This mid-size Ohio city ranks among the safest in the US. Here’s where and why

A Dayton suburb best known for its quiet neighborhoods and green lush parks just earned a spot near the top of a national safety ranking and the data backs it up.

SmartAsset pulled data from the FBI, CDC and FEMA to score more than 300 cities with populations between 65,000 and 250,000 to rank them on a composite safety score.

Kettering came in as the 55th safest mid-size city.

Kettering’s safety scores:

• Violent crime: 0.42 per 1,000 residents
• Property crime: 15.01 per 1,000 residents
• Auto fatalities: 13.12 per 100,000 residents
• Disaster risk: Relatively moderate (based on FEMA’s National Risk Index)

Factors contributing to Kettering’s safety

Kettering landing in the middle doesn’t make it dangerous, but it’s not exactly a gold star either.

Factors:

• Lower violent crime, especially robbery, aggravated assault, and sexual assault
• Lower property crime, like car break-ins, theft, burglary, and auto theft.
• Better lighting, cameras, and security around parking lots, apartment complexes, and transit stops
• More consistent patrols and faster response in higher-call areas, especially downtown and around student-heavy corridors.
• Safer roads and fewer crashes, because some city safety rankings also factor in traffic risk and general disorder, not just crime.

Safest and most dangerous mid-sized cities

Safest:

• Broomfield, Colorado
• State College, Pennsylvania
• Warwick, Rhode Island
• Ames, Iowa
• Logan, Utah
• Carmel, Indiana
• Greenwood, Indiana
• Waukesha, Wisconsin
• Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
• Appleton, Wisconsin

Most dangerous:

• Little Rock, Arkansas
• Pueblo, Colorado
• North Little Rock, Arkansas
• Birmingham, Alabama
• Tacoma, Washington
• Santa Monica, California
• Shreveport, Louisiana
• Beaumont, Texas
• Lafayette, Louisiana
• San Bernardino, California

How the ranking works

The study scored cities on a weighted composite of all four measures.

The caveats:

• Crime data comes from the FBI’s 2024 Crime in the United States report
• Reflects offenses reported by local law enforcement
• Boundaries don’t always match city limits exactly
• Traffic fatality and disaster risk figures are county-level data used as city proxies
• Natural disaster risk was drawn from FEMA’s National Risk Index

You can see the full rankings and methodology at SmartAsset.com.

This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 6:00 AM with the headline "This mid-size Ohio city ranks among the safest in the US. Here’s where and why."