A new study has revealed America’s safest and most dangerous cities for 2026, ranking communities based on 41 key indicators of safety.
“When people think about safety in a city, their minds probably immediately go to things like the crime rate, auto fatality rate or risk of natural disasters,” said Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst. “The safest cities in America protect residents from these threats of bodily harm and property damage, but on top of that, they also help secure people’s financial safety. Financial safety includes things like minimizing the risk of fraud and identity theft, keeping the population employed and insured, and combating homelessness.”
To find the cities where Americans can feel most secure, WalletHub evaluated more than 180 cities – including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state – across important safety indicators. The dataset covered three key dimensions: home and community safety, natural disaster risk, and financial safety. These dimensions included metrics such as assaults, thefts, traffic deaths, and the number of law enforcement officers, firefighters, and paramedics per capita; unemployment and poverty rates; and the proportion of citizens without health insurance.
Using that data, Wallethub determined that the top five safest cities in America are Juneau, Alaska; Warwick, Rhode Island; Overland Park, Kansas; Burlington, Vermont; and South Burlington, Vermont.
Vermont’s appearance on the list isn’t surprising, since it ranked first in a previous study of the safest states in America.
Why did each city rank so well?
According to the study, Juneau has the lowest homicide and pedestrian mortality rates, which contribute to its ranking as the safest city. Additionally, it has the 62nd-lowest theft rate, and the city has reported no terrorist attacks or related incidents over the previous ten years.
Residents in Juneau are also relatively safe from natural disasters and extreme weather. The city has the seventh-lowest wildfire risk, the second-lowest tornado risk, and the second-lowest flood risk. The city also has the 20th-highest annual employment growth and the 21st-lowest percentage of people living below the poverty line.
Warwick, Rhode Island, has the lowest number of homicides and the fourth-lowest per-capita rate of aggravated assaults, making it the second-safest city. Additionally, residents may be less concerned about both violent and non-violent crime because it has the sixth-lowest per-capita theft rate.
In addition, Warwick boasts the fourth-lowest number of citizens without health insurance, the tenth-lowest percentage of people living in poverty, the third-lowest risk of hail, the ninth-lowest risk of wildfires, the 24th-lowest risk of tornadoes, and the 38th-lowest risk of earthquakes.
Thanks in part to its safe highways, Overland Park, Kansas, ranks as the third-safest city in 2026. It has the 21st-lowest percentage of uninsured drivers and the 19th-lowest rate of pedestrian fatalities nationwide. The city also has the 15th-lowest rate of road fatalities.
Additionally, Overland Park has the fourth-highest median credit score, the third-lowest poverty rate, and the 14th-lowest unemployment rate in the nation.
The other cities to make the list of safest in America were Virginia Beach, Virginia; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Casper, Wyoming; Boise, Idaho (the best state to live in); and Yonkers, New York.
Portland, Maine; Madison, Wisconsin; Honolulu, Hawaii (the happiest state in America); Fremont, California; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Fargo, North Dakota; Missoula, Montana; Bismarck, North Dakota; Columbia, Maryland; and Salem, Oregon, rounded out the top twenty.
The most dangerous cities in America
On the negative side of the study, Louisiana is the home to the two most dangerous cities in America, according to the study. Louisiana also ranked 49th on a recent study of the happiest states in America.)
New Orleans ranks dead last due to ranking 182nd out of 182 for home and community safety, 104th for natural disaster risk, and 172nd in financial safety. Baton Rouge ranked 181st overall out of 182 cities because of its 181st ranking for home and community safety, 130th in natural disaster risk, and 144th in financial safety.
Baltimore, Maryland, was next on the list, mostly due to ranking 180th in home and community safety and 174th in financial safety. It was followed by Memphis, Tennessee, which ranked 179th in home and community safety, and 181st in financial safety.
Rounding out the bottom 10 cities on the most dangerous list were Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Detroit, Michigan; Jacksonville, Florida; Houston, Texas; Cleveland, Ohio; and St. Louis, Missouri.
In addition to Louisiana, Florida, Texas, and Tennessee also each had two cities in the bottom twenty, as Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Richmond, Virginia; Little Rock, Arkansas; Atlanta, Georgia; Los Angeles, California; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Washington, DC; Nashville, Tennessee; and Chicago, Illinois, all ranked at the bottom for safety.
Philadelphia, Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, Detroit, and Dallas all also ranked among the worst in a study of the most rat-infested cities.