The 10 Safest Cities In Alabama For 2023
The safest cities in Alabama are Southside and Hamilton for 2023.
Do we think there's a direct correlation between educated residents, jobs, competitive salaries, and people flocking to the safest places in Alabama to live the Alabama dream? Absolutely.
Whether you're hanging out on a beach in Mobile, catching a NASCAR race in Talladega, or visiting the Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, Alabama knows how to keep its residents safe.
And here at HomeSnacks, we wanted to know how safe the safest cities in The Heart of Dixie are. So, we consulted the numbers and analyzed 53 cities with over 5,000 residents. We looked at important factors like property crimes and violent crimes per capita for every place from Dothan to Decatur.
There's a reason Alabama notables like Channing Tatum, Mia Hamm, and Evander Holyfield have been singing the praises of places like Cullman, Selma, and Atmore for years. These are not only some of the best places in the country, they are some of Alabama's safest.
So, where are these unique places in Alabama where crime is low, jobs are plentiful, and neighborhoods are safe? Read on.
So, what city is the safest place to live in Alabama for 2023? According to the most recent FBI data, the safest place to live in Alabama is Southside.
Check out the rest of our very safe Alabama cities to see how your city ranked. And if you don't find your favorite there, head to the bottom.
For more reading on safe places to live in and around Alabama, check out:
- Safest States In America
- Safest Cities In America
- Best Places To Live In Alabama
- Cheapest Places To Live In Alabama
Table Of Contents
The 10 Safest Cities In Alabama For 2023
/10
Population: 9,108
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 10 (safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 362 (safest)
More on Southside: Homes For Sale | Data | Detailed Crime Report
Southside shows it's the best side when it comes to safety in Alabama -- it's the safest city in Alabama.
Located 8 to 12 miles south of downtown Gadsden, Southside is one of the fastest growing cities in northeast Alabama. Which makes sense given that it ranks as the safest place in the region buy a good bit.
The other reason people are flocking here? Low rent and home prices mixed with a good economy. With a sub 3% unemployment, you can get a job and find an affordable apartment for only $750/mo.
/10
Population: 6,621
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 15 (second safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 377 (second safest)
More on Hamilton: Homes For Sale | Data | Detailed Crime Report
/10
Population: 24,467
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 53 (fourth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 445 (fourth safest)
More on Fairhope: Homes For Sale | Data | Detailed Crime Report
/10
Population: 5,168
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 58 (fifth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 619 (seventh safest)
More on Rainsville: Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 69,747
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 97 (12th safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 401 (third safest)
More on Dothan: Homes For Sale | Data | Detailed Crime Report
/10
Population: 28,387
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 21 (third safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 989 (12th safest)
More on Daphne: Homes For Sale | Data | Detailed Crime Report
There's no need to call Scooby Doo in Daphne -- besides the fact that she's already on the case, there's no serious threats of crime in this city.
The gang wouldn't have anything to do since the city has top ten rankings for both property and violent crime. Those pesky kids will have to be pesky elsewhere it seems.
The city is located along I-10, 11 miles east of Mobile and 170 miles southwest of the state capital of Montgomery.
/10
Population: 34,369
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 69 (seventh safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 843 (tenth safest)
More on Vestavia Hills: Homes For Sale | Data | Detailed Crime Report
Vestavia Hills is so safe that everyone there is hyper vigilant. For example, when we called the city one of the snobbiest in the state a couple of years back, we had a local lawyer promptly fedex us a demand to take down a Google Street View that showed his house.
Because you can't even have internet hooligans like us say anything even potentially negative about this town.
That hypervigilance translates into the seventh safest violent crime and the tenth safest ranking for property crime in Alabama.
Hopefully this fact doesn't compel someone else to throw a lawsuit at us.
/10
Population: 5,074
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 78 (11th safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 610 (sixth safest)
More on Glencoe: Homes For Sale | Data | Detailed Crime Report
Glencoe maintained its place in the top ten for the second year in a row.
Interestingly, compared to the other cities on this list, the overall picture of Glencoe isn't quite as glowing. The economy isn't quite as strong and poverty is tick higher, but it's still a safe place to live.
And, wouldn't you know, it's the home to not one, but two Miss Alabama's.
So it's both attractive and safe -- sounding better and better each second.
/10
Population: 33,963
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 73 (ninth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 830 (ninth safest)
More on Alabaster: Homes For Sale | Data | Detailed Crime Report
/10
Population: 29,411
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 61 (sixth safest)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 1,071 (14th safest)
More on Athens: Homes For Sale | Data | Detailed Crime Report
Methodology: How we calculated the safest cities in Alabama for 2023
While there are surveys and public polls on what cities in Alabama are the safest, we wanted to rely on something other than speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from the FBI's most recent crime report in Alabama.
Specifically, we analyzed the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, which summarizes the number of property and violent crimes in each city annually. We used two criteria:
- Violent crimes per capita (murders, assaults, rapes, armed robberies)
- Property crimes per capita (thefts, burglaries, motor vehicle thefts)
For example, there were 34 crimes committed in Southside, with a reported population of 9,108. That means the number of crimes per capita is 0.0037, which translates into a 1 in 267 chance of being the victim of a crime.
We only looked at Alabama cities that have populations of more than 5,000. This filter left us with 53 of the biggest cities in Alabama to rank.
We ranked each city for each criterion from 1 to 53 where 1 in any particular category is the safest.
Next, we averaged each place's two criteria to create a Safety Index. We crowned the place with the lowest overall Safety Score "The Safest Place In Alabama," with any ties going to the bigger city.
The safest city in Alabama, based on our criteria, is Southside. The most dangerous city in Alabama? Mobile, where residents had a 1 in 7 chance of being the victim of a crime.
This article has been update for 2023. This report marks our sixth time ranking the safest places to live in Alabama. All the data comes from the FBI's Crime In The USA 2021 report.
Summary: The Safest Cities In The Heart of Dixie
Looking at the data, you can tell that Southside is as safe as they come in Alabama, according to science and data.
But as most Alabama residents would agree, almost every place here has its safe and not safe parts. So just make sure you're informed ahead of time.
Here's a look at the most dangerous cities in Alabama according to the data:
- Mobile
- Gadsden
- Anniston
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Alabama
- Best Places To Buy A House In Alabama
- Best Places To Retire In Alabama
Where Are The 10 Safest Cities In Alabama For 2023?
| Rank | City | Population | Violent Crimes Per 100k | Property Crimes Per 100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southside, AL | 9,108 | 10 | 362 |
| 2 | Hamilton, AL | 6,621 | 15 | 377 |
| 3 | Fairhope, AL | 24,467 | 53 | 445 |
| 4 | Rainsville, AL | 5,168 | 58 | 619 |
| 5 | Dothan, AL | 69,747 | 97 | 401 |
| 6 | Daphne, AL | 28,387 | 21 | 989 |
| 7 | Vestavia Hills, AL | 34,369 | 69 | 843 |
| 8 | Glencoe, AL | 5,074 | 78 | 610 |
| 9 | Alabaster, AL | 33,963 | 73 | 830 |
| 10 | Athens, AL | 29,411 | 61 | 1,071 |
| 11 | Mountain Brook, AL | 20,006 | 74 | 1,059 |
| 12 | Rainbow City, AL | 9,602 | 72 | 1,156 |
| 13 | Margaret, AL | 5,388 | 129 | 482 |
| 14 | Satsuma, AL | 6,214 | 160 | 724 |
| 15 | Tuscumbia, AL | 8,449 | 106 | 1,278 |
| 16 | Auburn, AL | 70,003 | 115 | 1,279 |
| 17 | Trussville, AL | 23,379 | 98 | 1,732 |
| 18 | Montevallo, AL | 7,179 | 167 | 1,225 |
| 19 | Foley, AL | 22,166 | 148 | 1,583 |
| 20 | Hoover, AL | 85,670 | 117 | 1,791 |
| 21 | Northport, AL | 26,309 | 273 | 1,182 |
| 22 | Wetumpka, AL | 8,617 | 116 | 1,856 |
| 23 | Saraland, AL | 14,764 | 196 | 1,551 |
| 24 | Bay Minette, AL | 9,647 | 393 | 912 |
| 25 | Alexander City, AL | 14,066 | 284 | 2,011 |
| 26 | Troy, AL | 18,822 | 366 | 1,700 |
| 27 | Muscle Shoals, AL | 15,051 | 225 | 2,757 |
| 28 | Orange Beach, AL | 6,440 | 217 | 2,826 |
| 29 | Ozark, AL | 14,065 | 298 | 2,310 |
| 30 | Daleville, AL | 5,075 | 315 | 2,088 |
| 31 | Tuskegee, AL | 7,864 | 686 | 1,258 |
| 32 | Fultondale, AL | 9,365 | 288 | 2,776 |
| 33 | Cullman, AL | 16,696 | 173 | 3,593 |
| 34 | Lincoln, AL | 7,058 | 340 | 2,706 |
| 35 | Chickasaw, AL | 5,618 | 409 | 1,886 |
| 36 | Attalla, AL | 5,804 | 275 | 3,566 |
| 37 | Enterprise, AL | 28,569 | 448 | 2,502 |
| 38 | Florence, AL | 41,325 | 365 | 3,150 |
| 39 | Jasper, AL | 13,177 | 341 | 3,202 |
| 40 | Prichard, AL | 21,170 | 954 | 1,776 |
| 41 | Oneonta, AL | 6,603 | 272 | 4,649 |
| 42 | Opp, AL | 6,279 | 541 | 2,468 |
| 43 | Andalusia, AL | 8,643 | 509 | 2,938 |
| 44 | Lanett, AL | 6,014 | 399 | 3,508 |
| 45 | Arab, AL | 8,437 | 450 | 3,472 |
| 46 | Opelika, AL | 31,644 | 679 | 2,995 |
| 47 | Valley, AL | 9,038 | 464 | 3,861 |
| 48 | Sylacauga, AL | 11,859 | 733 | 3,921 |
| 49 | Phenix City, AL | 36,744 | 721 | 4,332 |
| 50 | Eufaula, AL | 11,489 | 887 | 4,056 |
| 51 | Anniston, AL | 20,913 | 774 | 5,231 |
| 52 | Gadsden, AL | 34,613 | 1,548 | 7,589 |
| 53 | Mobile, AL | 242,894 | 2,787 | 11,292 |
Breaking Down Crime In The Safest And Most Dangerous Cities In Alabama
About Chris Kolmar
Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.
He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.
If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.
You can find out more about him on LinkedIn.
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