10 Safest Small Cities In The United States [2025]

There’s a common denominator that all safe small cities have.

They are the places where people sleep safer at night, where shootings and beatings don’t dominate the local news. The best small towns in America to raise kids, and awesome places to retire.

Because if crime is really low, everyone wants to be there.

The small cities below all share those qualities. There might be some surprises on this list, but when you look at the unbiased data with Saturday Night Science, it’s hard to argue against.

Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

The 10 Safest Small Cities In America For 2025

Campton Hills, IL
Bellefonte, PA
Montevideo, MN
Matawan, NJ
Pingree Grove, IL
Hawthorn Woods, IL
Cicero, IN
Mount Horeb, WI
Broadview Heights, OH
Western Springs, IL

We understand there’s a lot of good in every place. However, according to data (which doesn’t measure things like beauty, ‘friendly people’ and community involvement), there aren’t safer options in America for making a place home.

The most dangerous small town to live in America? Lumberton, NC. More on that later.

Check out more about America here:

The 10 Safest Small Cities To Live In America For 2025

1. Campton Hills, IL

Campton Hills Location In Illinois

Source: Wikipedia User Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois | CC BY-SA 2.0

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 10,724
Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Murders: 0
More on Campton Hills: Data

2. Bellefonte, PA

Bellefonte Location In Pennsylvania

Source: Flickr User jmd41280 | CC BY-ND 2.0

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 6,022
Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Murders: 0
More on Bellefonte: Data

3. Montevideo, MN

Source: Wikipedia User McGhiever | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 5,303
Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Murders: 0
More on Montevideo: Data

4. Matawan, NJ

Matawan Location In New Jersey

Source: Wikipedia User Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD | CC BY-SA 4.0

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 9,636
Crime Per Capita: 0.0001
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0001
Murders: 0
More on Matawan: Data

5. Pingree Grove, IL

Pingree Grove Location In Illinois

Source: Public domain

Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 10,576
Crime Per Capita: 0.0009
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0009
Murders: 0
More on Pingree Grove: Data

6. Hawthorn Woods, IL

Hawthorn Woods Location In Illinois

Source: Flickr User Peg Syverson | CC BY 2.0

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 9,145
Crime Per Capita: 0.0011
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0011
Murders: 0
More on Hawthorn Woods: Data

7. Cicero, IN

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,441
Crime Per Capita: 0.0011
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0011
Murders: 0
More on Cicero: Data

8. Mount Horeb, WI

Mount Horeb Location In Wisconsin

Source: Wikipedia User Jaknelaps | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 7,719
Crime Per Capita: 0.0016
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0001
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0014
Murders: 0
More on Mount Horeb: Data

9. Broadview Heights, OH

Broadview Heights Location In Ohio

Source: Wikipedia User Highvolt | GFDL

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 19,768
Crime Per Capita: 0.001
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0002
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0008
Murders: 0
More on Broadview Heights: Data

10. Western Springs, IL

Western Springs Location In Illinois

Source: Wikipedia User MrHarman | GFDL

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 13,353
Crime Per Capita: 0.0027
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0001
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0026
Murders: 0
More on Western Springs: Data

Review Of Western Springs by HomeSnacks User

Their is no crime in that town and the neighborhood is nice. Their are a lot of things to do in that town and have a nice ice cream shop called Oberweis Dairy. Their are also Metra trains their too.

Spring Rock Park is a nice park with baseball fields and a hockey rink. Oberweis Dairy has good ice cream.

Review Western Springs

How We Determined The Safest Small Cities In The US

To rank the safest small towns in America, we turned to Saturday Night Science to research FBI crime data.

We defined a “small city” as a population under 50,000 and over 5,000. And then we measured the following two criteria for each of these 2,478 US cities:

Violent Crime Per Capita
Property Crime Per Capita

We ranked each city on both criteria and averaged the rankings together to create a “Crime Index.” The city with the lowest Crime Index, Campton Hills, was named the safest small city in the United States.

We updated this report for 2025. This report is our tenth time ranking the safest small cities in America.

These Are The 10 Cheapest States To Live In

There You Have It — The Safest Small Cities In The US

We looked at FBI crime data to find the Safest small cities in the U.S. for 2025. We analyzed each city’s violent and property crime rates per capita and combined them into a Crime Index.

Campton Hills, , is the Safest, and Lumberton, NC is the safest for cities with populations between 5,000 and 50,000.

The safest small cities in the United States are Campton Hills, IL, Bellefonte, PA, Montevideo, MN, Matawan, NJ, Pingree Grove, IL, Hawthorn Woods, IL, Cicero, IN, Mount Horeb, WI, Broadview Heights, OH, and Western Springs, IL.

Here’s a look at the most dangerous small cities in America according to the data:

Lumberton
Bessemer
Atlantic City

Safest Small Cities In The United States

Rank	City	Population	Total Crime Rate	Violent Crime Rate	Property Crime Rate	Murders
1	Campton Hills, IL	10,724	0.0	0.0	0.0	0
2	Bellefonte, PA	6,022	0.0	0.0	0.0	0
3	Montevideo, MN	5,303	0.0	0.0	0.0	0
4	Matawan, NJ	9,636	0.0001	0.0	0.0001	0
5	Pingree Grove, IL	10,576	0.0009	0.0	0.0009	0
6	Hawthorn Woods, IL	9,145	0.0011	0.0	0.0011	0
7	Cicero, IN	5,441	0.0011	0.0	0.0011	0
8	Mount Horeb, WI	7,719	0.0016	0.0001	0.0014	0
9	Broadview Heights, OH	19,768	0.001	0.0002	0.0008	0
10	Western Springs, IL	13,353	0.0027	0.0001	0.0026	0
11	Union Beach, NJ	5,722	0.001	0.0002	0.0009	0
12	Emerson, NJ	7,263	0.0022	0.0001	0.0021	0
13	Oradell, NJ	8,197	0.0027	0.0001	0.0026	0
14	Mountainside, NJ	6,967	0.0024	0.0001	0.0023	0
15	Dyer, IN	16,400	0.0028	0.0001	0.0027	0
16	St. Clairsville, OH	5,043	0.0016	0.0002	0.0014	0
17	Senoia, GA	5,353	0.0021	0.0002	0.0019	0
18	Hillsdale, NJ	10,086	0.0031	0.0001	0.003	0
19	Wanaque, NJ	11,162	0.0022	0.0002	0.0021	0
20	Signal Mountain, TN	8,861	0.0035	0.0	0.0035	0
21	Sioux Center, IA	8,335	0.0031	0.0001	0.003	0
22	Homer Glen, IL	24,516	0.0028	0.0002	0.0026	0
23	Waldwick, NJ	10,090	0.0024	0.0002	0.0022	0
24	Cresskill, NJ	9,101	0.0034	0.0001	0.0033	1
25	Kirtland, OH	6,913	0.0004	0.0003	0.0001	0
26	St. John, IN	21,639	0.0023	0.0002	0.0021	0
27	Hinsdale, IL	17,155	0.0037	0.0001	0.0036	0
28	Upper Saddle River, NJ	8,354	0.0037	0.0001	0.0036	0
29	Zionsville, IN	31,442	0.0031	0.0002	0.0029	0
30	Kinnelon, NJ	9,971	0.0039	0.0	0.0039	0
31	Bergenfield, NJ	28,269	0.0037	0.0001	0.0036	0
32	Gypsum, CO	8,481	0.0032	0.0002	0.0029	0
33	Pompton Lakes, NJ	11,010	0.004	0.0001	0.0039	0
34	Nolensville, TN	14,545	0.0032	0.0003	0.0029	0
35	Avon Lake, OH	25,456	0.004	0.0001	0.004	0
36	La Crescent, MN	5,266	0.0038	0.0002	0.0036	0
37	Rainsville, AL	5,613	0.0018	0.0004	0.0014	0
38	Fair Haven, NJ	6,182	0.0029	0.0003	0.0026	0
39	Gilberts, IL	8,389	0.0023	0.0004	0.0019	0
40	Chesterton, IN	14,326	0.0026	0.0003	0.0022	0
41	Berkley, MI	15,084	0.0044	0.0	0.0044	0
42	Hampshire, IL	8,351	0.0025	0.0004	0.0022	0
43	North Royalton, OH	31,013	0.0035	0.0003	0.0032	0
44	Rye, NY	16,410	0.0043	0.0001	0.0041	0
45	Bellbrook, OH	7,344	0.0042	0.0001	0.0041	0
46	Fulshear, TX	26,986	0.0041	0.0001	0.004	0
47	Lake In The Hills, IL	28,853	0.003	0.0003	0.0027	0
48	Huntington Woods, MI	6,322	0.0035	0.0003	0.0032	0
49	Midland Park, NJ	6,996	0.0046	0.0	0.0046	0
50	Mascoutah, IL	8,743	0.004	0.0002	0.0038	0
51	Fanwood, NJ	7,714	0.0044	0.0001	0.0043	0
52	Pitman, NJ	8,834	0.0035	0.0003	0.0032	0
53	Pinckneyville, IL	5,055	0.0024	0.0004	0.002	0
54	Bernardsville, NJ	7,871	0.0044	0.0001	0.0043	0
55	Trophy Club, TX	13,454	0.0042	0.0002	0.0039	0
56	Davidson, NC	14,852	0.0042	0.0002	0.004	0
57	Island Lake, IL	8,023	0.0041	0.0002	0.0039	0
58	Cave Springs, AR	5,778	0.0036	0.0003	0.0033	0
59	Milliken, CO	8,695	0.0047	0.0001	0.0046	0
60	Rolesville, NC	10,200	0.0044	0.0002	0.0042	0
61	Highland Heights, OH	8,619	0.0037	0.0003	0.0034	0
62	Madeira, OH	9,454	0.0043	0.0002	0.0041	0
63	Parma Heights, OH	20,616	0.0031	0.0004	0.0027	0
64	New Milford, NJ	16,882	0.0047	0.0001	0.0046	1
65	Waunakee, WI	14,927	0.003	0.0004	0.0026	0
66	Loveland, OH	13,280	0.0048	0.0002	0.0047	0
67	Rockaway, NJ	6,589	0.0049	0.0002	0.0047	0
68	Munroe Falls, OH	5,019	0.0036	0.0004	0.0032	0
69	Hasbrouck Heights, NJ	12,067	0.0049	0.0002	0.0047	1
70	Old Tappan, NJ	5,896	0.0042	0.0003	0.0039	0
71	Bay Village, OH	15,992	0.0044	0.0003	0.0041	0
72	Edgerton, WI	5,924	0.0054	0.0	0.0054	0
73	Franklin Lakes, NJ	11,011	0.0053	0.0001	0.0052	1
74	Whispering Pines, NC	5,081	0.0049	0.0002	0.0047	0
75	Tenafly, NJ	15,252	0.0047	0.0003	0.0045	0
76	Manhattan, IL	10,315	0.003	0.0005	0.0025	1
77	Brook Park, OH	18,359	0.0028	0.0005	0.0023	0
78	Muskego, WI	25,156	0.0043	0.0004	0.0039	0
79	Mount Arlington, NJ	5,901	0.0056	0.0	0.0056	0
80	Oakland, NJ	12,700	0.0035	0.0005	0.003	0
81	Cedarburg, WI	12,317	0.0041	0.0004	0.0037	0
82	Economy, PA	9,042	0.0039	0.0004	0.0034	0
83	Pepper Pike, OH	6,807	0.0048	0.0003	0.0046	0
84	Bridgewater, VA	6,650	0.0048	0.0003	0.0045	0
85	Smithfield, UT	14,033	0.0046	0.0004	0.0042	0
86	Pinehurst, NC	17,992	0.004	0.0004	0.0036	0
87	Asbury, IA	5,949	0.0034	0.0005	0.0029	0
88	Westwood, NJ	11,221	0.0041	0.0004	0.0037	0
89	Shorewood, IL	18,218	0.0037	0.0005	0.0032	0
90	Addis, LA	7,052	0.0052	0.0003	0.005	0
91	New Ulm, MN	14,066	0.0053	0.0003	0.005	0
92	Deerfield, IL	19,185	0.0053	0.0003	0.005	0
93	Bargersville, IN	10,163	0.0048	0.0004	0.0044	0
94	Dumont, NJ	18,072	0.0045	0.0004	0.004	0
95	Willow Springs, IL	5,871	0.0041	0.0005	0.0036	0
96	Hibbing, MN	16,100	0.0063	0.0	0.0063	0
97	Rexburg, ID	39,589	0.0035	0.0006	0.003	0
98	Sugar Grove, IL	9,233	0.0058	0.0002	0.0056	0
99	New Whiteland, IN	5,641	0.0053	0.0004	0.005	0
100	Big Lake, MN	12,115	0.0044	0.0005	0.0039	0