2020 has been a year of anxiety and insecurity. From a rapidly spreading infectious disease to rising crime rates and high-profile instances of police brutality, Americans are encountering fear at every turn. Not all of our situations are created equal, however. Just by virtue of where we live, we run a greater or lesser risk of harm than our fellow countrymen.
WalletHub recently put out its rankings of the safest and most dangerous cities in America. It didn’t just focus on crime. The researchers also considered financial safety and natural disaster risk for the 182 cities it compared. Among these were the 159 most populous cities in the U.S.
According to WalletHub, the five safest cities in America are:
- Columbia, Maryland
- South Burlington, Vermont
- Plano, Texas
- Nashua, New Hampshire
- Lewiston, Maine
The five safest cities in California are:
- Fremont (#15)
- Irvine (#19)
- Oceanside (#32)
- Chula Vista (#35)
- San Diego (#42)
The least safe cities in America are:
- 182. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- 181. St. Louis, Missouri
- 180. San Bernardino, California
- 179. Birmingham, Alabama
- 178. Detroit, Michigan
Los Angeles, Oakland, and Stockton also ranked near the bottom of the list at #172, #168, and #154 respectively.
View the full rankings with city highlights here.
List and data were compiled by WalletHub and do not reflect statistics on all U.S. or California cities.