PHOENIX — A recent study on the safest cities in the United States revealed that no Arizona city made it into the top 25. According to WalletHub’s “Safest Cities in America (2024)” report, Gilbert ranked highest among Arizona cities at 31st place, while Phoenix ranked 149th out of 182 cities analyzed.
The study evaluated 182 U.S. cities across 41 safety metrics, including home and community safety, natural disaster risk, and financial security. Following Gilbert, Scottsdale ranked second among Arizona cities at 39th, with Chandler at 46th, Peoria at 69th, Mesa at 85th, and Tempe at 92nd. All six cities made it to the top 100, though none cracked the top 25.
South Burlington, Vermont, Casper, Wyoming, and Warwick, Rhode Island, claimed the top three spots as the safest cities in the country. South Burlington was the only city to achieve top-10 ratings across all three major categories, with a standout performance in financial safety.
How the Study Was Conducted
Each city’s safety score could reach up to 100 points, with home and community safety accounting for 60 points, while natural disaster risk and financial security each contributed 20 points. Gilbert received 65.33 points overall, while Phoenix scored 50.83, ranking 136th in home and community safety alone.
Metrics included factors such as sex offenders per capita, drug poisoning deaths, wildfire risk, unemployment rate, and debt-to-income ratio. Arizona cities generally showed strength in financial safety, with Scottsdale ranking 21st and six Arizona cities placing in the top 50 for financial security. Phoenix, however, ranked poorly in natural disaster risk, with only Tucson (27th in natural disaster risk) surpassing 140th place in that category among Arizona cities.
In contrast, Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Detroit, Michigan; and Memphis, Tennessee, ranked as the least safe cities, failing to reach the top 100 in any major category.
