Idaho’s Safest Cities of 2024

See crime rates for the safest cities.

Idaho boasts some of the lowest violent and property crime rates in the nation, and its property crime rate got even better this year—making it the lowest in the land. Most Idahoans feel safe in The Gem State (68%) and were some of the least likely Americans to have experienced property crime or gun violence in the 2024 reporting year.

Idaho’s violent crime and property crime rates fall well below the national and regional averages. The Gem State's violent crime rate held strong at 2.5 incidents per 1,000 people and its property crime rate fell a full percentage point year over year, from 10.5 to 9.5 incidents per 1,000.

We asked Idaho residents which crimes they worry may happen to them. See if Idahoans are concerned about the same crime issues as the rest of the country.

Idaho’s property crime rate of 9.5 is the lowest in the nation. Idaho saw a nearly 10% decrease in property crime year over year. 

Following suit, concern about and experience of property crime also dropped this year. Of Idaho respondents to our State of Safety survey, 23% claimed they experienced property crime in the 12 months prior to the survey—an 8% increase year over year. Likewise, worry about property crime fell three percentage points, from 38% to 35%.

• Idaho's safest cities report even lower rates of property crime, with a collective rate of 6.2 incidents per 1,000 people.
• Although Idaho has the lowest property crime rate in the US, it reports a higher proportion of burglaries and thefts than the nation overall.
• 35% of Idaho respondents claimed to have experienced package theft in the 12 months prior to our survey, which is a year over year increase of 17%.
• Of the Idaho residents who use some form of property protection (77%), firearms are the most popular at 39%, followed by guard dogs (34%) and security cameras (30%).
• "None of the above" was the most common response (32%) among Idaho residents when asked about their package theft prevention strategies. Otherwise, popular methods include using doorbell cameras (30%), asking to leave the package in a safe spot (27%) or using verified delivery (22%).

Violent crime held steady year over year in Idaho, remaining at 2.5 incidents per 1,000 people. That lands Idaho as the seventh-lowest in the nation—two spots better than last year. 

Alternatively, our State of Safety survey saw concern over violent crime climb 15%. Experience with it skyrocketed 250% year over year, from 4% to 14% of Idahoans that claimed to have experienced violent crime in the 12 months prior to the survey. That’s just one percentage point lower than the national average. 

• 3 in 10 (31%) Idahoans are highly concerned about violent crime.
• The safest cities report just 1.2 violent crime incidents per 1,000, collectively.
• Robbery accounts for 7% of all violent crime in Idaho, which is 60% lower than the national average of 16%.
• Rape accounts for 20%  of violent crime in Idaho (down from 23% last year), which is 89% higher than the national average of 11%. 
• 45% of Idaho residents use some form of personal protection (US 36%), with pocket knives (60%) leading the way, followed by concealed firearms at 49%.

• 29% of Idaho residents worry about gun violence, which is 5 percentage points higher than last year (US 51%).
• Experience with gun violence in the 12 months prior to the survey jumped from 2% to 9% (12% US).
• Idaho residents' gun violence experiences increased 350% year over year.
• For the first time three years, Idaho saw a mass shooting incident.

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.

• Rexburg is the safest city in Idaho for the third year in a row.
• Half of this year's safest cities are new to the list: Weiser, Fruitland, Kimberly, Shelley, and Rigby.
• Every city on the list reported zero murders except for Rexburg and Sandpoint, with one each.
• 70% of the safest cities reported fewer than 10 total violent crimes. 
• Meridian's population is over 100,000 people more than any other city on the list—a testament to its track record for minimizing per capita crime.
• Preston is the only city to report zero burglaries.

• 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.