Arkansas’ 20 Safest Cities of 2018

For the third year in a row, Arkansas is showing itself to be a leader in fostering safe communities, with the city of Greenbrier again leading the way. Greenbrier, which also made our list of the 100 Safest Cities in the US, boasts record lows of zero violent crimes according to the 2016 FBI crime reports. This is especially impressive considering the reports showed a 4.1% increase in violent crime across the United States.

Greenbrier isn’t the only city in The Natural State that’s helping to keep the state’s safety record in good shape. Ten more cities made our list for a second year. The cities of Shannon Hills and Vilonia are not only on our list again but have also moved up in our safety rankings, with less than 0.5 violent crimes per 1,000 people.

Another impressive fact coming out of this year’s safety data: even some of Arkansas’ bigger cities are among the safest in the country. Bentonville, with a population over 46,000, is most famous for being the birthplace of Walmart—but it should also be famous for its safety record. Not only is this Bentonville’s second year on our Safest Cities list but it has also lowered its violent crime rate to less than two violent crimes per 1,000 people.

Whether you’re in a more urban area like Bentonville, or in the suburbs of Little Rock like Maumelle and Cabot (both of which have made our list again this year), or you’re in a town closer to Arkansas’ natural wonders like Cave Springs (which is new to our list this year), this Land of Opportunity offers a lot of great options.

For even more information and resources on staying safe in Arkansas, see our Arkansas Home Security and Crime Prevention Directory, where you’ll find tips on emergency preparedness, crime prevention, and more.

The 20 Safest Cities in Arkansas

How We Chose the Safest Cities in Arkansas

To identify the twenty safest cities in Arkansas, we reviewed the 2016 FBI crime report statistics and population data. Cities that fell below identified population thresholds or that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI were excluded from the ranking system.

Our evaluation is based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape,

and robbery) in each city. If there was a tie, we also factored in the number of property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft). To level the playing field, we calculated the rate of crimes per 1,000 people in each city. This makes it easier to directly compare the likelihood of these crimes occurring in cities with vastly different populations.

Learn more about how we rank our Safest Cities Reports.

How to Make a Safe Home Anywhere

Wherever you live, feeling safe in your home can bring greater peace of mind and happiness. Whether your city made our list or not, we recommend adding extra security to your home with monitored security services provided by the nation’s leading home security providers.

To learn more about the home security options available to you, check out SafeWise’s picks for  Best Home Security Systems of 2018.

If you would like to contact a SafeWise Safest Cities Analyst, please email info@safewise.com.