10 Safest, Least Safe Cities in America

Nashua, NH, comes in at No. 1; Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is at the bottom of the list
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 4, 2017 9:01 AM CST
10 Safest, Least Safe Cities in America
The safety jewel of New Hampshire: Nashua.   (Getty Images/DenisTangneyJr.)

When seeking a place to settle down, safety is usually at the top of home seekers' priority list. WalletHub scoured more than 180 cities nationwide, looking at natural-disaster risks, financial perils, and the safety of homes and communities in general. The site used nearly three dozen key safety indicators in its analysis, from different types of violent crime per capita and the risk of being slammed by an earthquake, hurricane, or other Mother Nature-driven calamity, to economic influences such as poverty rate and identity theft complaints. If you're scoping out regions in general, the Northeast seems to be a literally safe bet, with half of the top 10 cities located there. The safest of all: Nashua, NH. Rounding out the winners:

Safest US cities (total safety score, out of 100):

  1. Nashua, NH; 87.4
  2. South Burlington, Vt.; 87.3
  3. Warwick, RI; 87.2
  4. Columbia, Md.; 86.5
  5. Gilbert, Ariz.; 85.3
  6. Fargo, ND; 85.3
  7. Lewiston, Maine; 84.4
  8. Plano, Texas; 84.1
  9. Portland, Maine; 84.0
  10. Brownsville, Texas; 83.9
Read on for the least safe US cities:

Least safe US cities (total safety score, out of 100):

  1. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; 43.2
  2. St. Louis; 48.9
  3. San Bernardino, Calif.; 50.6
  4. Oklahoma City; 55.1
  5. Detroit; 56.3
  6. Little Rock, Ark.; 57.2
  7. Orlando, Fla.; 57.2
  8. Chattanooga, Tenn.; 58.8
  9. Baton Rouge, La.; 60.2
  10. Jackson, Miss.; 60.8
Find where the city nearest to you ranks, or check out safety ranked by state. (More US cities stories.)

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