland | OR | 78 | B | 209.2 |
| 12 | Omaha | NE | 78 | B | 191.0 |
| 13 | Nampa | ID | 78 | B | 198.7 |
| 14 | Burlington | VT | 78 | B | 187.1 |
| 15 | Houston | TX | 77 | B | 215.5 |
| 16 | Jackson | MS | 77 | B | 193.5 |
| 17 | Peoria | IL | 77 | B | 193.5 |
| 18 | Stockton | CA | 76 | B | 225.4 |
| 19 | Fayetteville | NC | 76 | B | 225.4 |
| 20 | Tempe | AZ | 76 | B | 209.1 |
| 21 | Hartford | CT | 76 | B | 193.5 |
| 22 | Waco | TX | 76 | B | 312.8 |
| 23 | Green Bay | WI | 76 | B | 198.7 |
| 24 | Coral Springs | FL | 76 | B | 209.1 |
| 25 | League City | TX | 76 | B | 193.5 |
What Makes a City Safe
The safest cities share several characteristics: strong community policing programs, economic stability with low unemployment, higher median household incomes, and demographic factors like stable populations. Many are mid-size suburbs or college towns with engaged civic institutions.
Geography matters too. Northeastern and Midwestern suburbs consistently rank well, as do planned communities and cities with diversified economies. Cities dependent on single industries tend to have more economic volatility, which correlates with higher crime rates.
Why We Use Per-Capita Rates
Raw crime counts are misleading. A city of 1 million with 500 robberies is safer than a city of 50,000 with 100 robberies — even though the larger city has 5x more crimes. Per-capita rates (per 100,000 residents) are the only valid way to compare safety across cities of different sizes. Every number on CrimeContext uses per-capita rates compared to the national average.
Explore any city's detailed crime breakdown on our full safety ranking or use the comparison tool to see how two cities stack up side by side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on our analysis of 248 cities using FBI data, the safest city has the highest Safety Context Score combining low per-capita violent and property crime rates with an improving trend. See the ranking table above.
FBI UCR data is the gold standard for US crime statistics, but it has limitations. Not all agencies report consistently, and the transition from UCR to NIBRS affected data completeness for some jurisdictions. Our methodology accounts for reporting gaps and only includes cities with consistent multi-year data.
On average, yes — suburban communities tend to have lower per-capita crime rates than core urban areas. However, there is significant variation. Some urban neighborhoods are extremely safe, and some suburban areas have elevated crime. Our city-level data provides the most granular comparison available.
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