Story at a glance
- Three other cities in Texas made the top five, along with one city in California.
- Findings are based on factors including vehicular mortality, property crime and drug poisoning mortality rates.
- A previous ranking also found Frisco, Texas, is among the top 10 happiest cities in the country.
Frisco, Texas, was ranked as the safest city in the nation for a second year in a row, according to a new report from SmartAsset.
The city, located north of Dallas, was joined by McKinney and McAllen, Texas, which ranked second and third overall, respectively.
Santa Clarita, Calif., and Plano, Texas, rounded out the top five safest cities. Researchers assessed violent crime, property crime, vehicular mortality rate, drug poisoning mortality rate and percentage of the population engaging in excessive drinking in 200 of the country’s largest cities.
Violent and property crime rates were measured at the city level, while the other factors were measured at the county level.
America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.
Cities in the Lone Star state came out on top thanks in part to violent crime rates lower than 90 percent of cities included in the study. Alexandria, Va.; Laredo, Texas; Glendale, Calif.; Sunnyvale, Calif.; and Yonkers, N.Y., made up the latter half of the top 10 safest cities.
Data showed Frisco had the fourth-lowest violent crime rate and sixth-lowest property crime rate in the country. The city and its surrounding area also had the fourth-lowest drug poisoning death rate.
An additional SmartAsset report found Frisco is the fifth happiest city in the country. Plano also made the top 10 list.
The latest report ranked Los Angeles as the safest city with a population of more than 1 million people. It was followed by San Diego, San Antonio, Philadelphia and New York City.
In seven of the top 35 safest cities, housing costs were less than 20 percent of the median household income. Santa Clarita was the most expensive out of the top five safest cities, while Frisco was the most affordable.
When SmartAsset ranked the 35 safest cities based on affordability, comparing median annual housing costs and median household income, Cary, N.C., came out on top. The city was followed by Olathe, Kan.; Naperville, Ill.; Overland Parks, Kan.; and Frisco.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Changing america
