Some of the safest cities in the nation can be found in Florida, according to the latest study released by U.S. News & World Report.
This research analyzes the rates of murder and property crimes per 100,000 individuals in each city. The data utilized for this analysis is sourced from the FBI crime report. The objective is to identify the most desirable places to live as well as those locations that may be best avoided.
The top three cities on the lists were Augusta, Georgia (No. 1); Montgomery, Alabama (No. 2); and South Bend, Indiana (No. 3).
However, the Sunshine State placed fairly high, with Pensacola coming in at No. 4.
Per the report, the panhandle city had lower-than-average crime rates than many other similarly sized areas, receiving a crime index score of 9.4.
In fact, Florida actually had seven placements included in the ranking — more than any other state in the country.
The full ranking is as follows.
| Rank | City | State | Crime Index (1-10) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Augusta | GA | 9.5 |
| 2 | Montgomery | AL | 9.5 |
| 3 | South Bend | IN | 9.5 |
| 4 | Pensacola | FL | 9.4 |
| 5 | Port St. Lucie | FL | 9.2 |
| 6 | San Juan | PR | 9.2 |
| 7 | Des Moines | IA | 9.1 |
| 8 | Jackson | MS | 9.1 |
| 9 | Melbourne | FL | 9.1 |
| 10 | Lakeland | FL | 9.0 |
| 11 | Ann Arbor | MI | 9.0 |
| 12 | Naples | FL | 9.0 |
| 13 | Fort Myers | FL | 9.0 |
| 14 | Boise | ID | 8.9 |
| 15 | Sarasota | FL | 8.9 |
| 16 | Virginia Beach | VA | 8.9 |
| 17 | Santa Barbara | CA | 8.8 |
| 18 | Allentown | PA | 8.8 |
| 19 | El Paso | TX | 8.8 |
| 20 | Portland | ME | 8.7 |
| 21 | Santa Rosa | CA | 8.7 |
| 22 | McAllen | TX | 8.7 |
| 23 | Scranton | PA | 8.6 |
| 24 | Tucson | AZ | 8.6 |
| 25 | San Diego | CA | 8.6 |
On the flip side, U.S. News & World Report issued a similar study examining the most dangerous cities in the country.
In a fortunate turn for the Sunshine State, no Florida cities were included on this list.
Regardless, that full list is as follows:
| Rank | City | State | Crime Index (1-10) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memphis | TN | 4 |
| 2 | St. Louis | MO | 4.4 |
| 3 | Detroit | MI | 5.2 |
| 4 | Birmingham | AL | 5.2 |
| 5 | Little Rock | AR | 5.3 |
| 6 | New Orleans | LA | 5.3 |
| 7 | Cleveland | OH | 5.8 |
| 8 | Kansas City | OH | 5.9 |
| 9 | Myrtle Beach | SC | 6.0 |
| 10 | Denver | CO | 6.1 |
| 11 | Minneapolis | MN | 6.3 |
| 12 | Milwaukee | WI | 6.3 |
| 13 | Salt Lake City | UT | 6.4 |
| 14 | Springfield | MO | 6.4 |
| 15 | Portland | OR | 6.4 |
| 16 | Chattanooga | TN | 6.5 |
| 17 | Philadelphia | PA | 6.5 |
| 18 | Dayton | OH | 6.5 |
| 19 | Houston | TX | 6.5 |
| 20 | San Francisco | CA | 6.7 |
| 21 | Seattle | WA | 6.7 |
| 22 | San Antonio | TX | 6.7 |
| 23 | Nashville | TN | 6.8 |
| 24 | Vallejo | CA | 6.9 |
| 25 | Winston-Salem | NC | 6.9 |
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