Report Reveals America’s 15 Safest and Most Dangerous Cities for 2023: Find out Where Your City Ranks

Report Ranks America’s 15 Safest (And Most Dangerous) Cities For 2023

Forbes – Laura Begley Bloom

January 31, 2023

Although data shows that violent crime rates dropped in cities across the United States last year, crime is an increasing concern among many Americans—whose fears are only likely to grow with incidents like the recent spike in mass shootings. 

For the third year in a row, MoneyGeek—a personal finance technology company—has issued a list of the most dangerous cities in the US, as well as the safest cities in America.

“The report allows us to see what factors may connect safe and dangerous cities to each other. Readers can also learn a bit of what to expect from visiting or living in different cities,” says Doug Milnes, MoneyGeek’s chief of data analytics. “Being aware of the facts—rather than simply the reputations of different cities—is paramount before a big move or vacationing.”

MoneyGeek came up with this year’s list by analyzing the FBI’s crime statistics for 2021 

The Economic Impact of Crime

So why should people care about the cost of crime?

“The cost of crime per capita is not only a data point about how much crime happens in a given population, but it also demonstrates the severity of the crimes happening,” says Milnes.

The Most Dangerous Cities in the US

Last year, St. Louis, Missouri was named the most dangerous city in America. This year it was once again named the most dangerous city in the US, with the highest per-capita crime cost on the list—$8,457.

Coming in second on the list of the most dangerous cities in America was Mobile, Alabama, followed by Birmingham, Alabama.

In its report, MoneyGeek also looked at mass shootings. “Mass shootings are a particular scourge on American life,” says Gordon. “The emotional impact of mass shootings is incalculable, traumatizing families and entire communities.”

According to MoneyGeek’s report, Boulder, Colorado was the worst city in the US for mass shootings, followed by San Jose, California and Indianapolis, Indiana.

 “The surprises are that from everything you might hear about larger cities on the coasts being quite dangerous, cities like New York and Boston are not as dangerous as their reputations would make you think,” he says.

The Safest Cities in the US

In its report, MoneyGeek also ranked the safest large cities in America with populations over 300,000. This year, Honolulu was named the safest large city, with the lowest per-capita crime cost in the country—$528.

“Hawaii in general is extremely safe relative to other states with major metro areas,” says Milnes.

MoneyGeek’s report also ranked the safest cities in America with populations over 100,000. The safest city on this list was Naperville, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. 

Next on the list was Sunnyvale, California, followed by West Covina, California. In total, there were six California locations on the safest cities list, as well as three California locations on the list of safest cities with a population over 300,000.

15 Most Dangerous Cities in the US

1. St. Louis, Missouri
2. Mobile, Alabama
3. Birmingham, Alabama
4. Baltimore, Maryland
5. Memphis, Tennessee
6. Detroit, Michigan
7. Cleveland, Ohio
8. New Orleans, Louisiana
9. Shreveport, Louisiana
10. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
11. Little Rock, Arkansas
12. Oakland, California
13. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
14. Kansas City, Missouri
15. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

5 Worst Cities for Mass Shootings in the US

1. Boulder, Colorado
2. San Jose, California
3. Indianapolis, Indiana
4. Atlanta, Georgia
5. Colorado Springs, Colorado

15 Safest Large Cities in the US (with a population over 300,000)

1. Honolulu, Hawaii
2. Virginia Beach, Virginia
3. Henderson, Nevada
4. El Paso, Texas
5. New York City
6. San Diego, California
7. Mesa, Arizona
8. Charlotte, North Carolina
9. San Jose, California
10. Boston, Massachusetts
11. Raleigh, North Carolina
12. Arlington, Texas
13. Santa Ana, California
14. Omaha, Nebraska
15. Austin, Texas

15 Safest Cities in the US (with a population over 100,000)

1. Naperville, Illinois
2. Sunnyvale, California
3. West Covina, California
4. Carmel, Indiana
5. Glendale, Arizona
6. Meridian, Idaho
7. Provo, Utah
8. Joliet, Illinois
9. Jurupa Valley, California
10. Sugar Land, Texas
11. McAllen, Texas
12. El Monte, California
13. Rancho Cucamonga, California
14. Glendale, California
15. Pearland, Texas