Safest Counties in America: Top 50 by Crime Rate

Safety is consistently one of the top factors Americans consider when choosing where to live. Whether you are raising a family, retiring, or simply want peace of mind, crime rates matter. We analyzed FBI Uniform Crime Report data for all 3,144 US counties to find the 50 safest places in America.

The safest counties have total crime rates near zero — some reporting fewer than 30 incidents per 100,000 residents annually. For comparison, the national average total crime rate exceeds 2,000 per 100,000. The difference between the safest and most dangerous counties is staggering.

The 50 Safest Counties in America (2026)

These counties have the highest safety scores in our ranking system, filtered to include only counties with active crime reporting. Safety scores use percentile-rank methodology — a score of 94 means the county is safer than 94% of all US counties.

Geographic Patterns: Where Are the Safest Counties?

The safest counties cluster in specific regions. Illinois (8 counties), Nebraska (7 counties), Indiana (6 counties), Florida (4 counties), South Dakota (4 counties) dominate the top 50. Several patterns stand out:

• The Midwest and Plains states lead: Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, and surrounding states contribute the largest share of low-crime counties. Rural Midwestern communities consistently report some of the lowest crime rates in the nation.
• Southern rural counties also rank well: Mississippi and Louisiana have parishes and counties with extremely low crime rates, often in communities with strong social cohesion and low population density.
• Population density is the strongest predictor: Nearly every county on this list has a population under 50,000. Smaller communities have fewer total crime incidents, and per-capita rates reflect that.

The Violent Crime vs. Property Crime Divide

An important nuance in the data: some counties rank as extremely safe because they have virtually zero violent crime, even if property crime is slightly higher. Bronx County, New York leads with a safety score of 94.9 and a total crime rate of just 0.6 per 100,000.

Conversely, some counties with moderate property crime rates still rank well because violent crime — the category that most concerns families — is nearly nonexistent. For most people evaluating relocation, this is the metric that matters most.

How the Safest Counties Compare to the Most Dangerous

The gap between the safest and most dangerous counties is enormous. While the top 50 counties have total crime rates below 100 per 100,000, the most dangerous counties report rates exceeding 10,000 per 100,000 — a 100x difference.

Counties like Osage County, Oklahoma (safety score: 0) sit at the opposite end of the spectrum with total crime rates of 53073.7 per 100,000.

This disparity underscores why safety data should be a critical input in any relocation decision. The difference between the safest and most dangerous county in the same state can be as dramatic as the difference between two different countries.

What Drives Low Crime Rates?

Criminology research consistently identifies several factors that correlate with low county-level crime rates:

• Population density: Rural counties with fewer residents per square mile have fewer opportunities for crime and stronger informal social controls.
• Economic stability: Counties with low poverty rates and stable employment tend to have lower crime. Several top-50 counties have median household incomes above the national average.
• Community cohesion: Smaller communities where residents know each other create natural deterrents to crime through social accountability.
• Age demographics: Counties with older median ages — particularly retirement communities — consistently report lower crime rates than counties with younger populations.

Methodology

Safety scores are calculated using FBI Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data from 2022, the most recent complete reporting year. Violent crime includes murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Property crime includes burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. Rates are per 100,000 residents. Counties are ranked using percentile methodology — a safety score of 94 means the county is safer than 94% of counties nationally. Counties with no FBI crime data available receive a default score and are excluded from this ranking to ensure accuracy.