Naperville once again ranks among the top 10 safest cities in the U.S. with a population of more than 100,000 people, according to MoneyGeek. While the personal finance technology company placed the city at No. 8, it is a drop from last year’s No. 1 spot.
Determining Factors
This year’s safest city study compared 302 cities with populations of 100,000 or more across the United States (compared to 263 cities last year). Such data that determines MoneyGeek’s includes factors such as:
- Population: Only cities with a population of more than 100,000 were ranked
- Crime Cost per Capita: Societal cost of crime per resident.
- Violent Crime Rate: Composed of four offenses: murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, per 100,000 residents.
- Property Crime Rate: Includes burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft offenses per 100,000 residents.
- Cost of Crime: Economic losses attributed to crime and its cost to society (individuals, community, and nationally) in millions.
Local data
Naperville was determined to have a crime cost per capita of $402, landing it at No. 8. This is more than double last year’s cost of $156, which gave Naperville the top ranking on MoneyGeek’s 2023 list. Other Naperville data:
- Violent Crime Rate: 52
- Property Crime Rate: 814
- Total Crime Cost (in millions): $59,935
Nearby Aurora ranked No. 61, and Joliet fell 78 spots from its 2023 top-10 ranking to No. 86. Chicago landed at No. 248 on the list at $3,553 crime cost per capita.
Top listings
No. 1 on the 2024 ranking was Thousand Oaks, CA with a $241 crime cost per capita, while the most dangerous city was Birmingham, AL at $11,392.
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