10 Safest Small Cities In The United States [2024]

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 2024

Iron Mountain, MI
Campton Hills, IL
Spring Grove, IL
Montevideo, MN
Matawan, NJ
Kirtland, OH
Hawthorn Woods, IL
Rye, NY
New Ulm, MN
Sandwich, 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 2024

1. Iron Mountain, MI

Iron Mountain Location In Michigan

Source: Wikipedia User Bobak Ha’Eri | CC BY 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 7,522
Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Murders: 0
More on Iron Mountain: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

2. 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: 10,556
Crime Per Capita: 0.0001
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0001
Murders: 0
More on Campton Hills: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

3. Spring Grove, IL

Spring Grove Location In Illinois

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 5,694
Crime Per Capita: 0.0004
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0004
Murders: 0
More on Spring Grove: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

4. Montevideo, MN

Source: Wikipedia User McGhiever | CC BY-SA 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 5,350
Crime Per Capita: 0.0004
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0004
Murders: 0
More on Montevideo: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

5. 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: 9,546
Crime Per Capita: 0.0004
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0004
Murders: 0
More on Matawan: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

6. Kirtland, OH

Kirtland Location In Ohio

Source: Wikipedia User JonRidinger | CC BY 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 6,914
Crime Per Capita: 0.0006
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0006
Murders: 0
More on Kirtland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

7. Hawthorn Woods, IL

Hawthorn Woods Location In Illinois

Source: Flickr User Peg Syverson | CC BY 2.0

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 9,111
Crime Per Capita: 0.0003
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0001
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0002
Murders: 0
More on Hawthorn Woods: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

8. Rye, NY

Rye Location In New York

Source: Wikipedia User JayHeritageCenter | CC BY-SA 4.0

Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 16,447
Crime Per Capita: 0.0015
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0015
Murders: 0
More on Rye: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

9. New Ulm, MN

New Ulm Location In Minnesota

Source: Wikipedia User Bobak Ha’Eri | CC BY 3.0

Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 14,055
Crime Per Capita: 0.0016
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0016
Murders: 0
More on New Ulm: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

10. Sandwich, IL

Sandwich Location In Illinois

Source: Wikipedia User A. McMurray A mcmurray | GFDL

Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 7,139
Crime Per Capita: 0.0008
Violent Crime Per Capita: 0.0001
Property Crime Per Capita: 0.0007
Murders: 0
More on Sandwich: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

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 2,699 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, Iron Mountain, was named the safest small city in the United States.

We updated this report for 2024. 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 2024. We analyzed each city’s violent and property crime rates per capita and combined them into a Crime Index.

Iron Mountain, , 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 Iron Mountain, MI, Campton Hills, IL, Spring Grove, IL, Montevideo, MN, Matawan, NJ, Kirtland, OH, Hawthorn Woods, IL, Rye, NY, New Ulm, MN, and Sandwich, IL.

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

Lumberton
Wadesboro
Berkeley

Safest Small Cities In The United States

Rank	City	Population	Total Crime Rate	Violent Crime Rate	Property Crime Rate	Murders
1	Iron Mountain, MI	7,522	0.0	0.0	0.0	0
2	Campton Hills, IL	10,556	0.0001	0.0	0.0001	0
3	Spring Grove, IL	5,694	0.0004	0.0	0.0004	0
4	Montevideo, MN	5,350	0.0004	0.0	0.0004	0
5	Matawan, NJ	9,546	0.0004	0.0	0.0004	0
6	Kirtland, OH	6,914	0.0006	0.0	0.0006	0
7	Hawthorn Woods, IL	9,111	0.0003	0.0001	0.0002	0
8	Rye, NY	16,447	0.0015	0.0	0.0015	0
9	New Ulm, MN	14,055	0.0016	0.0	0.0016	0
10	Sandwich, IL	7,139	0.0008	0.0001	0.0007	0
11	Ringwood, NJ	11,692	0.0018	0.0	0.0018	0
12	Broadview Heights, OH	19,815	0.0015	0.0001	0.0014	0
13	Schuyler, NE	6,516	0.0012	0.0002	0.0011	0
14	Evansville, WI	5,720	0.0021	0.0	0.0021	0
15	Bartlett, IL	40,829	0.0008	0.0002	0.0006	0
16	Brush, CO	5,304	0.0011	0.0002	0.0009	0
17	St. John, IN	20,727	0.002	0.0	0.002	0
18	Rockaway, NJ	6,589	0.0026	0.0	0.0026	0
19	New Philadelphia, OH	17,602	0.0013	0.0002	0.0011	0
20	Lowell, IN	10,723	0.003	0.0	0.003	0
21	Emerson, NJ	7,281	0.003	0.0	0.003	0
22	Tuscumbia, AL	9,029	0.0031	0.0	0.0031	0
23	Kinnelon, NJ	9,986	0.0031	0.0	0.0031	0
24	Hinsdale, IL	17,169	0.0017	0.0002	0.0015	0
25	Columbiana, OH	6,688	0.0031	0.0	0.0031	0
26	Bernardsville, NJ	7,888	0.0034	0.0	0.0034	0
27	Signal Mountain, TN	8,833	0.0032	0.0001	0.0031	0
28	Asbury, IA	5,890	0.0029	0.0002	0.0027	0
29	Western Springs, IL	13,557	0.0036	0.0	0.0036	0
30	Hillsdale, NJ	10,125	0.0034	0.0001	0.0033	0
31	Lake Bluff, IL	5,919	0.0012	0.0003	0.0008	0
32	Madeira, OH	9,426	0.0034	0.0001	0.0033	0
33	Cottleville, MO	5,584	0.003	0.0002	0.0029	0
34	Orland Hills, IL	6,842	0.0032	0.0001	0.0031	0
35	New Milford, NJ	16,888	0.0036	0.0001	0.0035	1
36	Northbrook, IL	34,950	0.0022	0.0003	0.0019	0
37	Economy, PA	9,063	0.003	0.0002	0.0028	0
38	Gilberts, IL	8,180	0.0034	0.0001	0.0033	0
39	Cresskill, NJ	9,105	0.0036	0.0001	0.0035	0
40	Inverness, IL	7,722	0.0027	0.0003	0.0025	1
41	Libertyville, IL	20,555	0.0023	0.0003	0.002	0
42	Clarendon Hills, IL	8,658	0.0015	0.0003	0.0012	0
43	Wauconda, IL	14,040	0.0024	0.0003	0.0021	0
44	Willow Springs, IL	5,862	0.0041	0.0	0.0041	0
45	Waldwick, NJ	10,068	0.0033	0.0002	0.0031	0
46	Cary, IL	17,880	0.0008	0.0004	0.0004	0
47	Union Beach, NJ	5,751	0.0017	0.0003	0.0014	0
48	Hamilton, AL	6,880	0.0038	0.0001	0.0036	0
49	Darien, IL	21,953	0.0019	0.0004	0.0015	0
50	Tequesta, FL	6,116	0.0044	0.0	0.0044	0
51	Smithfield, UT	13,658	0.0037	0.0002	0.0034	0
52	New Providence, NJ	13,595	0.0043	0.0001	0.0042	0
53	Zionsville, IN	30,832	0.004	0.0002	0.0038	0
54	Dyer, IN	16,407	0.0036	0.0002	0.0034	0
55	Canfield, OH	7,662	0.0043	0.0001	0.0042	0
56	La Crescent, MN	5,352	0.0022	0.0004	0.0019	0
57	Fair Haven, NJ	6,221	0.0047	0.0	0.0047	0
58	Old Tappan, NJ	5,863	0.0048	0.0	0.0048	0
59	Collegeville, PA	5,172	0.0043	0.0002	0.0041	0
60	Itasca, IL	9,627	0.002	0.0004	0.0016	0
61	Wanaque, NJ	11,217	0.0029	0.0004	0.0025	0
62	Parma Heights, OH	20,706	0.0041	0.0002	0.0038	0
63	New Martinsville, WV	5,210	0.0027	0.0004	0.0023	0
64	Brecksville, OH	13,618	0.0038	0.0003	0.0035	0
65	Westwood, NJ	11,241	0.0041	0.0003	0.0038	0
66	North Caldwell, NJ	6,625	0.0039	0.0003	0.0036	0
67	Hudson, OH	23,005	0.0044	0.0003	0.0042	0
68	Southside, AL	9,358	0.0028	0.0004	0.0024	1
69	Milliken, CO	8,438	0.0046	0.0002	0.0044	0
70	Taylor Mill, KY	6,851	0.0028	0.0004	0.0023	0
71	Cliffside Park, NJ	25,546	0.0045	0.0003	0.0042	0
72	Oak Hill, WV	8,157	0.0022	0.0005	0.0017	0
73	New Whiteland, IN	5,591	0.0038	0.0004	0.0034	0
74	Pingree Grove, IL	10,213	0.0023	0.0005	0.0019	0
75	Bogota, NJ	8,940	0.0055	0.0	0.0055	0
76	Justice, IL	12,525	0.0042	0.0003	0.0039	0
77	Park Ridge, IL	39,368	0.0024	0.0005	0.002	0
78	Wood-Ridge, NJ	9,978	0.005	0.0002	0.0048	0
79	Mountainside, NJ	6,991	0.0056	0.0	0.0056	0
80	Florham Park, NJ	12,790	0.0045	0.0003	0.0041	0
81	St. Clairsville, OH	5,085	0.001	0.0006	0.0004	0
82	Oradell, NJ	8,208	0.0054	0.0001	0.0052	0
83	New Baltimore, MI	12,104	0.0036	0.0004	0.0031	0
84	Fulshear, TX	21,552	0.005	0.0002	0.0048	0
85	Highwood, IL	5,227	0.0017	0.0006	0.0011	0
86	West Mifflin, PA	19,506	0.0036	0.0004	0.0032	0
87	Pinehurst, NC	17,653	0.0042	0.0003	0.0039	0
88	Dumont, NJ	18,014	0.0038	0.0004	0.0034	1
89	Frederick, CO	15,037	0.0033	0.0005	0.0028	0
90	Bergenfield, NJ	28,223	0.0036	0.0004	0.0032	0
91	Oconomowoc, WI	18,178	0.0054	0.0002	0.0052	0
92	Sioux Center, IA	8,227	0.003	0.0005	0.0026	0
93	North Haledon, NJ	8,801	0.0044	0.0003	0.0041	0
94	Melissa, TX	15,244	0.0045	0.0003	0.0042	0
95	Oakland, NJ	12,734	0.0047	0.0003	0.0044	0
96	Bay Village, OH	16,047	0.0036	0.0004	0.0032	0
97	Willowick, OH	14,213	0.0032	0.0005	0.0027	0
98	Island Lake, IL	8,039	0.0012	0.0006	0.0006	0
99	Hampshire, IL	8,113	0.0032	0.0005	0.0027	0
100	Laguna Woods, CA	17,452	0.0054	0.0002	0.0052	1