Cities throughout America deal with multiple safety challenges, where the specific dangers often shift based on the area involved.

Certain locations see the biggest issues from events like hurricanes, tornadoes, or floods that threaten residents. Elsewhere, the focus may turn to economic stability or how secure neighborhoods and residences remain overall.

WalletHub assessed 182 cities in total, covering the 150 largest in the country plus at least two major population centers from each state, to identify both the safest and least secure spots nationwide.

The analysis covered 41 safety indicators divided into three main areas: home and community safety, natural disaster risk, and financial safety.

Home and community safety evaluation included elements like crime statistics, deaths from traffic or pedestrian incidents, and the count of emergency personnel available per resident.

Natural disaster risk scores came from assessments of threats including earthquakes, tornadoes, and wildfires affecting each city.

Financial safety looked at items such as poverty levels, jobless rates, and complaints about identity theft on a per capita basis.

Data for the study came from organizations including the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The following lists the top 10 safest cities along with the 10 least safe ones.

1. Juneau, Alaska

Juneau earned the top spot for overall safety among the 182 cities reviewed. It placed 46th for home and community safety, fourth for financial safety, and first for natural disaster risk.

The city showed the lowest murder rate along with the lowest pedestrian fatality rate, and no terrorist attacks or related events occurred there over the past ten years. Natural disaster threats remain minimal, including the second lowest risk for flooding and tornadoes.

On the financial side, Juneau has the 21st smallest share of residents living below the poverty line.

2. Warwick, Rhode Island

Warwick came in second overall for safety, with home and community safety at ninth, natural disaster risk at fifth, and financial safety at 46th.

It recorded the fourth lowest rate of aggravated assaults per person and the sixth lowest rate of thefts per person.

3. Overland Park, Kansas

Overland Park finished third among the safest cities, ranking fourth in home and community safety and seventh in financial safety.

The suburb near Kansas City came in 138th for natural disaster risk. The wider Kansas City region had already seen 88 tornado warnings by June 2026, according to reports from ABC affiliate KMBC.

Still, Overland Park posted the 19th lowest pedestrian fatality rate and the 15th lowest traffic fatality rate among all cities studied. It also held the 14th lowest unemployment rate nationally and the third smallest portion of residents in poverty.

4. Burlington, Vermont

Burlington stays largely protected from natural disasters, ranking third overall in that category. Financial safety placed 24th while home and community safety came in at 43rd.

5. South Burlington, Vermont

South Burlington, Vermont, matched Burlington for third place in natural disaster risk, and the two places sit only a short distance apart.

South Burlington scored higher in financial safety at sixth place, though its home and community safety ranked lower at 51st.

6. Virginia Beach, Virginia

WalletHub placed Virginia Beach at 22nd in home and community safety, 10th in natural disaster risk, and 55th in financial safety.

7. Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Cedar Rapids ranked 10th in home and community safety, 23rd in natural disaster risk, and 42nd in financial safety.

8. Casper, Wyoming

Casper achieved a top 10 finish in financial safety at ninth place. Natural disaster risk stood at 19th while home and community safety reached 32nd.

9. Boise, Idaho

Boise placed 33rd in home and community safety, 41st in natural disaster risk, and fifth in financial safety.

10. Yonkers, New York

Yonkers earned the 10th safest ranking overall. It came in third for home and community safety, 59th for natural disaster risk, and 108th for financial safety.

Continue below for the bottom 10 cities rated as the least safe in the country.

173. St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis finished 177th in home and community safety and 146th in financial safety out of the 182 cities examined.

The Missouri city performed better in natural disaster risk, landing at 34th.

174. Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland did well in the natural disaster risk category at 74th.

Financial safety placed the city at 153rd. Home and community safety ranked lowest at 175th.

175. Houston, Texas

Houston ranked 163rd in financial safety, 170th in natural disaster risk, and 171st in home and community safety.

176. Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville placed 170th in home and community safety, 177th in natural disaster risk, and 166th in financial safety.

177. Detroit, Michigan

Detroit ranked 173rd in home and community safety and 67th in natural disaster risk.

It came in last for financial safety at 182nd place.

178. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia ranked 176th in home and community safety, 137th in natural disaster risk, and 159th in financial safety.

179. Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis placed second worst for financial safety at 181st, just behind Detroit.

The city ranked 179th in home and community safety but improved to 60th in natural disaster risk.

180. Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore ranked 180th in home and community safety, 174th in financial safety, and performed better in natural disaster risk at 106th.