The Safest Small Cities in America in 2019 - Weston Ranks #2

With all those wide-open spaces, speedy commutes, and low crime rates, it’s not hard to see why many choose the small-city life.

But just how safe are small cities, really? And which US cities are the safest? The safety experts at Frontpoint wanted to find out. Their data analysts researched property crime data from the 2017 FBI UCR report to determine the top 50 safest small cities in America.

The US Census Bureau defines an urbanized area as a city plus its surrounding area, or “urban fringe,” that has a population of at least 50,000. So in seeking data for “small cities,” the Frontpoint team focused on urbanized areas that had a 2017 population between 50,000 and 75,000, and accurately submitted their crime data. They then ranked cities by total property crime counts per capita—including burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. Here’s what they found.

The City of Weston stacks up as #2. Here are the tops five places.

1. Rochester Hills, Michigan: As one of the larger cities on our list at 73,827 residents, Rochester Hills still ranks #1 with 471 total property crime instances reported in 2017. That’s just 6.38 property crimes per 1,000 residents.
2. Weston, Florida: Nestled between the lush marshlands of the Everglades and tropical white sandy beaches, Weston is beautiful and safe. With a population of 70,796, this Florida city had 456 reported property crimes in 2017.
3. Sammamish, Washington: Sammamish boasts the fewest larceny-thefts per capita at 4.81 per 1,000 residents in 2017. This lakeside community also had a population of 64,857 and 6.81 instances of property crime per capita.
4. Greenwich, Connecticut: Greenwich is the largest town on Connecticut’s Gold Coast, with a population of 62,531. Framing the banks of the Long Island Sound, Greenwich had just 1.39 burglaries per 1,000 residents in 2017.
5. Aliso Viejo, California: Aliso Viejo had the lowest population of our top 10 list at 51,984 residents. Just 15 minutes from the Pacific Ocean, this SoCal city is just about as safe as it is quaint