New York City, New York
Despite what the movies may show, NYC is the one of the safest cities in the states. It has more police officers per capita than any other city. Violent and property crime combined rank less than 20 incidents per 1,000 residents, a really low number.
The only reason NYC looks bad is because there are so many people living there. With these statistics, though, you know you’re less likely to be afflicted by crime than most places.
San Diego, California
San Diego receives more than 30 million visitors each year. With that many tourists, you know people are checking in for security. Luckily, violence is low.
Your biggest worry should be on the wallet in your front pocket. Other than that, enjoy some ice cream on the beach and have a great day.
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach might have had a rough past, but they’ve worked hard to turn over a new leaf. Crime rates are going down year over year, so now violent crime rates occur 20% less than the national average.
Nowhere is naturally safe, not even a town of 3,000 people, and the people of Virginia Beach know that. They work hard to make sure their homes are safe, so if you move here, you’ll be in good hands.
San Jose, California
San Jose is one of the best places to live, according to U.S. News, and that’s due in part to their low rates of crime. Violent crime has been significantly below the national average for decades. If you look at a heat-map of San Jose crime, it’s almost all safe.
If you’re considering moving to or even just visiting the Golden State, add San Jose to your list of places to think about.
Tampa, Florida
The people of Tampa seem offended that anybody thinks their city isn’t safe, and that's a good thing. You’d likely only be offended if your city really was safe. Tampa, despite having the obvious advantage of sitting on the beach, is a normal place to live. There’s not much to stress about.
Things are actually significantly worse in the nearby city of Orlando, but that doesn't stop almost 70 million visitors each year. Tampa is not a place to be scared of.
El Paso, Texas
El Paso gets a bad rap because it sits right on the border of Mexico, right across from a dangerous city named Juarez. While the media may try to make it seem like living this near the border means the Cartel or the Illegal Immigrants are going to come get you, that’s not the case.
Because of the violence just across the border, security is high, meaning the residents of El Paso are safe. If anything, you’re safer because of the high amounts of law enforcement than you would be without it.
Mesa, Arizona
You probably couldn’t point out Mesa, Arizona on a map, but the residents are sure happy to live there. They live in a diverse community that spans different age ranges, economic classes, and ethnic groups.
Residents attribute this close-knit, healthy community to its safety. They work hard to make sure they are all safe, and if there’s anything we can learn by looking for safe cities, it’s that the safest cities are the ones that actively strive to become safer. Nowhere is accidentally safe.
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is one of our nation’s oldest cities, known as the birthplace of the Revolutionary War. Despite the violence that is tied to its history, it’s pretty safe nowadays.
In fact, the biggest warning people seem to give is to be cautious late at night, but really, where do you not need to be cautious late at night?
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana sits right about a stone’s throw from the beaches of California, meaning it’s the type of place you shouldn’t have to worry about your safety when visiting or moving there.
Like any city, you’ll need to be wise about which areas to avoid, but if you’re smart, you won’t be jumping at every corner. Plus, even car-related injuries are low. You’ll be safe on multiple points.
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is safe. Whether you’re just looking to visit their beaches, run the famous Ironman, or settle down for the long-term, you don’t have to worry. Their crime rates are significantly lower than the national average.
Their police are prevalent, and their crimes don’t go unsolved. Maybe the bad guys just don’t have anywhere to run, but this city doesn’t see a lot of confusing, unanswered, chaotic crime. This city is on solid ground.
Anaheim, California
You might not know where Anaheim, California is, but you know it’s most common destination: Disneyland. If you’re considering visiting the magical wonderland, you’ll be safe.
Because of the heavy tourism, the areas are monitored by local security, so you shouldn’t lose any sleep over your visit. You’ll need all the rest you can get so you can give Space Mountain your full attention.
Portland, Oregon
Portland has some great stats. Not only is the violent crime rate significantly lower than the national average, but it’s also been cut down significantly from where it was at the turn of the century, where it was already doing great! The place is safe.
Your biggest worry would be somebody stealing your hipster bike that you left outside a coffee shop for too long. But even then, you shouldn’t worry too much.
Los Angeles, California
Everybody knows L.A. It’s the home of the film industry and the city that drains the wallet of so many aspiring filmmakers. It’s relatively safe too.
There are specific areas that people should avoid, but there’s also areas that are relatively safe to be out at night, something most cities can’t boast. Your biggest problem in L.A. is really just the traffic.
Henderson, NV
Henderson is one of the safest cities in the nation, and it has been for years. With a population of almost 300,000, the averages for property and violent crimes are significantly less than the national averages. In fact, violent crimes average just over 2 incidents per 1,000 people, half of the nation’s average.
According to a Police Officer, they “believe [there] in Henderson that crime is a community issue; it is not just a police issue.” Like any other safe city, it is earned.
Irvine, California
If safety is #1 on your list of priorities, get on over to Irvine, California. We cannot overemphasize how safe this city has been for decades. In the 70s, when the population was about 30,000, violent and property crime were enormously high. Now, despite the population being over 250,000, the crime is significantly lower than it was 40 years ago.
Granted, the rapid growth is changing the city, but for most of the past two decades, the city has been one of our nation’s safest, usually the safest city in the nation.