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These are the safest big cities in the US for 2025: See the full list

September 3, 2025

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SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose, California, has claimed the title of America’s safest big city in a new nationwide study that looked at crime, overdose deaths and other public health risks in the country’s 50 largest cities.

The 2025 analysis by financial technology company SmartAsset ranked cities based on violent and property crime rates, fatal traffic accidents, drug overdose deaths and excessive drinking.

San Jose, home to about 1 million people, landed in the top 10 across every category.

The Silicon Valley city reported 5,185 violent crimes last year — the third-lowest rate per capita among major cities. Property crime was also well below average, with 25,715 reported incidents. San Jose posted one of the nation’s lowest overdose death rates at just 17 per 100,000 residents, along with fewer than seven traffic deaths per 100,000 people.

Three Texas cities cracked the top 10: Fort Worth at No. 3, Arlington at No. 7 and El Paso at No. 8. Each reported moderate crime rates while keeping overdose deaths relatively low. El Paso stood out for combining safety with affordability — average housing costs run about $1,044 a month.

Rounding out the top 10: Los Angeles (No. 2), Omaha, Nebraska (No. 4), Virginia Beach, Virginia (No. 5), Las Vegas (No. 6), Charlotte, North Carolina (No. 9) and Raleigh, North Carolina (No. 10).

Political backdrop

The rankings come as public safety dominates political conversations nationwide. Last month, the Trump administration declared a crime emergency in Washington, D.C., and deployed more than 2,000 National Guard members to the capital.

Washington ranked 40th overall in the study, weighed down by the overdose death rate — 64.5 per 100,000 residents. While property crime rates were middle-of-the-pack, the city did report fewer traffic deaths than most large cities.

President Trump has also announced plans to direct federal law enforcement intervention to Baltimore and Chicago, which ranked 33rd and 38th respectively.

Behind the numbers

SmartAsset researchers used federal and local data, including the FBI’s 2023 Uniform Crime Reporting database and 2025 County Health Rankings. They measured crime rates against each city’s adult population and examined county-level health data including overdose deaths and alcohol use patterns.

While housing costs and income levels were included for context, they didn’t factor into the safety scores themselves.

The company says the rankings help families, workers and retirees weigh the tradeoffs when deciding where to live.

“Safety data alone doesn’t tell the whole story,” researchers noted. “But comparing these measures side by side helps show how different risks affect quality of life across major cities.”