When you are considering moving, there’s a lot of factors that contribute to picking the perfect location. Proximity to work, community amenities and safety of the neighborhood may be among the characteristics that influence the decision. While finding the perfect home is important, the perfect location is just as influential. 

Especially for families, safety is a very real concern. Finding that perfect balance between being carefree and paranoid can be challenging, but it never hurts to stay informed. Knowing the prevalence of specific crimes in a city can not only help you select the perfect city for your next home, it can also allow for implementation of precautionary methods. 

All cities have some form of crime that looms over the population. It’s nearly impossible to find the perfect town hidden from thieves. However, some cities have higher rates of crime than others. 

Washington, DC is Safest from Burglary

Surprisingly, the city with the lowest rates of burglary in the US is the nation’s capital, Washington, DC. The odds of being burgled here are one in 943 and less than one burglary occurs every hour. While tourists should still be wary of pickpockets, thieves don’t seem to populate this city as much as some other American villes. 

Portland is Close Behind

With approximately 173 burglaries per 100k people, the rainy city of Portland, Oregon is in a tight race with DC for the safest American city. Approximately 0.13 burglaries occur in this city every hour, making them an extremely rare occasion. 

New York Makes it Easy to Blend In

NYC also has some of the lowest odds of burglary, but this stat should be taken with a grain of salt. Chances of burglary here are one in 278 - third lowest out of the top 50 major US cities. From this alone, it seems like the big apple is the place to go to avoid crime. 

However, over 3.5 burglaries occur in this city each hour - second highest in the country behind Los Angeles, California. This means that the low odds of it affecting you are likely a result of the high density of people. NYC is relatively safe, but just because you’re literally one in a million doesn’t mean you or your neighbor is completely exempt from crime. 

California is Home to Some of the Best… and Worst

Two west coast cities are represented in the top five cities with low burglary rates - San Jose and San Diego. Each of these cities have roughly 650 burglaries per 100k, making your odds of being a victim fall around one in 150. 

However, in the southern part of the state lies the city with the highest burglary odds. In Riverside, CA, a person’s odds of being burgled are one in 14. That’s over ten times higher than their northern neighbors living in San Jose and San Diego. 

People see local crime on the news every day, but they often live by the motto ‘it won’t happen to me’. Even in cities where a person would have to be extremely unlucky to fall victim to theft, it never hurts to be cautious.