Safest Counties

Public safety is a foundational quality-of-life factor — it affects property values, insurance rates, business investment, and daily peace of mind. Our safety score ranks counties using FBI Uniform Crime Report data and County Health Rankings safety metrics, incorporating both violent crime and property crime rates per capita. Rural and suburban counties consistently outperform urban areas, but the gap narrows significantly when controlling for population density. The safest counties in America tend to share common characteristics: strong community ties, stable economies, and effective local law enforcement. Many are in the upper Midwest, New England, and Mountain West regions. Notably, some counties near major cities achieve excellent safety scores despite their proximity to higher-crime urban cores — demonstrating that safety outcomes are hyper-local. For relocators, these rankings provide a data-driven starting point, though we recommend supplementing with local crime mapping for neighborhood-level detail.