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100 Safest Small Towns in America 2021

Security Expert, Safety & Tech Reporter

Published on October 06, 2021

The draw of idealized Normal Rockwell communities may be growing as headlines continue to highlight big crime in big cities across the country. Lucky for us, America is full of small towns that capture that nostalgic feeling—and nearly non-existent crime rates are the cherry on top.

Map of the safest small towns in America

Here are the 10 safest small towns in America for 2021

Note: There’s a five-way tie for number one.

1. Lewisboro Town, New York

1. Luzerne Township, Pennsylvania

1. Sleepy Hollow Village, New York

1. Thetford Township, Michigan

1. Weiser, Idaho

6. Wayland, Massachusetts

7. New Hanover Township, New Jersey

8. Elmira Town, New York

9. Kirkland Town, New York

10. Matawan, New Jersey

See the rest of the safest small towns in America.

In this report

Why small towns?
Life in small-town America
Why do small towns report less crime?
Which small towns reported the most crime?
America’s 100 safest small towns
America’s 10 most dangerous small towns
How we picked the safest small towns

Why focus on small towns?

It might surprise you to learn that most Americans live in small towns. According to the 2020 Census, 63% of Americans live in an incorporated place , and 76% of those places are home to fewer than 5,000 people. In fact, only 4% of all cities in the US have 50,000 or more residents.¹

Throughout the novel coronavirus pandemic, there’s been a lot of buzz about people fleeing the big city for simpler life in a small town. Everything from remote work to spiking violent crime rates in larger locales has been credited with the exodus.

But it turns out the trends we’ve seen during the pandemic started before COVID-19 began holding us hostage. For those who are leaving the bustle behind for bucolic reverie, the sense of safety associated with small-town life may play a factor—but small towns have crime too.

As part of our Safest Cities series, we look at crime rates in cities of all different sizes. On top of our overall 100 Safest Cities in America report, we think it helps to hone in on crime trends in cities of similar sizes. So we report on both major metro areas and smaller towns.

Life in small-town America vs. the big city

It’s easy to conjure an image of life in a small town. Dozens of pop culture references (from Gilmore Girls to The Andy Griffith Show) are burned into our brains, but an unending parade of town festivals and folks relying more on the sheriff than locks to keep their home safe don’t necessarily line up with reality.

Crime in America's small towns vs. big cities

When it comes to the things that impact everyday life—like financial well-being and educational opportunities—how do the small towns that report the fewest crimes stack up against the country’s major metro areas?

Stats comparing the safest small towns to metro cities

Why do small towns report less crime?

On one hand, you could say that small towns experience less of everything—fewer weddings, fewer funerals, fewer high school reunions—but that’s an oversimplification. The fact is that urban areas consistently see more crime than rural areas—three to four times more according to some analyses.²

But can we put our finger on why? Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer. Socioeconomic factors certainly play a role. And, broadly speaking, crime tends to be more rampant when there’s more opportunity for it to occur. In a larger, urban setting, there are more opportunities and fewer familiar eyes on homes, cars, packages, etc.

Conversely, people are more likely to know one another (or they’ll at least know your mom) in a smaller community. Familiarity makes it harder for crime to slide under the radar like it may in a big city with more anonymity.

Are there similarities in towns that report no crime?

The first five cities on our list reported zero incidents of both violent and property crime. That prompted us to ask, “What makes those five small towns similar?” The answer: almost nothing.

Other than meeting our population threshold, these tiny towns don’t have much in common. Here’s a rundown of what we learned:

These 5 cities hail from all across the country—Idaho to New York—although the majority are in the Northeast, which traditionally has the highest concentration of towns with little or no crime reported.
Populations range from 5,300 to over 12,500.
Median household income ranges from around $36,000 per year to over $158,000.
The percentage of residents living below the poverty line ranges from 4% to 22%.
The percentage of residents with a high school diploma ranges from 75% to 91.5%.

Overwhelmingly, when compared to big cities, the 100 towns that made our list have higher numbers when it comes to median household income and the number of high school graduates. Similarly, these smaller towns report a lower percentage of people living below the poverty line.

The safest small towns vs. US averages

The average median household income among the 100 safest small towns is $110,602, 61% higher than the US average of $68,703.³ The average percentage of people with a high school diploma or higher in the safest small towns is 94.3, 3.7% higher than the US average of 90.9%.⁴ Among the safest small towns, an average of 5.5% of the population lives below the poverty line, about half the national average of 10.5%.³

Those numbers could lead us to conclude that more resources correlates to lower crime rates. But those few factors, along with numbers of reported crimes, are still just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to analyzing everything that impacts both the safety and overall quality of life in a community, large or small.

And, as we’ve stated before, small towns still see their share of crime. Big cities have nabbed the most headlines for rising murder rates in 2020, but small towns weren’t immune. During the first nine months of 2020, New York City reported a 40% increase in murders year over year. For that same time period, cities with fewer than 10,000 people saw a 30% jump in homicides, which matches the FBI’s final nationwide estimate for 2020.⁵

But it’s not all bad news. Among the 100 cities on our list this year, there were six murders total, down from nine the previous year—that’s a 33% drop.

Which small towns reported the most crime?

During our analysis, we also noted the small towns that reported the most crimes. To put the stellar records of our 100 safest small towns in perspective, here’s a look at the small towns that reported the most violent crimes and the most property crimes. These cities met our criteria to be considered for ranking, but didn’t land in the top 100.

Violent crime

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Sauk Village, Illinois is the small town that reported the highest number of violent crimes to the FBI in 2019. Here’s what we learned about violent crime in Sauk Village:

The town reported 54.9 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (US 3.7).
Your risk of being a victim of violent crime is 1 in 18.
The total number of violent crimes reported is more than 3 times the number of violent crimes that took place in the 100 safest small towns combined.
Aggravated assault was the most common violent crime reported, with 490 incidents.
Surprisingly, there were over twice as many violent crimes reported compared to the number of property crimes.

Property crime

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Emeryville, California reported the highest number of property crime incidents in 2019(TOOLTIP). Here’s what we learned about property crime in Emeryville.

The town reported 211.9 property crimes per 1,000 incidents (US 21.1).
Your risk of being a victim of property crime is nearly 1 in 5.
Your risk of being a victim of motor vehicle theft is 1 in 109.
Larceny-theft was the most common property crime reported, accounting for 92% of all reported incidents.

A closer look at the safest small towns

Crime in small towns can be surprising. Unlike the safest and most dangerous metros, this year’s safest small towns saw a rise in violent crime year over year. Collectively, we saw a 38% rise in the violent crime rate among our safest small towns this year.

With nearly half of the towns this year making their first appearance on the list, it’s hard to nail down the reason these little burgs saw a rise when both the safest and most dangerous metro cities declined year over year.

The news gets better when we look at property crime. Among the 100 safest small towns, there was a 17% decline in property crimes compared to the cities that made the list last year. This drop mimicked national trends across the board, including among our safest and most dangerous metros.

Interesting findings

5 cities tied for first place with zero crimes reported: Lewisboro Town, New York; Luzerne Township, Pennsylvania; Sleepy Hollow Village, New York; Thetford Township, Michigan: and Weiser, Idaho.
For the second year in a row, the Northeast boasts the most safe small towns. New Jersey leads the pack with 27, followed by New York with 17, Massachusetts with 13, and Pennsylvania with 8.
5 states had only 1 city each on the list: Idaho, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Virginia. But this is an elite ranking—32 states had no cities on the list.
Norwood Borough, New Jersey saw the biggest drop year over year, falling 70 places, from 29 to 99.
Old Tappan, New Jersey made the most impressive jump, climbing 64 spots from 90 to 26 this year.
49 towns made the list for the first time this year.
Raisin Township, Michigan reported the highest violent crime rate among the safest small towns, reporting 0.8 incidents per 1,000 people.
Brookline Town, New Hampshire, reported the highest property crime rate on our list, with 3.8 incidents per 1,000.

America's 100 safest small towns

For the purposes of this report, the terms “safest” and “dangerous” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

*"T-" indicates a tie.

T-1.

Lewisboro Town, New York

(

-0-

)

Population

12,582
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Image Source

lewisborogov.com

T-1.

Luzerne Township, Pennsylvania

(

)

Population

5,896
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Image Source

Wikimedia Commons

T-1.

Sleepy Hollow Village, New York

(

New

)

Population

10,080
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Image Source

sleepyhollowny.gov

T-1.

Thetford Township, Michigan

(

New

)

Population

6,689
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Image Source

Facebook | Thetford Township

T-1.

Weiser, Idaho

(

New

)

Population

5,369
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Image Source

Wayland, Massachusetts

(

-1

)

Population

13,891
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.1
Image Source

Wikimedia Commons

New Hanover Township, New Jersey

(

-4

)

Population

8,123
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.1
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Image Source

Wikimedia Commons

Elmira Town, New York

(

)

Population

5,589
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.4
Image Source

Wikimedia Commons

Kirkland Town, New York

(

-3

)

Population

8,329
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.5
Image Source

Wikimedia Commons

10.

Matawan, New Jersey

(

-2

)

Population

8,716
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.6
Image Source

Wikimedia Commons

11.

Highlands Town, New York

(

-2

)

Population

8,444
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.8
Image Source

Wikimedia Commons

12.

Campton Hills, Illinois

(

)

Population

11,202
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.1
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.6
Image Source

Facebook | Village of Campton Hills

T-13.

Frederick, Colorado

(

New

)

Population

14,238
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

1.0
Image Source

Wikimedia Commons

T-13.

Northport Village, New York

(

+40

)

Population

7,288
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

1.0
Image Source

Wikimedia Commons

15.

Park Ridge, New Jersey

(

+42

)

Population

8,761
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.1
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

1.0
Image Source

Wikimedia Commons

16.

Cornwall Town, New York

(

New

)

Population

9,502
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.2
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.7
Image Source

cornwallny.com

T-17.

Weston, Connecticut

(

+13

)

Population

10,254
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

1.5
Image Source

T-17.

Wenham, Massachusetts

(

New

)

Population

5,295
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

1.5
Image Source

Wikimedia Commons

T-17.

Chester Township, Ohio

(

New

)

Population

10,322
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

1.5
Image Source

chestertwp.com

T-17.

Church Hill, Tennessee

(

New

)

Population

6,671
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

1.5
Image Source

Wikimedia Commons

21.

Spring Arbor Township, Michigan

(

New

)

Population

8,009
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.1
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

1.2
Image Source

Facebook | Spring Arbor Township

22.

Boxford, Massachusetts

(

+37

)

Population

8,352
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.0
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

1.6
Image Source

Wikimedia Commons

23.

Mount Hope Town, New York

(

New

)

Population

6,624
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.2
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.9
Image Source

Facebook | Town of Mount Hope

T-24.

Lapeer Township, Michigan

(

-1

)

Population

5,032
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.2
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

1.2
Image Source

lapeertwp.org

T-24.

Malverne Village, New York

(

+25

)

Population

8,514
Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000)

0.2
Property Crime Rate (per 1,000)

1.2
Image Source

malvernevillage.org

The rest of the top 100 safest small towns

We calculated crime rates for every small town in the country that met our criteria. Out of 2,111 cities, these are the ones that round out the top 100.

2021 Rank	City	State	2020 Rank	Population	VC per 1,000	PC per 1,000
26	Cumberland	ME	51	8,295	0.0	2.0
26	Old Tappan	NJ	90	5,944	0.0	2.0
26	River Vale Township	NJ	37	10,063	0.0	2.0
29	Clinton	MA	Not ranked	13,964	0.3	1.0
30	Grosse Ile Township	MI	Not ranked	10,135	0.1	1.8
31	Norfolk	MA	25	11,992	0.1	1.9
32	Chatham Township	NJ	48	10,219	0.0	2.3
33	Chesterfield Township	NJ	13	7,474	0.4	0.8
34	Inverness	IL	Not ranked	7,442	0.0	2.4
35	Independence Township	NJ	102	5,420	0.4	0.9
36	Groveland	MA	31	6,846	0.3	1.3
37	Washington Township, Bergen County	NJ	46	9,219	0.1	2.1
38	Lone Grove	OK	Not ranked	5,111	0.0	2.5
39	Hawthorn Woods	IL	95	8,651	0.2	1.8
40	Kinnelon	NJ	43	9,984	0.1	2.2
40	Stillwater Town	NY	47	7,300	0.1	2.2
40	Olmsted Township	OH	38	13,432	0.1	2.2
43	New Providence	NJ	Not ranked	13,592	0.0	2.6
44	Mendham Township	NJ	20	5,700	0.2	1.9
45	Sagamore Hills	OH	33	10,934	0.0	2.7
46	Upper Providence Township, Delaware County	PA	60	10,437	0.2	2.0
47	Dover	MA	12	6,118	0.2	2.1
48	Andover Township	NJ	69	5,870	0.0	2.9
48	Millcreek Township, Lebanon County	PA	78	5,783	0.0	2.9
50	Mukwonago Town	WI	36	8,167	0.6	0.6
51	Plattekill Town	NY	44	10,160	0.2	2.2
52	Oconomowoc Town	WI	11	8,741	0.3	1.9
53	Whitestown Town	NY	73	9,096	0.0	3.1
54	Merrimac	MA	Not ranked	7001	0.3	2.1
55	Russell Township	OH	7	5,219	0.2	2.5
56	Holland Township	NJ	Not ranked	5,081	0.4	1.8
56	East Brandywine Township	PA	Not ranked	9,123	0.4	1.8
58	Clinton Township	NJ	75	12,801	0.2	2.6
58	Oradell	NJ	Not ranked	8,181	0.2	2.6
60	Montvale	NJ	27	8,657	0.1	3.0
60	Shawangunk Town	NY	Not ranked	13,853	0.1	3.0
62	Medway	MA	Not ranked	13,405	0.4	2.0
62	Kent Town	NY	72	13,235	0.4	2.0
64	Grafton	OH	Not ranked	5,808	0.3	2.4
65	Sabattus	ME	93	5,064	0.2	2.8
65	Fair Haven	NJ	Not ranked	5,784	0.2	2.8
67	Hamilton	MA	89	8,075	0.1	3.2
68	Huntington Woods	MI	Not ranked	6,321	0.0	3.6
68	Briarcliff Manor Village	NY	15	8,267	0.0	3.6
70	Spring Township, Centre County	PA	67	7,944	0.4	2.1
70	West Cocalico Township	PA	Not ranked	7,446	0.4	2.1
72	Bridgewater	VA	Not ranked	6,167	0.0	3.7
72	Waterford Town	WI	Not ranked	6,505	0.0	3.7
74	Nottingham	NH	Not ranked	5,149	0.6	1.4
75	Springfield Township	MI	Not ranked	14,554	0.3	2.6
75	New Boston	NH	Not ranked	5,856	0.3	2.6
77	Butler	NJ	Not ranked	7,613	0.1	3.4
77	Hardyston Township	NJ	Not ranked	7,760	0.1	3.4
79	Brookline	NH	Not ranked	5,461	0.0	3.8
80	West Vincent Township	PA	Not ranked	5,887	0.3	2.7
81	Goshen Town	NY	Not ranked	8,798	0.2	3.1
81	Waterford Town and Village	NY	Not ranked	8,574	0.2	3.1
83	Orland Hills	IL	Not ranked	7,066	0.1	3.5
83	Robbinsville Township	NJ	98	14,635	0.1	3.5
83	Dallas Township	PA	Not ranked	9,354	0.1	3.5
86	Raisin Township	MI	100	7,760	0.8	0.8
87	Sterling	MA	Not ranked	8,175	0.5	2.0
87	Olmsted Falls	OH	26	8861	0.5	2.0
89	North Hanover Township	NJ	Not ranked	7,476	0.4	2.4
90	Lebanon Township	NJ	Not ranked	6,061	0.3	2.8
91	Cresskill	NJ	Not ranked	8,761	0.2	3.2
92	Milliken	CO	Not ranked	7,978	0.1	3.6
93	Stow	MA	Not ranked	7,234	0.6	1.7
93	Oak Hill	WV	Not ranked	8,140	0.6	1.7
95	Glocester	RI	Not ranked	10,281	0.4	2.5
96	Lindenhurst	IL	Not ranked	14,296	0.3	2.9
96	Southborough	MA	Not ranked	10,140	0.3	2.9
96	Wanaque	NJ	Not ranked	11,772	0.3	2.9
99	Norwood	NJ	29	5,816	0.2	3.3
99	Upper Saddle River	NJ	42	8,245	0.2	3.3

America's 10 most dangerous small towns

2021 Rank	City	State	2020 Rank	Population	VC per 1,000	PC per 1,000
1	Emeryville	CA	1	12,380	13.4	211.9
2	Sauk Village	IL	Not ranked	10,319	55.0	22.0
3	Glendale	CO	3	5,289	9.5	177.0
4	Florida City	FL	4	12,180	26.2	72.7
5	Ocean City	MD	6	6,905	13.2	104.3
6	Marksville	LA	8	5,369	22.2	62.0
7	Osceola	AR	10	6,653	25.9	47.5
8	Hartsville	SC	Not ranked	7,524	14.4	88.8
9	Darlington	SC	Not ranked	5,886	14.8	85.8
10	Globe	AZ	5	7,323	18.3	71.7

How we picked the safest small towns in America

We examined FBI crime report data and population information for 2019 (the most recent year for which complete data was available).

We excluded towns with populations below 5,000 and above 15,000. Cities outside those population parameters and those that failed to report complete crime data to the FBI were excluded.

To rank each city or town, 50% of the score was determined by the number of violent crimes per 1,000, and 50% of the score was determined by the number of property crimes per 1,000.

Each measurement was normalized on a 0–1 scale with 1 corresponding to the measurement that would most positively affect the final score. These adjusted measurements were then added together with the weights mentioned above to get a score of 100.

Although it didn’t impact rankings, we also examined poverty rates, median income, and education attainment. This data was used to provide additional insight into any trends or patterns that may correlate to why some cities or states may be more likely to report lower crime numbers than others. For more safe city data, check out our list of the 100 Safest Cities in America, and watch for our ranking of the safest (and most dangerous) metro areas—coming soon. Get all the details about how we rank the safest cities in our full methodology.

How to make a safe home anywhere

Whether your city made our list or not, we recommend being proactive about protecting your home and family. One of the best ways to stop a burglary before it happens is to add a home security system.

We have home security options for nearly every budget, including self-monitored systems with no monthly fees and professionally monitored systems starting as low as $10 per month.

To learn more about your home security options, check out our picks for Best Home Security Systems.

Check out our other safest cities reports

Sources

US Census Bureau, Toukabri and Medina. “Latest City and Town Population Estimates of the Decade Show Three-Fourths of the Nation’s Incorporated Places Have Fewer Than 5,000 People,” May 21, 2020. Accessed October 6, 2021.
Law Library, American Law and Legal Information, “Urban Crime: Are Crime Rates Higher In Urban Areas?,” Accessed October 6, 2021
US Census Bureau, Semega, Kollar, Shrider, and Creamer. “Income and Poverty in the United States: 2019,” September 15, 2020. Accessed October 6, 2021.
US Census Bureau, “Percent of Population Age 25 and over by Educational Attainment: 1940–2020,” Accessed October 6, 2021.
FBI, “FBI Releases 2020 Crime Statistics,” September 27, 2021. Accessed October 6, 2021.

Written by

Rebecca Edwards

Rebecca is the lead safety reporter and in-house expert for SafeWise.com. She has been a journalist and blogger for over 25 years, with a focus on home and community safety for the past eight. Rebecca spends dozens of hours every month poring over crime reports and spotting trends. Her safety expertise is sought after by publications, broadcast journalists, non-profit organizations, podcasts, and more. You can find her expert advice and analysis in places like TechCrunch, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Miami Herald, NPR, HGTV, MSN, Reader's Digest, Real Simple, and an ever-growing library of radio and TV clips.