Atlanta ranked as one of least safe cities in US. Where is the safest?
- - Atlanta ranked as one of least safe cities in US. Where is the safest?
Irene Wright, USA TODAY December 30, 2025 at 5:37 AM
0
From break-ins to natural disasters to public health crises and gun violence, cities across the country try to tackle public safety issues every day.
Not only do safety officials have to handle threats in person, but internet scams, fraud and failing health infrastructure can put citizens in danger.
Going into 2026, WalletHub has analyzed 182 cities on 41 factors of safety to identify the safest — and least safe — cities in the United States.
States in New England came out on top. Atlanta ranked near the bottom of the list.
Top 10 safest cities
WalletHub combined the scores for home and community safety, natural disaster risk and financial safety to identify the safest communities across the country.
Each city was given a total score out of 100.
Here are the top 10 safest cities:
Warwick, Rhode Island: 71.21
Overland Park, Kansas: 70.04
Burlington, Vermont: 68.79
Juneau, Alaska: 68.74
Yonkers, New York: 68.65
Casper, Wyoming: 68.42
South Burlington, Vermont: 68.35
Columbia, Maryland: 68.02
Lewiston, Maine: 67.77
Salem, Oregon: 66.93
Source: WalletHub
"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. 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," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report. "Financial safety includes things like minimizing the risk of fraud and identity theft, keeping the population employed and insured, and combating homelessness.
Least safe cities in the United States
Atlanta ranks just outside the bottom ten safe cities, scoring a 40.26/100 and landing the 171st spot.
Here are the bottom 10 cities.
Washington, D.C.: 39.81
Cleveland, Ohio: 39.74
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 39.39
San Bernadino, California: 38.57
Houston, Texas: 38.10
Fort Lauderdale, Florida: 37.28
Baltimore, Maryland: 36.69
Detroit, Michigan: 36.38
Baton Rouge, Louisiana: 33.74
Memphis, Tennessee: 33.71
New Orleans, Louisiana: 31.57
What makes a city safe?
Home and community safety accounted for 60 of the possible 100 points, according to WalletHub.
Factors included mass shootings, murders, rapes, thefts, registered sex offenders, law-enforcement and emergency personnel, drug deaths, homeless population and road quality.
Natural disaster risk accounted for 20 points of the total score, and include the risk of earthquakes, river floods, hail, hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires.
Financial safety completed the score and included metrics on unemployment, share of people insured, foreclosures, fraud reports, identity theft and overall job security.
The data was accurate through Sept. 22, 2025, according to WalletHub.
Irene Wright is the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: These are America's safest cities. Atlanta near bottom of the list
Source: “AOL Breaking”
