Movoto Real Estate figured it was time to see just which suburbs can still claim to be safer than their big city neighbors.
When it comes to the reasons people relocate from big cities to the suburbs, crime is right up there with housing costs, traffic, and overcrowding as major motivators. Eventually, though, these things make their way beyond the city limits, and the suburbs might not actually be the quietest, cheapest, and—maybe most importantly—safest places to be. That’s why, after ranking America’s safest mid-sized cities and the most crime-free places within several states, Movoto Real Estate figured it was time to see just which suburbs can still claim to be safer than their big city neighbors.
After poring over crime data for more than 100 suburbs, Movoto concluded that the absolute safest is Carmel, IN, located just outside of Indianapolis, IN. In fact, another Indy suburb, Fishers, was the runner-up.
To produce this ranking, Movoto relied on a list of 120 places which are the largest suburbs of the 50 most populous cities in the U.S. Movoto turned to the FBI’s most recent national crime report from 2012 for data on the following:
- Property crimes per capita (burglaries, thefts, and motor vehicle thefts)
- Violent crimes per capita (murders, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults)
- The chances of being the victim of a crime
FULL STORY: Movoto's Safest Suburbs in America

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.

Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean
Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?

Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US
A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont