15 Safest Cities In The US In 2023

Whether you’re moving or buying a home for the first time, safety is likely a very important priority to you. Everyone wants to feel safe and secure in their home, so it can naturally sometimes be the deciding factor when choosing a neighborhood.

To help you consider where you might want to settle down, we’ve put together this list of cities with low property crime and violent crime rates to identify some of the safest cities in the U.S.

The 15 Safest Cities In America

When deciding where to live, safety is just one factor, but it’s a big one. When ranking the cities, we looked at FBI information regarding both property crime and violent crime rates. The cities below are ranked on that basis.

1. Cary, North Carolina

• Population: 180,388
• Violent crime rate: 8.9
• Property crime rate: 19.8
• Median household income: $113,782
• Median home price: $558,955

Cary is located in the Research Triangle, one of the largest research parks in the U.S. Employers from various industries, including science, technology and government, are located here and draw from the rich talent field of recent graduates from nearby University of North Carolina and Duke University.

2. Irvine, California

• Population: 313,605
• Violent crime rate: 8.9
• Property crime rate: 22.6
• Median household income: $114,027
• Median home price: $1,299,106

In addition to having lower crime, Irvine is a place where residents of all ages can feel safe expressing their creativity, exploring and playing. Among several amenities, the city hosts the Beall Center for Art and Technology, the Museum of California Art and the Pretend City Children’s Museum.

3. Murrieta, California

• Population: 113,783
• Violent crime rate: 8.5
• Property crime rate: 23.7
• Median household income: $98,466
• Median home price: $629,983

Murrieta is one of several Southern California cities home to a “super bloom” of golden poppies each spring. It’s also home to part of the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Preserve, which features ancient Oaks, rare bunchgrass and Prairie habitat.

4. Port St. Lucie, Florida

• Population: 231,790
• Violent crime rate: 9.1
• Property crime rate: 22.3
• Median household income: $68,647
• Median home price: $389,172

Port St. Lucie is home to the New York Mets spring training facility and a 5,000-pound replica of a conch shell at The Shell Bazaar, so there’s something for a range of interests. If those don’t appeal, perhaps snowbirds will be attracted to the city, where the annual average temperature is 74.2 degrees.

5. Naperville, Illinois

• Population: 149,936
• Violent crime rate: 10.2
• Property crime rate: 19.9
• Median household income: $135,772
• Median home price: $500,736

Naperville’s Moser Tower is home to the Millennium Carillon, which has 72 bells that can cover six octaves, one of only four in the world with that range. The city also features 1.75 miles of river walk. Whether you’re looking to live in Naperville or elsewhere in the Prairie State, Illinois is one of the cheapest states to buy a house.

6. Sugar Land, Texas

• Population: 109,414
• Violent crime rate: 7.6
• Property crime rate: 26.3
• Median household income: $123,733
• Median home price: $424,716

If you think the members of the country band came from Sugar Land, not so. However, members of the band have said the town inspired the name. And why not? Attractions like the Houston Museum of Natural Science in Sugar Land and Art Museum TX could inspire any artist. There are also 30 shopping areas and an adventure park that boasts the longest zip line in the Houston area. After visiting, you might be stuck like glue to Sugar Land.

7. Surprise, Arizona

• Population: 154,198
• Violent crime rate: 8
• Property crime rate: 27.6
• Median household income: $76,623
• Median home price: $429,979

Not only is Surprise one of the safest cities in the U.S., it’s also military friendly. The Arizona Coalition for Military Families designated the city an “Arizona Veteran Supportive Employer and City.” Baseball fans will love that the city plays host to the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers for spring training each February, while nature lovers can indulge in year-round hiking, fishing and camping within easy driving distance.

8. Simi Valley, California

• Population: 124,398
• Violent crime rate: 10.7
• Property crime rate: 21.7
• Median household income: $102,627
• Median home price: $775,000

Simi Valley is a suburb of Los Angeles, so many people commute there for work. However, the main industries within the city itself are machinery and tools and there’s also a sizable metal industry. The new generation Volkswagen Beetle was also conceived there.

9. Gilbert, Arizona

• Population: 275,346
• Violent crime rate: 10.4
• Property crime rate: 23.1
• Median household income: $105,733
• Median home price: $550,055

Gilbert’s main industries are focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Many of the city’s employers are focused on advanced manufacturing, aerospace and military, and biotech as well as clean and renewable energy.

10. Olathe, Kansas

• Population: 145,616
• Violent crime rate: 10.2
• Property crime rate: 24.5
• Median household income: $100,849
• Median home price: $425,000

Olathe traces its history back to the westward expansion of the U.S. In fact, the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm Historic Site is the last such stop in existence on the Santa Fe Trail. The city also has 43 neighborhood parks and the school district does better on standardized testing than the state or national average.

11. Frisco, Texas

• Population: 219,587
• Violent crime rate: 9.8
• Property crime rate: 26
• Median household income: $134,210
• Median home price: $676,055

Part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, Frisco is home to several unique museums, parks and other attractions. From the National Videogame Museum and Museum of the American Railroad to the National Soccer Hall of Fame and Dallas Cowboys training facility or Frisco Commons Park – there are several amenities to enjoy in the safety of the city.

12. Glendale, California

• Population: 189,221
• Violent crime rate: 9.8
• Property crime rate: 26
• Median household income: $74,488
• Median home price: $1,107,222

Glendale is again in that entertainment industry orbit. Located very close to Los Angeles, it’s home to both Disney Imagineers and offices for DreamWorks animation. You could be on the front lines of the battle between Buzz Lightyear and Shrek. Residents who prefer natural views to those on the screen can find them atop the Verdugo Mountains or in Cherry Canyon Park.

13. Orange, California

• Population: 136,178
• Violent crime rate: 8.6
• Property crime rate: 28.3
• Median household income: $102,125
• Median home price: $913,250

The center of Orange is Old Towne, where City Hall and Chapman University are. But it’s also the center of events in the city. There is a weekly farmers market and artisan market to go along with periodic music performances programmed by the university.

14. Buckeye, Arizona

• Population: 105,567
• Violent crime rate: 8.4
• Property crime rate: 29.3
• Median household income: $84,568
• Median home price: $401,321

If you’re into nature and a sense of adventure, Buckeye offers the Sonoran Desert and all of the wilderness that comes with it. There are seven nature attractions spanning thousands of acres in the area.

15. Thousand Oaks, California

• Population: 124,265
• Violent crime rate: 11.1
• Property crime rate: 21.2
• Median household income: $113,942
• Median home price: $1,000,126

Thousand Oaks has a ton of natural beauty including Wildwood Regional Park and Paradise Falls. It’s also home to Gardens of the World. Residents can enjoy these sites and more on one of 150 miles of trails throughout the city. During walks through Thousand Oaks, you’ll feel like you’re in an urban forest as the city is recognized as a Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation.

The Bottom Line

Safety is a complex equation, so keep in mind that many safe places to live aren’t on this list. One of the best ways to gauge the safety of a place you’d like to move is to pay attention to crime statistics, but even these don’t tell the whole story.

If you’re looking to relocate to a new city, give yourself the best shot at your dream house by starting early. Get started with Rocket Mortgage^® to gain an edge in your target markets, no matter what city you ultimately land in.

Methodology For Finding The Safest Cities To Live In The US

Rocket Homes^SM collected and analyzed the most recent crime data to give us insight into the safest cities in the U.S.¹ The 300 most populated cities in the U.S. that were analyzed are home to 27.7% of all U.S. residents. Crime statistics are based on the most recent (2019) public FBI crime data.

Weights were then applied to each metric depending on their individual importance in the study. The weighted scores for each metric were summed to create the overall score for each state. The final scores are sorted to produce the final rankings.

Other metrics considered without weight:  

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