San Jose, California, has emerged as the safest major U.S. city, dominating every measure of safety in a new SmartAsset study.
The city ranked in the top 10 nationally across violent crime, property crime, drug overdose deaths, traffic fatalities, and excessive drinking, setting it apart as the most balanced urban area when it comes to public safety.
San Jose recorded the third fewest violent crimes at 5,185 and the fifth fewest property crimes with 25,715 incidents. It also posted the fourth-lowest drug overdose death rate at 17 per 100,000 residents, along with the ninth-lowest rates for both vehicular deaths and excessive drinking.
The study also highlighted the strength of several Texas cities.
Fort Worth ranked third overall, followed by Arlington at seventh and El Paso at eighth. Fort Worth and Arlington exhibited nearly identical cost-of-living profiles, with median monthly housing expenses of approximately $1,450 and median household incomes of almost $75,000.
El Paso, meanwhile, distinguished itself for affordability, with monthly housing costs averaging $1,044 compared with a median income of $58,734.
Other major metropolitan areas struggled to keep pace.
San Francisco ranked 37th, despite relatively low violent crime and vehicular death rates. The city fared poorly on property crime, reporting 45,322 incidents, and on public health indicators, with 63 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 residents and nearly one in four adults reporting excessive drinking.
San Antonio also landed in the lower half of the rankings, coming in at 29th of the 50 largest U.S. cities.
Its safety challenges included elevated violent and property crime rates, higher-than-average traffic fatalities, and significant levels of excessive drinking, with one in five adults reporting heavy alcohol use. However, San Antonio remained more affordable than many of its peers, with median monthly housing expenses around $1,200 and median household income just under $63,000.
The top 10 safest cities were San Jose; Los Angeles; Fort Worth; Omaha, Nebraska; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Las Vegas; Arlington; El Paso; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Raleigh, North Carolina.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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