Where Do IN, IL, and KY Rank on the List of Most and Least Safe Cities in America?

I am almost 50 years old, and I don't remember there being this much violence when I was growing up. It's possible that there is more violence these days, but it's more likely that we just didn't hear about it as much back in the day, before the 24-hour news cycle became a thing, and before we had access to the entire world. Despite what I may or may not have heard about, I always felt safe growing up in Indianapolis - I felt safe when we moved to Greenfield, IN, and I have felt safe for the past (nearly) 30 years here in Evansville. Do you feel safe in your city? How safe is your city compared to the rest of the country?

What Determines How Safe a City Is?

Feeling safe is just that, a feeling - so how do you quantify something like that? Of course, there are crime rates and statistics to look at, but there are other factors that make a city more or less safe than others. The folks at WalletHub examined dozens of safety-related metrics and compiled a list of the Safest Cities in America for 2023.

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The list includes the most populated cities in America (182 of them), comparing them across three main categories which each had several subcategories. Below are a few examples of each.

Home & Community Safety

• Mass shootings
• Sexual assaults/sexual offenders
• Terrorist attacks
• Number of law enforcement, firefighters, and EMT's
• Drug-related deaths
• Traffic-related deaths

Natural-Disaster Risk

• Earthquake risk
• Tornado risk
• Hurricane risk

Financial Safety

• Unemployment rate
• Employment growth
• Foreclosure rate
• Poverty rate

How Safe Are These Cities in Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky?

There are a handful of cities in the Tri-State that show up on the list, some are much safer than others.

Indiana

Fort Wayne, IN comes in at a very respectable #44, making it the highest-ranking Tri-State city on the list. Indianapolis, however, is ranked at #145, making it the least safe city in the Tri-State (although it is an improvement from 2022).

Illinois

Aurora, IL is not only the home of Wayne's World but it is also ranked as the #25 safest city in America. It should be no surprise that Chicago is on the list, and it should be no surprise that it is towards the bottom at #140.

Kentucky

The bluegrass state is represented twice on this list too, unfortunately, both cities landed on the "less safe" portion of the list, with Louisville at #123, and Lexington at #143.

You can see the rest of the report HERE or you can check out the interactive map below.