The Safest US Small Towns
America’s Safest Small Towns
Despite what you may think, the United States remains a country of small towns, with nearly two-thirds of Americans living in an incorporated place and only 4 percent of all cities in the U.S. boasting 50,000 or more residents. SafeWise, a leading online safety and security resource, recently set out to identify the safest small towns in America, analyzing both violent and property crime rates based on FBI data to reveal the overlooked destinations offering visitors the least amount of worry in 2021.
10. Matawan, New Jersey
According to SafeWise, New Jersey had the most safe small towns out of any state in the country for the second year in a row with an impressive 27 among the 99 safest in 2021, including two ranking in the top 10. The tiny borough of Matawan sits along the namesake creek just off the Raritan Bay about an hour south of New York City and boasts a property crime rate of just 0.6 per 1,000 and a nonexistent rate of violent crime.
9. Kirkland, New York
Located just outside of Utica east of Syracuse, the tiny town of Kirkland is one of four New York towns to make the top 10 when it comes to safety in 2021. The Oneida County destination has seen its population grow by fewer than five times over the past two centuries, helping it to a violent crime rate of zero per 1,000 and a property crime rate of just 0.5 per 1,000.
8. Elmira, New York
Travelers can find the tiny town of Elmira just over the Pennsylvania-New York border about 33 miles southwest of Ithaca. With a population of fewer than 5,600 people, it’s no wonder crime is rare here. The town’s population peaked in the 1950s but as factory jobs disappeared so did the residents. Today, the charming small town is a worthwhile visit for history buffs with interest in the Civil War as the area was once home to a prisoner of war camp.
7. New Hanover Township, New Jersey
Travelers can’t get further into the heart of New Jersey than New Hanover Township which happens to be the safest small town in the Garden State. Located about an hour east of Philadelphia, the Delaware Valley town of fewer than 8,000 people has seen its population decrease dramatically over the past eight decades. However, with a violent crime rate of just 0.1 per 1,000, New Hanover boasts the distinction of being the safest small town in New Jersey and one of the most secure in America.
6. Wayland, Massachusetts
Wayland’s property crime rate of 0.1 per 1,000 keeps it out of the five-way tie for number one but nonetheless the little town about 30 minutes outside of Boston can still brag when it comes to safety. The destination prides itself on being a “quiet, peaceful community” and the crime numbers certainly back that up. Wayland has also been recognized among the best places to raise a family.
T1. Weiser, Idaho
The westernmost town to make the top 10 in 2021, Weiser is in a five-way tie for the title of safest small town in America and has the smallest population of any town in the top 10 at roughly 5,500. This overlooked rural destination is situated at the confluence of the Weiser and Snake Rivers about 90 minutes outside of Boise and is the official home of the National Oldtime Fiddle Contest and Festival.
T1. Thetford Township, Michigan
The little-known destination of Thetford Township represents the Midwest exceptionally well with virtually nonexistent violent and property crime rates. Located a few minutes north of Flint, the unincorporated community of roughly 7,000 edges out nearby Spring Arbor Township and Lapeer Township, which also rank inside the top 25 safest small towns in America.
T1. Sleepy Hollow, New York
One of the spookiest destinations in America also happens to be the safest. Located just an hour north of New York City, the legendary Hudson Valley village of Sleepy Hollow is in a tie for the title for safest small town in America. According to SafeWise.com, Sleepy Hollow, a village of little more than 10,000 people, boasts a nonexistent crime rate when it comes to both violent and property offenses.
T1. Luzerne Township, Pennsylvania
The lesser-known destination of Luzerne Township sits just east of the Monongahela River about an hour south of Pittsburgh and about 50 minutes north of Morgantown, West Virginia. Not to be confused with Luzerne County in northeastern Pennsylvania, the town of about 6,000 brings plenty of charm to the table and sits about 90 minutes from the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County.
T1. Lewisboro, New York
As mentioned before, there’s a five-way tie for number one but alphabetical order places Lewisboro, New York at the top of the list of the safest small towns in America. The tiny destination of roughly 12,000 is about 90 minutes northeast of New York City just west of the New York-Connecticut border. Named after early settler John Lewis, this overlooked town’s population took nearly two centuries to double and ranks tops in SafeWise’s report with violent and property crime rates of zero.