Study names three Ohio small cities among safest in America

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A recent study has revealed the safest small towns and cities in America, with three Ohio locations ranking high on the list. 

To determine the safest areas, MoneyGeek, a personal finance site, analyzed violent and property crime rates for 1,061 small towns and cities with populations between 30,000 and 100,000. The website sourced this data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

The company also considered the cost of crime in each town or city, using research from the University of Miami and the University of Colorado Denver. The cost of crime includes medical care expenses, property loss and the cost of putting a suspect on trial.

After analyzing these factors, MoneyGeek named central Ohio's Upper Arlington as the ninth safest municipality in the country. Other Ohio cities that made the top 20 include North Royalton -- a city south of Cleveland -- at No. 13, and Mason -- located between Cincinnati and Dayton -- at No. 20.

Six of the top 10 safest small towns and cities in the country were located in the northeast. Columbus, Indiana took the No. 1 spot. The Indiana city was followed by Wallingford, Connecticut; Lone Peak, Utah; Zionsville, Indiana; and Monroe Township, New Jersey. 

Ranking among the least safe locations were Pine Bluff, Arkansas, followed by Gary, Indiana; Petersburg, Virginia; Monroe, Louisiana; and Alexandria, Louisiana.