Safety is a big reason families move to the suburbs, but even outside the city, crime still exists.
In fact, new data reveals the rate of violent crime, property crime, drug overdoses, excessive drinking, and deadly driving in suburban communities across the country.
To find America’s safest suburbs, SmartAsset crunched this data for 370 places that are within a 15- to 45-minute drive of the 100 largest U.S. cities.
SmartAsset’s findings show Carmel, Fishers, and Noblesville are the No. 2, No. 4, and No.5 safest suburbs in America, respectively.
Safest suburbs
Carmel (rated No. 2) has the 23rd-lowest violent crime rate with 48.29 incidents per 100,000 residents. Carmel and the surrounding area also demonstrate a strong commitment to road safety, as reflected by Hamilton County’s vehicular mortality rate of 4.86 deaths per 100,000 residents (23rd lowest). Furthermore, the suburb ranks 25th lowest in property crime, with 654.82 incidents per 100,000 residents.
Fishers (rated No. 4) has the 23rd-lowest vehicle mortality rate across the study. The property crime rate in Fishers (672.49 per 100,000 residents) is among the lowest in our study (29th), while its violent crime rate of 77.63 incidents per 100,000 residents is lower than nearly 84 percent of the suburbs evaluated.
Noblesville’s (rated No. 5) location within Hamilton County means its vehicle mortality rate is among the lowest across the study. Additionally, the city’s property crime rate (751.98 per 100,000 residents) is lower than more than 90 percent of suburbs studied.
Most affordable suburbs
In addition to being among the safest places to live in the United States, Carmel and Fishers also topped the list at Nos. 1 and 2 for the most affordable suburbs in America. Noblesville placed No. 5.
Carmel is the most affordable of the safest suburbs in America. In this community of nearly 100,000 people, households typically spend $18,048 per year on housing or 15.07 percent of the median household income ($119,772).
Median housing costs are only slightly higher in neighboring Fishers, where the typical household spends $18,324 on mortgage or rent payments. That means housing costs in Fishers make up just 15.59 percent of the median household income ($117,503).
At spot No. 5, Noblesville is also quite affordable. Households tend to spend $15,552 per year on housing, or 17.42 percent of the median household income ($89,258).
Click here to see more information, including the data and methodology.
Livability ranks Fishers No. 8 best place to live in country
Fishers has once again been named one of the Best Places to Live in America with the latest list from Livability. Ranking No. 8 on the list and in the top three cities in the Midwest, Fishers ranked high in the categories of economy (90/100), health (89/100), and safety (89/100).
“These recognitions showcase the strong quality of life that we strive for in our community,” Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness said. “With the newly opened Geist Waterfront Park, more than three quarters of a billion dollars of investment in Fishers’ growing life science industry since 2020, and this week’s announcement of the Fishers Community Center at Johnson Farms, we are committed to making Fishers a national leader in quality of life, economic sustainability, and safety.”
The Livability article also cites key amenities such as the Nickel Plate District, designated as a Statewide Cultural District in 2018, along with the city’s WeCare program, Launch Fishers co-working space, and Hub & Spoke, home of Fishers Parks and the Fishers Maker Playground.
Check out the full list at Livability.com.