Ohio’s 20 Safest Cities of 2024

See crime rates for the safest cities.

In our latest State of Safety survey, 45% of respondents in Ohio reported concern for their safety. This is about the same as the national average of 47%.

This is surprising since the state falls below national averages for both violent crime and property crime. Property crime did increase year over year, and violent crime rose by just 0.3 incidents per 1,000 residents. Ohio's 20 safest cities saw only a fraction of the state rates for both crime categories.

Although Ohio's violent crime rate is relatively low compared to most states, it had a small increase from 3.4 violent crimes per 1,000 people to 3.7 this year. The state's property crime rate went from 18.5 per 1,000 people to 19.0 

There was no increase in personal encounters with property crime in Ohio this year. There was also a large decrease in experiences with package theft, falling 20%. 

• 29% of Ohio residents told us they personally experienced property crime this year (US 27%).
• Larceny theft accounts for 86% of all property crimes in The Buckeye State (US 72%).
• 28% of respondents reported experiencing package theft—almost matching the US average (35%).
• 34% of people in Ohio use no form of property protection. This is substantially higher than the 25% national average.
• The most popular form of property protection is security cameras (37%).
• 29% of respondents say that they have increased the safety or security of their property.

People in Ohio tend to feel slightly less safe in their home state than the average American. This is surprising since the respondents reported experiencing less violent crime. 

• 44% of people in Ohio reported feeling safe in their state compared to 45% of Americans.
• 11% of Ohio respondents reported having a personal experience with violent crime in the 12 months prior to the survey (US 15%). That's down 48% from the year before.
• Murder is the least common violent crime in The Buckeye State, making up 2% of violent crimes (US 2%).
• 34% of survey participants report using some form of personal protection like pepper spray—almost the same as the US average (36%).
• The most common form of protection (59%) was concealed firearms.

• 55% of Ohio residents named gun violence as a safety concern—well above the US average of 51%.
• 13% of survey respondents reported experiencing gun violence in the 12 months prior to the survey—higher than the national average of 12%.
• There were 33 mass shootings in Ohio. This number increased this year by 73.7%.

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 165 cities qualified for our safest cities list this year.
• All 22 of the top safest cities reported zero murders. In fact, most cities on the list reported zero murders.
• Broadview Heights is new to our list this year and blasted to the #1 spot.
• Olmsted Township, our #1 spot last year, Broadview Heights, and Bay Village reported zero murders, rapes and robberies.
• Five safest cities reported zero motor vehicle thefts.
• Brecksville was the only city that reported just one burglary.
• All of the top 10 safest cities reported less than 100 property crimes each. Many of them reported less than 60.
• Violent crime was 50% lower in the safest cities than the state average.

• 100 Safest Cities in the U.S.
• 10 Safest Big Cities in the U.S.
• Best Home Security Systems
• Best Home Security Cameras
• Best Video Doorbell Cameras
• Burglary Stats & Facts
• Over 50% Of All Burglaries Are Residential—How To Protect Your Family
• The Best Personal Safety Devices for Every Situation

Find all endnotes and sources in our full methodology.

FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed March 18, 2024.

• 2022 and 2021 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
  • Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
• 2022 NIBRS Estimation Tables

Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed March 18, 2024.

Gun Violence Archive, "Mass Shootings." Accessed March 18, 2023.