Worried about your house being broken into? It turns out that cities like Detroit, New York and Los Angeles aren’t the riskiest spots in the country for burglary. The communities that see the greatest rate of property crime are cities you might never expect.
As part of its overview of home safety systems, the website Reviews.org analyzed 2016 FBI data on burglaries and larcenies. They excluded any city with fewer than 100,000 residents as well as motor vehicle-related crime. Then, they broke down the results into the top 10 cities with the least property crime and the top 10 cities with the most property crime.
Let’s start by looking at the 10 cities found to have the lowest rates of property crime, according to the Reviews.org findings:
10. Santa Clarita, California
Population: 219,611
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 11.8
If you pick the right city, California can be a very safe place to live — at least as far as property crime goes. Santa Clarita, located north of Los Angeles, is the first of several cities from the state with a low property crime rate. It ranks 10th lowest for this risk, according to the Reviews.org report.
9. Simi Valley, California
Population: 127,252
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 11.48
Being a safe community isn’t Simi Valley’s only claim to fame. The city, located about 30 miles from Los Angeles, is home to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, which also serves as the final resting place for the nation’s 40th president.
8. Rialto, California
Population: 103,893
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 11.15
Rialto is the last of the California communities on this list. The city, which is east of Los Angeles, had only 11.15 incidents of property crime for every 1,000 residents in 2016.
7. Allen, Texas
Population: 101,020
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 10.79
Allen is a northern suburb of Dallas and an apparently safe place to hang your hat. Property crime reports show a rate of only 10.79 incidents per 1,000 residents there in 2016.
6. Sterling Heights, Michigan
Population: 132,523
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 10.55
Found in affluent Macomb County, Sterling Heights is a suburb of Detroit. It ranks sixth on the list of cities with the lowest rates of property crime.
5. Naperville, Illinois
Population: 148,070
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 10.41
Naperville is another city with a low property crime rate. The suburb of Chicago is home to 148,070 residents and in 2016 had a rate of only 10.41 property crimes for every 1,000 people.
4. Edison Township, New Jersey
Population: 102,679
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 9.83
Yes, the Township of Edison is named in honor of Thomas Edison, the inventor who gave us lightbulbs, phonographs and so much more. Today, the community is home to 102,679 people who can feel snug in their beds at night knowing they live in a place with the fourth-lowest rate of property crime in the country.
3. Cary, North Carolina
Population: 164,835
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 9.69
You’ll find Cary just outside the North Carolina capital of Raleigh. Known formally as the Town of Cary, this affluent community prides itself on being progressive and well-educated.
2. Yonkers, New York
Population: 202,075
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 9.6
Yonkers sits north of New York City alongside the Hudson River and features a mix of housing that includes luxury apartments and historic homes. Wherever they live, residents can rest assured that they are in one of the safest places in the country, as far as property crime is concerned.
1. Lakewood Township, New Jersey
Population: 100,269
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 9.09
The Township of Lakewood just barely meets the population size criteria used by Reviews.org. With 100,269 people calling it home, it takes the crown as the community with the lowest rate of property crime in the country.
On the other hand, here are the 10 communities that scored worst in the country for property crime — again, among cities with a population of at least 100,000 — starting with the least bad:
10. Tallahassee, Florida
Population: 191,564
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 52.07
The weather might always be sunny in Florida, but that doesn’t mean everything is paradise. With 52.07 property crimes per 1,000 residents, Tallahassee has the tenth-highest rate of property crime in the country.
9. Tacoma, Washington
Population: 209,914
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 53.02
Residents in Tacoma, Washington, aren’t doing much better than those in Tallahassee. Reviews.org theorizes that property crime rates may be higher in smaller cities because they have fewer high-rise apartment buildings than big cities, and a single-family home may be easier to break into than an apartment on an upper level.
8. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Population: 181,218
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 53.59
Fort Lauderdale is another Florida city with a high crime rate. The city had a rate of 53.59 property crimes per 1,000 residents in 2016.
7. Albuquerque, New Mexico
Population: 561,560
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 54.88
Some bigger cities do have big property crime rates. Albuquerque’s 561,560 residents have to contend with a property crime rate of 54.88 instances per 1,000 residents.
6. Tucson, Arizona
Population: 533,663
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 54.95
Tucson is another big city that lands in the top 10 for its high property crime rate. The city has more than a half-million residents, and there were 54.95 instances of property crime for every 1,000 residents in 2016.
5. Pueblo, Colorado
Population: 109,927
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 57.33
The historic city of Pueblo has many things going for it — cultural attractions, outdoor recreation and a historic river walk, to name a few. However, its property crime rate means that when you leave your house to enjoy the city, you should be sure your alarm system is engaged.
4. Little Rock, Arkansas
Population: 198,800
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 63.23
Most of the cities with high property crime rates aren’t necessarily prone to violent crime. However, Little Rock is the exception. Reviews.org says its analysis found the Arkansas capital would be a contender for a spot on a top 10 list of violent crime as well.
3. Spokane, Washington
Population: 214,028
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 67.58
Located near the eastern border of Washington state, Spokane had a rate of 67.58 property crimes for every 1,000 residents in 2016.
2. Springfield, Missouri
Population: 168,307
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 74.88
So much for the stereotype of Midwest towns as safe, sleepy places. In Springfield, Missouri, the property crime rate is more than eight times higher than of the city with the lowest property crime rate.
1. Salt Lake City, Utah
Population: 193,918
Property crimes per 1,000 people: 75.4
Can you believe it? Salt Lake City, capital of Utah and home of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (aka the Mormon Church), has the highest property crime rate in the country according to Reviews.org. There were 75.4 property crimes per 1,000 residents in 2016.
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