Report: Southern CA cities much safer than Bay Area cities
MoneyGeek has recently issued its fifth annual report on the safest large cities in America. Irvine; San Diego; Anaheim; Santa Ana; and Riverside, CA make the top fifteen ranking. No Bay Area city did. Forbes magazine analyzes.
To determine the rankings, MoneyGeek evaluated 292 cities with populations over 100,000, comparing factors such as violent and property crime rates. By integrating these figures with research on the societal costs of crime, the report calculated a per capita cost of crime for each city. This metric accounts for both the frequency and severity of crimes, offering a more nuanced understanding of safety than traditional crime rates.
“This metric goes beyond basic crime rates, offering insights into the real-world effects of crime,” says Solum. “By looking at both the frequency and severity of crimes, we can better understand how communities are impacted.”
Besides violent crime (murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault), the methodology also considers property crime, including burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft, making the report useful whether you’re traveling or looking for a new place to live.
“This year’s rankings reflect not just the crime rates themselves, but also the economic toll they take on individuals and society,” says Solum. “The cost of crime is a tangible way to understand the broader implications of safety.”
MoneyGeek also ranked the safest large cities, looking at places with populations over 300,000. Irvine, California, leads this list, with a crime cost per capita of $324, making it not only the safest large city but also the third safest city overall.
“Irvine, California, moved up three spots from last year and is the safest large city due to a drop in the cost of crime per capita,” says Solum. “Even while per capita crime rates rose slightly, declines in murder, aggravated assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft offenses reported kept the overall cost of crime to society lower.”
Read the whole Forbes story here.
Read the MoneyGeek listing here.
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