This North Carolina city again ranks among the nation’s safest. Here’s why
A North Carolina city was again named one of the nation’s safest places to live.
Raleigh ranks No. 9 on a list of cities with lower risks of crime, natural disasters and other safety concerns, according to results published Monday, Oct. 10.
To create the list, the personal finance website WalletHub said it studied 182 places, “including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state.” Each location received scores in three categories: home and community safety, financial security and threats from natural disasters.
Raleigh earned a top spot in the rankings after receiving a high score for home and community safety.
Within the category, Raleigh had one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates and some of the lowest traffic-related deaths per capita, results show. WalletHub also measured the prevalence of first responders and crime data from 2020 to 2022.
The results were published after Raleigh in mid-July reported 24 homicides, more than there were at that point in the previous two years. At the time, Police Chief Estella Patterson said the city’s gun violence mirrored a nationwide trend, citing the coronavirus pandemic, conflict in Ukraine, inflation and mental health concerns.
“All those things coupled together, I think results in people wanting to solve their disputes or their issues with gun violence rather than just maybe taking a pause, stepping back, and then re-approaching the situation,” she said, according to The News & Observer.
On the WalletHub list, Raleigh also made its mark in the financial security category, which focused on debt as well as unemployment, foreclosure and poverty rates.
While North Carolina’s capital city placed in the top 25 in the other two categories, it didn’t fare as well when it came to natural disaster risks. The city landed in the No. 55 spot after WalletHub considered threats from flooding, hail, tornadoes and other unfavorable conditions.
Though WalletHub changes its criteria annually, the rankings mark the third straight year that Raleigh has been named among the safest places in the country.
Other North Carolina cities that landed outside of the top 10 included Winston-Salem at No. 12, Charlotte at No. 43, Durham at No. 53, Greensboro at No. 69 and Fayetteville at No. 138.
Overall, the nation’s safest city was Columbia, Maryland, about 20 miles outside of Baltimore. Rounding out the top five were Nashua, New Hampshire; Laredo, Texas; Portland, Maine; and Warwick, Rhode Island.
The lowest-ranking place on the list was St. Louis, Missouri.
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