Indianapolis has 3 of the Top 5 safest suburbs in the nation, new study finds

Indianapolis Star
Updated ·2 min read
11

Three of the Top 5 safest communities in the nation all have one thing in common — they're suburbs of Indianapolis. A new study released last week identified the 100 safest and most affordable suburbs in the United States, in which suburbs in Hamilton County ranked among the best.

The Top 10 safest suburbs in the U.S.

  1. Great Falls, Virginia

  2. Carmel, Indiana

  3. Bethesda, Maryland

  4. Fishers, Indiana

  5. Noblesville, Indiana

  6. Lehi, Utah

  7. Fort Bliss, Texas

  8. Frisco, Texas

  9. Dacula, Georgia

  10. Castle Rock, Colorado

See a map of the rankings below.

The rankings were done by SmartAsset, a financial technology company based in New York City.

Out of the 35 suburbs that ranked highest for safety, Carmel, Fishers and Noblesville — along with Brownsburg — also were in the Top 10 for affordability. Housing costs in each of the four Indiana suburbs were reported less than 17.5% of the median household income, according to SmartAsset.

What are the rankings based on?

The survey determined the safety of the suburbs based on five factors:

  • The suburb's rate of violent crime

  • The rate of property crime

  • The vehicular mortality rate, which calculates the number of traffic accident deaths

  • The drug poisoning mortality rate

  • The percentage of the suburb's residents who engage in excessive drinking

Carmel was the highest ranked among the three Midwest suburbs. It had the 23rd-lowest crime rate with roughly 48 incidents per 100,000 residents, according to the study. The vehicular mortality rate was also low, as well as the property crime rate — about 655 incidents per 100,000 residents, the 25th lowest overall.

Researchers said Carmel households typically spend $18,048 per year on housing, or about 15% of the median household income ($119,772).

Fishers fared well across the study. It had the 23rd-lowest vehicle mortality rate and low violent crime rate of about 78 incidents per 100,000 residents, lower than nearly 84% of the suburbs researchers evaluated.

Noblesville received high marks for road safety. Like Carmel and Fishers, researchers said Noblesville’s location within Hamilton County meant its vehicle mortality rate was among the lowest across the survey. The city’s property crime rate (752 per 100,000 residents) was lower than more than 90% of suburbs researchers studied.

How were the suburbs in the survey chosen?

SmartAsset said it selected 370 communities within 15 to 45 minutes of the 100 largest U.S. cities by car and have a population of at least 5,000.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis has 3 of the Top 5 safest suburbs in US, new study finds