Connecticut’s 20 Safest Cities of 2023

The SafeWise Team is pleased to release the ninth annual Safest Cities report.

See if your city made the full list.

Connecticut is one of just seventeen states to experience a decrease in both property crime and violent crime year over year. The Constitution State boasts the third-lowest violent crime rate and the eleventh-lowest property crime rate in the US. 

Connecticut’s violent crime rate of 1.6 incidents per 1,000 people represents an 11% decrease compared to the previous year. Although The Constitution State's property crime rate also decreased year over year, it remains the highest property crime rate in the New England region. 

Our latest State of Safety survey revealed that Connecticut residents are less worried about overall crime than the average American. Connecticuters reported the fourth-lowest levels of concern in the nation about package theft in particular.

About 8% Connecticut residents think crime is decreasing, which matches the national sentiment. Approximately 59% of Connecticuters feel safe in their state, which is nine percentage points higher than the national average and the eleventh-highest perception of safety in the nation.

For our 2023 State of Safety Survey, we asked participants about their natural disaster concerns, preparations, and experiences. Connecticuters were most worried about strong or high winds (58% CT, 62% US) and least concerned about earthquakes (33% CT, 40% US).

Connecticuters' emergency preparedness strategies typically aligned with national tendencies. Emergency kits (43% CT, 44% US) and a family emergency plan (40% CT, 40% US) were the most common. 

Around 8% of Connecticut residents reported having to evacuate for a natural disaster in the 12 months prior to the survey, which is 3 percentage points lower than the national average.

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

View the complete 2023 State of Safety report.

Connecticut’s violent crime rate of 1.6 represents nearly 12% decrease year over year. It's also the third-lowest rate in the US and in the New England region.

That said, 13% of Connecticut residents claimed to have experienced a violent crime in the 12 months prior to the survey, which represents a 245% increase year over year. 

• Violent crime makes up 10% of all crime in Connecticut, which is 7 percentage points lower than the national average and puts the state in a 2-way tie for the second-lowest percentage in the US.
• Robbery accounts for 33% of violent crime in Connecticut, which is the highest percentage in the nation and 18 percentage points above the national average.
• Connecticut has the lowest number of officer-involved subject injuries or deaths in the nation (4 total).
• 32% of Connecticut residents use some form of personal protection (US 39%), and pepper spray is the most popular choice at 47%.

• 38% of Connecticuters worry about gun violence (47%).
• 13% experienced gun violence in the 12 months prior to the survey (12% US).
• Connecticuters' gun violence experiences increased 97% year over year.
• Of the Connecticut residents who use some form of personal protection, 22% carry concealed firearms (41% US).
• Connecticut experienced a 50% increase in mass shootings year over year (from 2 to 3).

Connecticut’s property crime rate of 15.1 is the highest of any New England state but lower than the national average of 19.3. It also represents a nearly 4% decrease in FBI-reported property crime rates compared to the previous reporting year.

Our survey results also showed an increase in personal experiences with property crime in The Constitution State. 

• 26% of Connecticut residents claim to have experienced property crime in the 12 months prior to the survey, which represents an 25% increase compared to the previous year. 
• 36% of Connecticuters reported having experienced package theft in the 12 months prior to the survey, which is higher than the national average of 34% and represents a 66% increase year over year.
• Of the Connecticut residents who use some form of property protection, 38% report using a security system and 35% rely on security cameras. 
• 31% of Connecticut residents reported taking no steps to prevent package theft. 29% reported using a doorbell camera.
• Hartford appeared in our Worst Cities for Package Theft report.

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.

• 47 Connecticut cities met the criteria to be considered for ranking.
• The top 3 cities—Ridgefield, Simsbury, and Newtown—are the same top 3 cities as last year but in different positions.
• Of Connecticut’s 20 safest cities, only Simsbury, Wallingford, Norwalk, and Branford experienced a decrease in both violent crime and property crime rates compared to the previous reporting year.
• Aggravated assault was the most common violent crime in The Constitution State’s safest cities, but 5 reported 3 or fewer. Simsbury reported 0.
• 4 of Connecticut’s safest cities reported fewer than 10 burglaries: Ridgefield (3), Simsbury (6), Newtown (6) and New Milford (8).
• Ridgefield and Newtown also appeared on our last 100 Safest Cities in America.
• Danbury also appeared on our list of the 50 Safest Cities to Raise a Family.
• Danbury and Middletown also appeared on our list of the 50 Safest College Towns in America.

Click on the state image or dropdown menu below to check out the safest cities for each state.

• Best Home Security Systems
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• Burglary Stats & Facts
• The Most Burglarized City in Every State
• The Best Personal Safety Devices for Every Situation
• The State of Safety in America in 2022

FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed February 6, 2023.

• 2021 and 2020 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
  • Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
• 2021 NIBRS Estimation Tables

FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, "Offenses Known to Law Enforcement [2019]." Accessed February 6, 2023.

Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed February 6, 2023.

US Census Bureau, "2021: ACS 5-Year Estimates Subject Tables." Accessed February 6, 2023.

US Census Bureau, "2021: ACS 5-Year Estimates Detailed Tables." Accessed February 6, 2023.

SafeWise, "2022 State of Safety survey." Accessed February 6, 2023.

Gun Violence Archive, "General Methodology." Accessed February 6, 2023.

Gun Violence Archive, "Past Summary Ledgers." Accessed January 3, 2023.

Gun Violence Archive, "Congress."

• 2022 totals: Accessed January 3, 2023.
• 2021 and 2020 totals: Accessed December 19, 2022.