19 states represented in this shortlist.
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Ranking
Safest Cities Research Checklist
A safety-first research shortlist that avoids claiming crime rates before FBI CDE and local police data are verified; current ordering favors cities with standard safety-check priority and manageable city scale. Rankings are transparent research aids. Verify rent, wages, school programs, crime, commute, taxes, and neighborhood details before making a relocation decision.
Bellows Falls, Vermont is first under this page's stated ordering.
Median transparent recent-grad fit score across the displayed cities.
$925 median rent among covered rows.
How to use this shortlist
A safety-first research shortlist that avoids claiming crime rates before FBI CDE and local police data are verified; current ordering favors cities with standard safety-check priority and manageable city scale. The order is a research screen, not a promise that the first city fits every household. Open a city profile, run the affordability calculator, and verify current housing, salary, neighborhood safety, school boundaries, taxes, insurance, and commute details before deciding.
| City | Catalog | Grad fit | Median rent | Median income | 2025 population | City unemployment | Growth | Jobs | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bellows Falls, Vermont | Vermont coverage | 61/100 | $1,038 | $56,086 | 2,706 | 11.7% | -3.11% | strong | rent watch |
| Newport, Vermont | Vermont coverage | 62/100 | $850 | $54,646 | 4,274 | 9.1% | -4.13% | strong | rent watch |
| Vinton, Iowa | 2025 population #4899 | 71/100 | $942 | $66,495 | 5,004 | 2.5% | +1.42% | strong | rent-friendly |
| Ardsley, New York | 2025 population #4898 | 65/100 | $3,501 | $243,000 | 5,007 | 5.7% | -1.65% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Pana, Illinois | 2025 population #4897 | 57/100 | $684 | $46,168 | 5,010 | 6.4% | -3.51% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Iowa Falls, Iowa | 2025 population #4896 | 63/100 | $831 | $50,417 | 5,013 | 9.1% | -1.86% | strong | rent watch |
| Breckenridge, Colorado | 2025 population #4894 | 69/100 | $1,752 | $138,191 | 5,015 | 0.5% | -1.20% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Port Allen, Louisiana | 2025 population #4895 | 62/100 | $958 | $59,474 | 5,015 | 6.2% | +1.48% | competitive | rent watch |
| Big Bear Lake, California | 2025 population #4893 | 56/100 | $1,454 | $76,250 | 5,018 | 5.3% | -0.38% | cautious | rent watch |
| Duquesne, Pennsylvania | 2025 population #4892 | 56/100 | $739 | $44,180 | 5,019 | 9.1% | -4.45% | competitive | rent watch |
| Richland Center, Wisconsin | 2025 population #4891 | 62/100 | $683 | $51,932 | 5,020 | 4.6% | -3.52% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Mechanicville, New York | 2025 population #4890 | 53/100 | $1,070 | $50,675 | 5,021 | 3.3% | -2.49% | competitive | rent stretched |
| Glennville, Georgia | 2025 population #4888 | 58/100 | $548 | $52,844 | 5,023 | 9.9% | -4.81% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Wahoo, Nebraska | 2025 population #4889 | 75/100 | $907 | $89,457 | 5,023 | 3.6% | +4.60% | strong | rent-friendly |
| Fellsmere, Florida | 2025 population #4887 | 61/100 | $1,158 | $55,893 | 5,025 | 7.8% | +4.12% | competitive | rent stretched |
| Milan, Illinois | 2025 population #4886 | 56/100 | $963 | $62,597 | 5,028 | 1.1% | -1.47% | competitive | rent watch |
| Chatsworth, Georgia | 2025 population #4885 | 68/100 | $821 | $69,058 | 5,029 | 1.0% | +2.91% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Sea Cliff, New York | 2025 population #4884 | 66/100 | $2,315 | $193,590 | 5,031 | 13.5% | -0.44% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Leonardtown, Maryland | 2025 population #4883 | 82/100 | $2,002 | $153,819 | 5,033 | 2.1% | +11.50% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Wadesboro, North Carolina | 2025 population #4882 | 59/100 | $906 | $42,667 | 5,035 | 7.0% | +0.08% | competitive | rent stretched |
| Nashville, Georgia | 2025 population #4880 | 65/100 | $753 | $42,516 | 5,038 | 6.0% | +1.70% | competitive | rent watch |
| Sparta, Tennessee | 2025 population #4881 | 65/100 | $731 | $50,080 | 5,038 | 7.8% | +0.44% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Davison, Michigan | 2025 population #4877 | 55/100 | $891 | $48,814 | 5,039 | 10.3% | -1.89% | competitive | rent watch |
| Lindstrom, Minnesota | 2025 population #4878 | 64/100 | $1,176 | $98,226 | 5,039 | 2.8% | +2.96% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| New Martinsville, West Virginia | 2025 population #4879 | 59/100 | $688 | $60,946 | 5,039 | 5.3% | -3.32% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Redwood Falls, Minnesota | 2025 population #4875 | 61/100 | $832 | $61,750 | 5,040 | 3.3% | -1.31% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Lillington, North Carolina | 2025 population #4876 | 68/100 | $997 | $81,760 | 5,040 | 3.9% | +3.05% | competitive | rent-friendly |
| Bolivar, Tennessee | 2025 population #4874 | 55/100 | $808 | $39,028 | 5,043 | 13.2% | -3.00% | competitive | rent stretched |
| King City, Oregon | 2025 population #4873 | 45/100 | $1,781 | $63,684 | 5,044 | 2.0% | -2.76% | cautious | high rent burden |
| Creedmoor, North Carolina | 2025 population #4872 | 70/100 | $1,065 | $82,961 | 5,046 | 8.2% | +2.81% | competitive | rent-friendly |