PROVIDENCE — Warwick, R.I., the Ocean State’s third largest city, is one of the safest cities in the United States, according to a new study.
The coastal city ranked third in the annual “Safest Cities in America” roundup conducted by the personal finance website, WalletHub, comparing some of the country’s most populated cities on a variety of safety factors, from “traffic fatalities and assaults per capita to the unemployment rate and the percentage of the population that is uninsured.”
“When people think about safety in a city, their minds probably immediately go to things like the crime rate, auto fatality rate or risk of natural disasters,” Chip Lupo, an analyst for WalletHub, wrote in the report. “The safest cities in America protect residents from these threats of bodily harm and property damage, but on top of that, they also help secure people’s financial safety.
“Financial safety includes things like minimizing the risk of fraud and identity theft, keeping the population employed and insured, and combating homelessness,” Lupo added.
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Analysts compared 182 cities across the nation, including the country’s 150 most populated, along with “at least two of the most populated cities in each state.” Each was reviewed under three subjects: home and community safety; natural disaster risk; and financial safety, the report states.
From there, WalletHub considered 41 metrics, ranging from the number of local mass shootings and hate crimes to the poverty rate and the risk of tornadoes and earthquakes, among other factors, according to the study. Cities then received a weighted average used to calculate an overall score.
South Burlington, Vt. ranked No. 1, followed by Casper, Wyo., Warwick, R.I., Burlington Vt., and Boise, Idaho to round out the top five.
The report noted Warwick had “the lowest number of murders and the second-lowest number of aggravated assaults per capita.”
“It also has the fewest thefts per capita, so residents can worry less about both violent and non-violent crimes,” analysts wrote.
Warwick is also considered low-risk for natural disasters, as the city was ranked as having “the seventh-lowest risk of hail, 10th-lowest risk of wildfires, 23rd-lowest risk of tornadoes and 29th-lowest risk of earthquakes,” the study states.
“Finally, Warwick provides good conditions for financial safety,” the report says. “It has the seventh-lowest percentage of residents without health insurance and the sixth-lowest percentage who are living in poverty. The city also has the 20th-fewest fraud complaints per capita.”
South Burlington, meanwhile, snagged the top spot in part because of its low pedestrian fatality rate and a high number of EMTs and paramedics per capita, according to the report.
“One area where South Burlington really shines, which many people might not think about, is financial safety,” the report states. “It has the lowest unemployment rate in the country, at 1.9 percent, the second-lowest share of seriously underwater mortgages, and the third-fewest non-business bankruptcy filings per capita over the past year.
“This demonstrates that residents are doing well financially and are at a reduced risk of being unable to pay their bills, losing their property or becoming homeless.”
Cities in New England that ranked outside the top five include Portland, Maine, at No. 9; Nashua, N.H. at No. 15; Boston, Mass., at No. 33; Worcester, Mass., at No. 45; Manchester, N.H., at No. 60; Bridgeport, Conn., at No. 61; Providence, R.I., at No. 64; Lewiston, Maine, at No. 90; and New Haven, Conn., at No. 94.
Here are the top 20 cities ranked:
South Burlington, Vt.Casper, Wyo.Warwick, R.I.Burlington, Vt.Boise, IdahoYonkers, N.Y.Cedar Rapids, IowaColumbia, Md.Portland, MaineVirginia Beach, Va.Irvine, Calif.Fargo, N.D.Chesapeake, Va.Missoula, Mont.Nashua, N.H.Juneau, AlaskaVancouver, Wash.Honolulu, HawaiiMadison, Wis.Huntsville, Ala.
Christopher Gavin can be reached at [email protected].
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Publish date : 2024-10-08 07:28:00
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