New England metros dominate rankings of safest US cities

Locales in Vermont and Rhode Island make the top 5 of list that places an emphasis on financial security.

Three New England metros are among the safest cities in the nation, according to an analysis WalletHub published on Oct. 7.

South Burlington, Vt., topped the list, followed by Casper, Wyo., Warwick, R.I., Burlington, Vt., and Boise, Idaho.

Chip Lupo, an analyst for the personal finance site, said New England cities dominate the top five rankings for several reasons that contribute to their overall safety and quality of life, but “a key factor in their success is the emphasis on financial security,” Lupo told Boston.com.

These cities typically experience lower violent crime rates, high insurance coverage, and proactive initiatives aimed at reducing homelessness, he said, noting that the region also faces a low risk of natural disasters.

“When people think about safety in a city, their minds probably immediately go to things like the crime rate, auto fatality rate, or risk of natural disasters,” Lupo said in the report. “The safest cities in America protect residents from these threats of bodily harm and property damage, but on top of that, they also help secure people’s financial safety. Financial safety includes things like minimizing the risk of fraud and identity theft, keeping the population employed and insured, and combating homelessness.”

According to the report’s methodology, safety can be a number of things, ranging from public health crises to mass shootings to traffic accidents and more. For this analysis, WalletHub compared 182 cities across three key metrics: home and community safety, natural disaster risk, and financial safety.

“Our data set ranges from traffic fatalities and assaults per capita to the unemployment rate and the percentage of the population that is uninsured,” the report states. “Threats to safety in the U.S. come in many forms, from public health crises and natural disasters to mass shootings and traffic accidents. Aside from the types of hazards that can cause physical harm, taking out an unaffordable second mortgage, forgoing health insurance, or even falling victim to identity theft are also ways people run into danger. One big worry for many people right now is the cost of inflation, which threatens Americans’ financial safety.”

Boston came in at No. 33 on the list, with a ranking of 13 for financial safety, 31 for natural disaster risk, and 57 for home and community safety. It was also included on the list of cities with the most hate crimes per capita (tied with Vancouver, Wash.) and the lowest percentage of uninsured population.

“While Boston remains relatively secure overall, particularly from a financial perspective, there are challenges in other safety metrics, including identity theft, where it ranks 148th,” Lupo said.

Here’s how all the New England cities fared:

OVERALL

RANKCITYHOME & COMMUNITY SAFETYNATURAL DISASTER RISKFINANCIAL SAFETY

1.South Burlington, Vt.961

3.Warwick, R.I.12952

4.Burlington, Vt.3867

9.Portland, Maine44232

15.Nashua161118

33.Boston573113

45.Worcester528022

60.Manchester, N.H.671119

61.Bridgeport, Conn.6228156

64.Providence694786

90.Lewiston, Maine144411

94.New Haven1123685

Source: WalletHub

Source: WalletHub

Here is a list of the top 20 cities out of the 182 that WalletHub analyzed.:

Overall RankCityTotal Home & Community Safety RankNatural-Disaster Risk RankFinancial Safety Rank

1South Burlington, VT74.15961

2Casper, WY71.513753

3Warwick, RI70.3312952

4Burlington, VT69.553867

5Boise, ID69.17264619

6Yonkers, NY68.75329139

7Cedar Rapids, IA68.36104378

8Columbia, MD68.0811165

9Portland, ME67.7744232

10Virginia Beach, VA67.58155364

11Irvine, CA67.414127121

12Fargo, ND67.15337430

13Chesapeake, VA67.06194279

14Missoula, MT67.0455859

15Nashua, NH67.03161118

16Juneau, AK67.011011111

17Vancouver, WA66.8878258

18Honolulu, HI66.86355710

19Madison, WI66.82298814

20Huntsville, AL66.78276350

Source – WalletHub

Using data from the Census Bureau, Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Fire Administration, and more, WalletHub awarded points based on the following metrics:

• Presence of Terrorist Attacks: Triple Weight (~7.83 Points)
• Number of Mass Shootings: Full Weight (~2.61 Points)
• Murders & Non-Negligent Manslaughters per Capita: Triple Weight (~7.83 Points)
• Forcible Rapes per Capita: Double Weight (~5.22 Points)
• Assaults per Capita: Full Weight (~2.61 Points)
• Thefts per Capita: Full Weight (~2.61 Points)
• Sex Offenders per Capita: Double Weight (~5.22 Points)
• Law-Enforcement Employees per Capita: Half Weight (~1.30 Points)
• Active Firefighters per Capita: Half Weight (~1.30 Points)
• EMTs & Paramedics per Capita: Half weight (~1.30 Points)
• Hate Crimes per Capita: Full Weight (~2.61 Points)
• Share of Sheltered Homeless: Half Weight (~1.30 Points)
• Perception of Safety (Safety walking alone during daylight/night): Full Weight (~2.61 Points)
• Drug Poisoning Deaths per Capita: Double Weight (~5.22 Points)
• Traffic Fatalities per Capita: Full Weight (~2.61 Points)
• Pedestrian Fatalities per Capita: Double Weight (~5.22 Points)
• Note: “Pedestrians” also includes pedacyclists.
• Road Quality: Full Weight (~2.61 Points)

Natural-Disaster Risk – Total Points: 20

• Earthquake Risk Index Score: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
• Riverine Flood Risk Index Score: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
• Hail Risk Index Score: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
• Hurricane Storm-Surge Risk Index Score: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
• Tornado Risk Index Score: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
• Wildfire Risk Index Score: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)

Financial Safety – Total Points: 20

• Unemployment Rate: Double Weight (~2.11 Points)
• Underemployment Rate: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
• Share of Uninsured Population: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
• Share of Uninsured Drivers: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
• Foreclosure Rate: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
• Median Credit Score: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
• Debt-to-Income Ratio: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
• Share of Owner Occupied Housing Units Spending at Least 35% of Their Household Income on Housing: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
• Poverty Rate: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
• Fraud & Other Complaints per Capita: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
• Note: “Other” includes both financial and nonfinancial complaints.
• Identity-Theft Complaints per Capita: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
• Share of Unbanked Households: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
• Job Security: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
• Employment Growth: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
• Share of Households with Emergency Savings: Full Weight (~1.05 Points).
• Retirement Plan Access & Participation Rate: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
• Personal Bankruptcy Filings per Capita: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
• Share of Seriously Underwater Mortgages: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)

The New England city of South Burlington, Vt. has been ranked as the safest city in the country and that is partly due to road safety, according to the report. It has one of the lowest pedestrian fatality rates in the country, the ninth-most EMT and paramedics per capita, and the lowest unemployment rate The city also has the 14th-lowest risk of flooding, the 21st-lowest risk of tornadoes, and 31st-lowest risk of wildfires.

Warwick, R.I., also in the top three, has the lowest number of murders and the second-lowest number of aggravated assaults per capita, the report stated. “When it comes to natural disasters, Warwick ranks as the city with the seventh-lowest risk of hail, 10th-lowest risk of wildfires, 23rd-lowest risk of tornadoes, and 29th-lowest risk of earthquake.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Memphis took last place with a rank of 182. New Haven was New England’s lowest entry, at No. 94.

“New England cities, including Boston, showcase a strong commitment to safety and community well-being,” Lupo said.