Oklahoma’s 20 Safest Cities of 2024

See crime rates for the safest cities.

In our State of Safety report, 47% of Oklahomans expressed a high level of concern for their personal safety—the same as the national average. Across the board, survey respondents reported less personal experiences with crime and violence than in the previous survey year.

As with previous survey year, there's a disconnect between the self-reported crime experiences and Oklahoma's crime rates (sourced from FBI), which are higher than the national average. Still, crime rates in all 20 of Oklahoma's safest cities came in below state and national averages.

Oklahoma's violent crime rate rose slightly this year, increasing from 4.4 incidents per 1,000 people to 4.7. On the other hand, the property crime rate continued to drop this year from 26 per 1,000 to 23.9.

Oklahoma's crime rates remain above the national average this year. Among the states that met reporting requirements this year, Oklahoma has the fourteenth-highest violent crime rate and the tenth-highest property crime rate.

The state has reported lower property crime rates, and people in Oklahoma reported increasing concerns and experience with property crime this survey year. Larceny theft tends to be more prevalent in Oklahoma than in most other states, and residents rely more on dogs, security systems and firearms than the average American.

• The property crime rate in Oklahoma went down for the fourth consecutive year.
• 27% of Oklahomans reported personal experiences with property crime this year. This is over 25% less than the previous survey year (36%).
• Larceny theft accounts for 71% of all property crimes in The Sooner State.
• The safest cities experience 12% fewer burglaries than other Oklahoma cities.

• 79% of Oklahoma residents use some form of property protection, just above the 75% national average.
• The top forms of property protection in Oklahoma this survey year were dogs (49%), security cameras (37%), and firearms (39%).
  • This is higher than the respective national averages for dogs (US 33%) and firearms (US 28%).
• 33% say they have increased their security measures, which is lower than the national average (35%).
• 21% of Oklahomans say they use no form of property protection.
• 38% of Oklahoma respondents reported experiencing package theft in the 12 months prior to the survey. By comparison, the US average comes in at just 35%.
• 56% of participants expressed a high level of concern about package theft, which is more than the US average of 53%.

Just less than half of Oklahoma residents feel safe in their home state—similar to the average American. The Sooner State had more violent crimes compared to last year, though respondents reported less experiences with violent crime and gun violence.

• 44% of people in Oklahoma reported feeling safe in their state compared to 45% of Americans.
• 70% of survey respondents in Oklahoma say crime is increasing (US 73%) while 9% say it's decreasing (US 7%).
• 15% of Oklahoma residents reported having a personal experience with violent crime in the 12 months prior to the survey—38% less than the previous survey year.
• Violent crime has risen slightly since last year, making its numbers 19% higher than the national average.
• Murder is less common in Oklahoma than any other violent crime, making up about 1% of all violent crime (US 2%).
• Rape accounts for 21% of violent crimes in Oklahoma (US 11%). 

• 48% of survey participants use some kind of personal protection like a stun gun or pepper spray, compared to 36% nationally.
• The top forms of personal protection in Oklahoma this survey year were concealed firearms (50%), pocket knives (46%), and pepper spray (31%).
  • This is higher than the respective national averages for concealed firearms (US 41%) and pocket knives (US 42%).
• 0% of Oklahomans say they use no personal safety items compared to 3% of Americans.

• 47% of Oklahoma residents worry about gun violence—almost matching the US average (51%).
• The level of concern about gun violence hasn't changed since the year before.
• Experiences of gun violence went down 38% from the previous year.
• 10% of survey participants in Oklahoma reported personal experiences with gun violence. This is higher than the US average of 12%.

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.

• 154 cities met criteria to be considered for ranking.
• Elgin is Oklahoma's safest city for the sixth year in a row.
• Elgin and Hennessey are the only cities in the top 20 still holding their ranks from last year.
• Sayre made the biggest ranking jump in the top 20 this year (up 57 spots)—it landed at 14.
• All but one city in the top 20 reported zero murders.
• Three of the top cities reported zero murders, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults. These cities are Elgin, Burns Flat, and Hennessey.

• Best Home Security Systems
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• 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.