FBI crime data, peer-reviewed research, and government statistics reveal the communities where Americans feel most secure — and what makes them that way.
How We Chose These Neighborhoods
Safety is more than a single number. To compile this list, we cross-referenced the most authoritative 2026 safety analyses available: SafeWise’s annual 100 Safest Cities report (built on 2024 FBI crime data released in August 2025), MoneyGeek’s cost-of-crime rankings across 315 cities with populations above 100,000, ConsumerAffairs’ multi-factor safety scores, U.S. News & World Report’s 2025–2026 Safest Places to Live study, and WalletHub’s 41-metric safety index.
Rather than republish a single outlet’s list, we looked for cities and neighborhoods that appear consistently across multiple methodologies — places where low crime rates hold up whether you’re measuring violent incidents per capita, property crime frequency, or the estimated societal cost of crime per resident. We also prioritized geographic diversity and a mix of city sizes, from tight-knit Hudson Valley towns to fast-growing Sun Belt suburbs.
A note on data: All rankings referenced in this article are based on FBI Uniform Crime Report and NIBRS data from calendar year 2024 — the most recent complete reporting cycle available. Crime statistics capture only reported incidents and don’t reflect every dimension of what makes a community feel safe. We encourage readers to supplement any data-driven analysis with a firsthand visit before making relocation decisions.
Carmel, Indiana
Population: ~101,000 · Violent crime rate: ~32 per 100,000 · Crime cost per resident: ~$186/year
Carmel tops nearly every national safety list in 2026. MoneyGeek’s analysis names it the safest city in America with the lowest estimated crime cost per resident of any U.S. city over 100,000 people. Multiple other outlets — including HomeSnacks, ConsumerAffairs, and MovingWaldo — rank it first or second nationally for overall safety.
What sets Carmel apart goes beyond policing. The city is famous for its network of over 150 roundabouts, which have dramatically reduced serious traffic collisions compared to traditional intersections. The Monon Trail provides a car-free corridor through the city, and neighborhoods like Bridgewater and Clay Township enjoy median household incomes well above the national average — a factor that correlates strongly with lower crime.
Carmel’s Arts & Design District, Midtown dining scene, and Center for the Performing Arts give it a cultural density unusual for a city its size, making it attractive to families and professionals who want suburban safety without sacrificing urban amenities.
Shawangunk, New York
Population: ~13,400 · Violent crime rate: 0.0 per 1,000 · Property crime rate: <1 per 1,000
SafeWise’s 2026 national report names this quiet Hudson Valley town the single safest city in the United States. Shawangunk reported zero violent crimes to the FBI in 2024 and maintained one of the lowest property crime rates of any community that met SafeWise’s population threshold.
Located in Ulster County — about 80 miles north of New York City — Shawangunk sits at the base of the Shawangunk Ridge, a sandstone escarpment popular with hikers and climbers. The town is a patchwork of farmland, small villages, and forested hills. Its police department has earned consistent praise for community engagement, and its small-town character means neighbors tend to know one another, creating informal surveillance networks that deter crime.
For those seeking a peaceful, rural lifestyle within weekend reach of New York City, Shawangunk represents the statistical extreme of neighborhood safety.
Naperville, Illinois
Population: ~147,700 · Violent crime rate: ~84 per 100,000 · Property crime rate: Well below national average
Naperville consistently appears in the top five across multiple safety studies. It is the safest midsize city in America according to ConsumerAffairs, and ranks among the top 10 in MoneyGeek’s cost-of-crime analysis. No murders were reported in the city during the most recent FBI reporting period.
The Naperville Police Department’s Citizens Police Academy program invites residents to participate directly in safety discussions, and neighborhoods like Ashbury and Tall Grass benefit from active community policing. The city’s Riverwalk — a winding path along the DuPage River through downtown — exemplifies Naperville’s investment in well-lit, well-maintained public spaces that feel safe at all hours.
Naperville also ranks as one of the best places to live in Illinois overall, with top-rated public schools (Districts 203 and 204), a diverse dining scene, and median household income significantly above the national average.
Frisco, Texas
Population: ~219,600 · Violent crime rate: ~87 per 100,000 · Crime cost per resident: ~$287/year
Frisco is the second-safest large city in the United States according to MoneyGeek’s 2026 analysis, and it ranks among the top five nationally in multiple other studies. For a city that has nearly tripled in population over the past 15 years, maintaining such low crime rates is remarkable.
Located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Frisco pairs rapid economic growth with a deliberate emphasis on family-friendly planning. The city is home to the Sci-Tech Discovery Center, the National Videogame Museum, and over 70 miles of trails and public parks. Neighborhoods like Phillips Creek Ranch and Starwood are known for their manicured streetscapes and active HOA security programs.
Frisco’s crime rate of approximately 23 incidents per 1,000 residents puts it well below the national average, and residents consistently praise the city’s transparency about public safety data.
Fishers, Indiana
Population: ~103,000 · Violent crime rate: ~98 per 100,000 · Property crime rate: ~609 per 100,000
Fishers sits directly northeast of Carmel in Hamilton County, forming an Indiana safety corridor that dominates national rankings. Multiple studies rank Fishers as the second- or third-safest city in the country among cities with populations over 100,000. Its median household income exceeds $135,000 — well above the national median — providing an economic foundation that supports strong public services.
The city has transformed from a quiet Indianapolis bedroom community into a vibrant suburb with its own downtown district, brewery scene, and the Nickel Plate District amphitheater. Despite this growth, crime has remained exceptionally low. Residents describe Fishers as the kind of place where you can leave your front door unlocked — an increasingly rare sentiment in American suburban life.
Gilbert, Arizona
Population: ~275,000 · Violent crime rate: Among the lowest for cities over 250,000
Gilbert is the safest city in the United States with a population exceeding 250,000, according to ConsumerAffairs. It ranks in the top five nationally for both lowest violent crime and lowest property crime rates among large cities, and it leads the country in income equality among similarly sized communities.
Once known as the “Hay Capital of the World,” Gilbert has evolved into a sprawling suburban city southeast of Phoenix with a thriving Heritage District downtown. Neighborhoods like Seville, Agritopia, and Morrison Ranch feature walkable town centers, community gardens, and design-forward planning that encourages residents to be outdoors and visible — a passive crime-prevention strategy urban planners call “eyes on the street.”
Gilbert also benefits from being part of a broader safe corridor in the Phoenix metro area: Chandler, Scottsdale, and Surprise all appear in various top-10 safest city lists for 2026.
Cary, North Carolina
Population: ~180,000 · Violent crime rate: ~4th lowest among midsize cities
Located in North Carolina’s Research Triangle — a short drive from Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill — Cary has long been recognized as one of the safest and most livable cities in the southeastern United States. It ranks among the top 10 safest midsize cities according to ConsumerAffairs and appears prominently in MovingWaldo’s quality-of-life analysis.
Cary’s safety profile is reinforced by an educated, affluent population drawn to the region’s technology and biotech employers. The city maintains over 40 miles of greenways, and neighborhoods like Preston, Lochmere, and Amberly feature extensive trail networks, swim clubs, and neighborhood watch programs that create a strong sense of community.
Residents describe Cary as having all the amenities of a larger city — restaurants, bars, cultural venues — while maintaining a safety record that lets families and young professionals feel genuinely at ease.
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Population: ~454,800 · Odds of violent crime: ~1 in 1,083
Virginia Beach is the largest city on this list and one of the safest big cities in the country. It holds the second-lowest violent crime rate of all U.S. cities with populations above 250,000, according to ConsumerAffairs, and appears in the top 10 of SmartAsset’s safety rankings for major metro areas. The city was also recognized as America’s most caring city in 2026.
The 3-mile oceanfront boardwalk is the city’s centerpiece, patrolled by both lifeguards and uniformed safety helpers in yellow who assist visitors with non-emergency issues. Virginia Beach actively prohibits alcohol and glass containers on public beaches and enforces leash laws — small policies that collectively reduce incidents.
Beyond the beach, neighborhoods like Great Neck, Kempsville, and Thalia maintain suburban calm with strong school ratings. Violent crime has been declining steadily in Virginia Beach for decades, a trend the city attributes to sustained investment in community policing and public space design.
McKinney, Texas
Population: ~207,500 · Violent crime rate: ~105 per 100,000 · Property crime rate: ~907 per 100,000
McKinney is the third-largest city in Collin County and one of the fastest-growing cities in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Despite that rapid growth, it consistently ranks among the 10 safest cities nationally in multiple studies, including HomeSnacks, MovingWaldo, and ConsumerAffairs.
The McKinney Police Department runs regular community engagement programs — including Coffee with Cops events and a Citizens Police Academy — that build trust between residents and law enforcement. Neighborhoods like Craig Ranch and Adriatica Village are designed around pedestrian-friendly streetscapes, and the city’s historic downtown square offers a walkable core of restaurants, boutiques, and cultural venues.
McKinney’s crime rate of approximately 22 incidents per 1,000 residents is well below both state and national averages, and the city prioritizes open-government transparency by publishing detailed safety data publicly.
Emerson, New Jersey
Population: ~7,800 · Violent crime rate: Near zero · Property crime rate: Well below national average
Emerson is one of only two New Jersey municipalities to make SafeWise’s top 10 safest cities in the nation for 2026 (the other being nearby Allendale). Located in Bergen County — one of the most affluent counties in the United States — Emerson exemplifies the kind of tight-knit, low-density community where reported crime approaches statistical zero.
Bergen County towns in general dominate safety rankings: New Jersey placed 17 cities on SafeWise’s top 100 list, more than any other state. Emerson’s small size, engaged police force, and residential character create conditions that are difficult for crime to take root. The borough’s proximity to both New York City (about 25 miles south of the George Washington Bridge) and the natural beauty of northern New Jersey’s woodlands makes it attractive to commuters who want genuine peace of mind at home.
What the Safest Neighborhoods Have in Common
Looking across all 10 entries, a few patterns emerge that go beyond simple crime counts:
- Economic stability: Every city on this list has a median household income above the national average. Higher incomes correlate with better-funded schools, stronger civic engagement, and lower property crime.
- Community policing: Cities like Naperville, McKinney, and Carmel all run programs that put officers in direct, non-enforcement contact with residents — coffee meetups, citizen academies, neighborhood walk-throughs.
- Intentional urban design: Carmel’s roundabouts, Gilbert’s walkable town centers, Virginia Beach’s boardwalk patrols — these are deliberate investments in public spaces that encourage visibility and discourage anonymity.
- Suburban scale: Most of the safest communities are suburbs of larger metros. They benefit from proximity to economic engines (Indianapolis, Dallas, Phoenix, Chicago) while maintaining lower population density.
- Consistent data reporting: All of these cities submit complete crime reports to the FBI, which itself signals institutional transparency and accountability.
Rankings Don’t Tell the Whole Story
Crime statistics are one lens — and a valuable one — but they don’t capture everything that makes a neighborhood feel safe. Factors like street lighting, walkability, neighbor relationships, access to green space, and local economic trajectory all contribute to lived safety in ways that FBI data can’t quantify. If you’re considering a move to any of these communities, we strongly recommend visiting in person, walking the streets at different times of day, and talking to current residents before making a decision. A GoodNeighborUSA report can give you the data foundation — but your own two eyes complete the picture.
Sources & Methodology
This article synthesizes findings from the following 2026 safety analyses, all of which rely on FBI crime data from calendar year 2024:
- SafeWise — “100 Safest Cities in the U.S.” (February 2026). Ranks cities by per-capita violent and property crime rates using FBI data. Population threshold: national median (~6,800).
- MoneyGeek — “Safest and Most Dangerous Cities in 2026” (January 2026). Ranks 315 cities (pop. 100,000+) by estimated societal cost of crime per resident, adjusted to 2026 dollars using CPI.
- ConsumerAffairs — Multi-factor safety scores incorporating violent crime, property crime, traffic fatalities, graduation rates, and income equality. Segments by city size (large, midsize, small).
- U.S. News & World Report — “25 Safest Places to Live 2025–2026.” Based on murder and property crime rates per 100,000 across 859 cities.
- WalletHub — “Safest Cities in America 2026.” 41 metrics across home/community safety, natural disaster risk, and financial safety for 182 cities.
Where ranking positions differed across studies, we prioritized cities that appeared in the top tier of multiple independent analyses rather than topping a single list.
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