The Maryland suburb beat out several East Coast cities for the title, including nearby Virginia Beach, Virginia.
A WalletHub report recently named Columbia, Maryland, the safest city in America.
The report compared data points from federal agencies on 39 metrics. More than 180 cities were examined to see how they were affected by three key safety and wellness traits -- home and community safety, natural disaster risk, and financial safety. These measurements helped WalletHub develop a list of cities where Americans could feel the safest. Columbia scored highest in home and community safety at a "4," with "1" being the safest.
Columbia Safety Statistics
7th – Poverty Rate
8th – Percent of uninsured population
9th – Percent of households with emergency savings
60th – Traffic fatalities per capita
63rd – Natural disaster risk level
Developed in 1967, Columbia was the first master plan community of its type in Maryland. Made up of 10 villages, the Howard County community has walking paths, recreation centers, and a lakefront business district.
Columbia also scored highly in financial safety. This category includes unemployment rates, median credit score, foreclosure rates, savings rates, and identity theft complaints per capita. It scored the lowest in natural disaster risk with a medium-to-low risk of hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, wildfires, and earthquakes.
Howard County Police Department recently became the first law enforcement agency in the region to join Ring’s Neighbor App. Police Chief Gary Gardner hopes to work with residents through the new technology to keep the community safer.
“With the increased popularity of doorbell cameras and strong collaboration with our community, we hope these videos will help us close more cases and solve more crimes,” Gardner said in a statement.
The Neighbors app recently helped the department find a car involved in a hit-and-run accident after doorbell video from the accident was released to the public.
Cities that came in behind Columbia include South Burlington, VT (No. 2), Plano, TX (No. 3), Virginia Beach, VA (No. 4), and Warwick, RI (No. 5). Nearby Washington, D.C., came in at No. 155, while Baltimore ranked No. 156. More than 180 cities were compared. You can visit the WalletHub report to see how the cities of your friends and families ranked.
What steps do you take to stay safe in your home and community? Leave a comment below, and let's get the conversation started!