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Wallet Hub releases list of safest largest cities in America

Posted on December 3, 2018December 3, 2018 By Ray Hanania No Comments on Wallet Hub releases list of safest largest cities in America
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Wallet Hub releases list of safest largest cities in America

Illinois cities and suburbs barely make this year’s list, but among the safest are Aurora at 13 and Chicago at 133. The Wallet Hub study compares the largest cities in each state based on a range of criteria including number of law enforcement, assaults, hate crimes, unemployment and traffic fatalities

Wallet Hub, the financial services firm which analyzes data across America, released its list of the safest largest cities in America based on a wide range of criteria. Aurora makes the list ranking at 13 while Chicago ranks at the bottom at 133. Many smaller and mid sized cities and communities are not included.

With fears of falling victim to cybercrime, identity theft and home burglaries topping the list of crime worries among Americans, according to the most recent Gallup polls, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2018’s Safest Cities in America as well as accompanying videos.

To determine where Americans can feel most protected against life’s hazards, including nonphysical forms of danger, WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 39 key metrics. The data set ranges from assaults per capita to unemployment rate to road quality.

Wallet Hub map of safest cities in American 2018
Wallet Hub map of safest cities in American 2018, least to best

Safety in Chicago (1=Safest, 91=Avg.):

  • 21st – Traffic Fatalities per Capita
  • 1st – Law-Enforcement Employees per Capita
  • 141st – Assaults per Capita
  • 78th – Hate Crimes per Capita
  • 148th – Unemployment Rate
  • 52nd – % of Households with Emergency Savings
  • 123rd – % of Uninsured Population
  • 79th – Natural-Disaster Risk Level

For the full report, please click here.

Here is an interactive map showing the cities included with a link to their information:

Source: WalletHub

People encounter hazards every day, some serious, others rare and innocuous. But we fear certain kinds more than others. According to Gallup, four in 10 Americans “fear being a victim of a mass shooting,” while 24 percent of U.S. adults are concerned about terrorism. Many also worry about falling victim to hate crimes or sexual assault. The list goes on, and these sentiments often are expressed in response to recent headlines.

But people can feel unsafe in other ways, too. Besides the types of hazards that can cause bodily injury or other physical harm, taking out an unaffordable second mortgage, forgoing health insurance or even visiting unsecured websites are also ways people run into danger. At the top of the list of worries is cybercrime, which 71 percent of Americans worry about.

No one can avoid all danger, however, and we take on a certain level of risk based on where we choose to live. Some cities are simply better at protecting their residents from harm. To determine where Americans can feel most secure — in more than one sense — WalletHub compared more than 180 cities across 39 key indicators of safety. Our data set ranges from assaults per capita to unemployment rate to road quality. Read on for our findings, a detailed description of our methodology and a Q&A with safety experts for additional insight.Safest Cities in the U.S.

Overall Rank
(1 = Safest)
City Total Score ‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank ‘Natural-Disaster Risk’ Rank ‘Financial Safety’ Rank
1 Columbia, MD 85.98 4 63 34
2 South Burlington, VT 84.94 15 36 10
3 Plano, TX 84.11 1 113 41
4 Virginia Beach, VA 83.67 9 44 22
5 Warwick, RI 83.46 11 22 51
6 Gilbert, AZ 83.31 8 14 48
7 Yonkers, NY 83.28 2 39 121
8 Bismarck, ND 82.66 24 64 52
9 Nashua, NH 82.37 23 27 53
10 Boise, ID 82.15 30 71 1
11 Brownsville, TX 82.09 22 2 131
12 Chandler, AZ 81.79 27 8 44
13 Aurora, IL 81.75 3 91 150
14 Chesapeake, VA 81.71 19 69 39
15 Scottsdale, AZ 81.64 26 53 33
16 Burlington, VT 81.61 43 37 27
17 Lewiston, ME 81.54 67 12 6
18 Fargo, ND 81.33 32 77 29
19 Salem, OR 81.02 40 70 25
20 Worcester, MA 80.77 31 17 58
21 Laredo, TX 80.59 47 24 60
22 Peoria, AZ 80.38 36 26 64
23 Portland, ME 80.32 68 11 13
24 Cape Coral, FL 80.19 6 111 155
25 Casper, WY 79.95 41 20 137
26 Vancouver, WA 79.87 54 87 12
27 Winston-Salem, NC 79.82 38 40 117
28 Raleigh, NC 79.69 64 55 40
29 Pembroke Pines, FL 79.44 21 48 153
30 Irvine, CA 79.34 5 150 83
31 Madison, WI 79.27 62 89 4
32 Durham, NC 79.25 57 42 59
33 Fremont, CA 79.22 14 157 15
34 Jersey City, NJ 79.13 16 84 147
35 Tempe, AZ 79.12 51 9 89
36 Cedar Rapids, IA 78.99 46 101 55
37 Sioux Falls, SD 78.95 49 103 30
38 El Paso, TX 78.79 34 74 140
39 Chula Vista, CA 78.77 17 132 65
40 Mesa, AZ 78.77 50 18 90
41 Grand Prairie, TX 78.70 20 112 116
42 Lincoln, NE 78.69 60 105 36
43 Augusta, GA 78.49 66 61 127
44 Glendale, CA 78.22 7 151 101
45 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 78.14 12 159 57
46 Buffalo, NY 77.97 71 5 86
47 Glendale, AZ 77.97 56 13 119
48 Grand Rapids, MI 77.95 75 7 76
49 Newport News, VA 77.87 73 21 70
50 Spokane, WA 77.79 86 19 38
51 Irving, TX 77.77 28 125 85
52 Las Cruces, NM 77.66 70 66 158
53 Manchester, NH 77.56 90 30 49
54 Charlotte, NC 77.46 69 57 75
55 Fort Wayne, IN 77.14 77 59 96
56 San Diego, CA 77.11 45 130 42
57 Henderson, NV 77.06 44 95 128
58 Tallahassee, FL 76.94 82 28 105
59 Nampa, ID 76.93 88 49 81
60 Santa Rosa, CA 76.88 48 153 11
61 Huntington Beach, CA 76.87 18 170 67
62 Providence, RI 76.82 83 10 99
63 Omaha, NE 76.66 65 107 47
64 Norfolk, VA 76.62 76 81 68
65 Billings, MT 76.53 102 58 37
66 Juneau, AK 76.51 128 50 9
67 Richmond, VA 76.42 87 75 110
68 Cheyenne, WY 76.39 78 97 114
69 Corpus Christi, TX 76.39 91 3 109
70 Arlington, TX 76.29 39 122 124
71 Pearl City, HI 76.22 10 N/A 16
72 Rochester, NY 76.12 84 4 142
73 Greensboro, NC 76.05 89 33 115
74 Oceanside, CA 75.71 55 144 45
75 Hialeah, FL 75.65 13 128 176
76 Dover, DE 75.51 116 1 148
77 Gulfport, MS 75.21 103 56 134
78 Salt Lake City, UT 75.11 97 116 14
79 New Haven, CT 74.98 106 6 132
80 Bridgeport, CT 74.96 85 16 170
81 Fort Smith, AR 74.71 105 94 78
82 Moreno Valley, CA 74.68 25 166 146
83 Santa Clarita, CA 74.55 29 168 136
84 Garden Grove, CA 74.51 35 171 100
85 Rapid City, SD 74.49 99 129 26
86 Des Moines, IA 74.46 63 143 73
87 Nashville, TN 74.46 108 115 19
88 Fontana, CA 74.33 37 163 118
89 San Jose, CA 74.31 81 169 7
90 Ontario, CA 74.20 53 156 92
91 Overland Park, KS 74.18 112 121 8
92 Missoula, MT 74.00 114 108 80
93 St. Paul, MN 73.77 42 N/A 18
94 Fayetteville, NC 73.66 107 51 156
95 Columbia, SC 73.62 94 83 151
96 Honolulu, HI 73.61 52 N/A 5
T-97 Tampa, FL 73.45 92 92 138
T-97 Oxnard, CA 73.45 58 148 139
99 Anaheim, CA 73.09 59 154 112
100 Minneapolis, MN 72.96 113 131 21
101 San Antonio, TX 72.93 111 73 126
102 Fort Worth, TX 72.90 79 134 144
103 Portland, OR 72.66 138 86 3
104 Riverside, CA 72.47 72 164 107
105 Aurora, CO 72.46 98 133 62
106 Boston, MA 72.43 143 35 17
107 New York, NY 72.38 131 34 71
108 Port St. Lucie, FL 72.34 33 N/A 94
109 Columbus, GA 72.33 117 38 167
110 Reno, NV 72.30 104 158 23
111 Jacksonville, FL 72.27 127 62 104
112 Montgomery, AL 72.26 95 93 178
113 Huntsville, AL 72.05 93 142 106
114 Tacoma, WA 72.01 101 145 46
115 Louisville, KY 71.97 118 106 72
116 Sacramento, CA 71.91 109 119 93
117 Long Beach, CA 71.80 80 152 120
118 Fresno, CA 71.61 115 117 113
119 Santa Ana, CA 71.34 74 167 145
120 Phoenix, AZ 71.06 136 25 111
121 North Las Vegas, NV 71.02 100 99 172
122 West Valley City, UT 70.82 61 N/A 31
123 Austin, TX 70.39 142 98 35
124 Houston, TX 70.35 119 102 154
125 Atlanta, GA 70.34 121 82 159
126 Modesto, CA 70.31 126 135 54
127 Amarillo, TX 70.28 120 162 66
128 Toledo, OH 70.26 129 60 171
129 Mobile, AL 70.25 135 43 168
130 Tulsa, OK 70.19 124 120 84
131 Miami, FL 70.05 96 118 177
132 Milwaukee, WI 69.69 140 52 123
133 Chicago, IL 69.41 123 79 174
134 Indianapolis, IN 68.73 134 124 108
135 Springfield, MO 68.41 141 127 79
136 Huntington, WV 68.39 159 47 50
137 Charleston, WV 68.24 158 45 69
138 Akron, OH 68.12 146 68 166
139 Colorado Springs, CO 68.12 149 126 24
140 Charleston, SC 68.10 137 165 63
141 Shreveport, LA 68.07 139 100 163
142 Anchorage, AK 67.93 132 161 103
143 Seattle, WA 67.80 151 141 2
144 Garland, TX 67.66 150 110 102
145 Lubbock, TX 67.64 176 114 32
146 Cincinnati, OH 67.64 148 76 133
147 Newark, NJ 67.51 130 29 182
148 Albuquerque, NM 67.28 147 88 143
149 Pittsburgh, PA 67.06 152 72 77
150 Bakersfield, CA 67.06 125 146 165
151 Stockton, CA 66.99 144 140 98
152 San Francisco, CA 66.59 153 123 20
153 Birmingham, AL 66.43 122 136 180
154 Oakland, CA 66.19 145 155 82
155 Washington, DC 65.47 166 80 61
156 Baltimore, MD 65.08 155 67 149
157 Tucson, AZ 64.89 172 65 91
158 Chattanooga, TN 64.84 164 109 56
159 Columbus, OH 64.81 169 46 87
160 Denver, CO 64.74 154 139 43
161 Dallas, TX 64.64 157 104 125
162 Wilmington, DE 64.63 168 23 164
163 Knoxville, TN 64.28 171 78 88
164 Orlando, FL 63.92 175 32 74
165 Kansas City, MO 63.63 156 138 95
166 Lexington-Fayette, KY 62.94 133 N/A 28
167 St. Petersburg, FL 62.69 110 N/A 122
168 Las Vegas, NV 62.54 167 96 152
169 Cleveland, OH 62.39 162 54 179
170 New Orleans, LA 61.81 174 31 162
171 Philadelphia, PA 61.61 177 15 157
172 Memphis, TN 61.38 173 85 173
173 Jackson, MS 61.30 161 137 175
174 Los Angeles, CA 60.79 165 149 130
175 Wichita, KS 60.39 163 172 129
176 Oklahoma City, OK 57.73 160 173 97
177 Detroit, MI 57.42 180 41 181
178 Little Rock, AR 56.63 179 147 141
179 Baton Rouge, LA 56.39 182 90 135
180 San Bernardino, CA 55.50 181 160 161
181 Fort Lauderdale, FL 47.88 170 N/A 169
182 St. Louis, MO 44.47 178 N/A 160

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Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.  

His award winning columns can be found at www.HANANIA.COM Subscribe FREE today

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].

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