Georgia, also known as the Empire of the South, is famous for its luscious peaches, its aviation history, the headquarters of Coca-Cola—and, in 2017, for a political spat over its safety record.
After civil rights leader and Georgia congressman John Lewis criticized Donald Trump, the president shot back with tweets accusing Lewis’s district—which includes three-fourths of Atlanta—of being “crime infested” and “in horrible shape and falling apart.”1
But a state’s safety record is worth more than 140 characters. Atlanta’s elected officials have worked hard to make their city safer by hiring more police officers to patrol neighborhoods, with their workforce growing from 1,600 officers in 2009 to 2,000 in 2013. And it’s paid off: although Atlanta’s murder rate has crept higher over the past few years, its overall crime rate—including robberies, burglaries, and aggravated assaults—has fallen an astounding 27% since 2009.2
Even more impressive than Atlanta’s progress are the safety records of the Peach State’s safest cities, based on the 2016 FBI Uniform Crime Reports (the most recent available). Although Georgia has higher-than-average rates of violent crimes, the fifty cities on this list have at least 40% fewer violent crimes than the national average. The three safest cities have over 90% fewer crimes than the national rate! There were zero homicides in thirty-six of these fifty cities—including Johns Creek, Dunwoody, Thomasville, Kennesaw, and Pooler. Even when including other violent crimes, on average these cities had fewer than three violent crimes per 1,000 people.
The police force of Georgia’s safest city, Summerville, deserves a round of applause. With only one violent crime and forty-one property crimes in 2016, they’ve clearly demonstrated their commitment to public safety.
You might recognize Senoia, the fourth-safest city in Georgia, from movies like Driving Miss Daisy, Footloose, and Fried Green Tomatoes. Happily, the city is as safe as it is picturesque, with less than 0.5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents—nearly 90% lower than the national average.
Review our full list to see if your hometown ranks as one of Georgia’s fifty safest cities. And if you’re looking for ways to make your community safer, check out our Georgia Safety Directory for resources on everything from crime prevention to fire safety to domestic violence awareness.
The 10 Safest Cities in Georgia
1. Summerville
Population: 4,442
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.23
Property crimes per 1,000: 9.23
Total crime: 2.44% violent, 97.56% property
2. Milton
Population: 38,551
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.26
Property crimes per 1,000: 8.77
Total crime: 2.96% violent, 97.04% property
3. Johns Creek
Population: 84,629
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.32
Property crimes per 1,000: 8.12
Total crime: 3.93% violent, 96.07% property
4. Senoia
Population: 4,233
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.47
Property crimes per 1,000: 10.87
Total crime: 4.35% violent, 95.65% property
5. Peachtree City
Population: 35,387
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.54
Property crimes per 1,000: 15.40
Total crime: 3.49% violent, 96.52%
6. Alpharetta
Population: 64,943
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.54
Property crimes per 1,000: 20.14
Total crime: 2.68% violent, 97,32% property
7. Tyrone
Population: 7,243
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.69
Property crimes per 1,000: 9.94
Total crime: 6.94% violent, 93.06% property
8. Dallas
Population: 13,135
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.84
Property crimes per 1,000: 15.07
Total crime: 5.56% violent, 94.44% property
9. Flowery Branch
Population: 6,895
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.87
Property crimes per 1,000: 22.48
Total crime: 3.87% violent, 96.13% property
10. Grovetown
Population: 13,469
Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.89
Property crimes per 1,000: 13,29
Total crime: 6.70% violent, 93.30% property
The Rest of the Top 50 Safest Cities in Georgia
| Rank | City | Population | Violent Crime (per 1,000) | Property Crime (per 1,000) | Total Crime: Violent % |
Total Crime: Property %
|
| 11 | Woodstock | 31,243 | 0.96 | 19.75 | 4.86% | 95.14% |
| 12 | Loganville | 11,409 | 0.96 | 31.82 | 3.03% | 96.97% |
| 13 | Holly Springs | 11,034 | 1.00 | 19.85 | 5.02% | 94.98% |
| 14 | Suwanee | 19,432 | 1.03 | 33.86 | 3.04% | 96.96% |
| 15 | Sandy Springs | 107,685 | 1.09 | 26.35 | 4.12% | 95.88% |
| 16 | Braselton | 9,912 | 1.11 | 8.58 | 12.94% | 87.06% |
| 17 | Chatsworth | 4,362 | 1.15 | 6.65 | 17.24% | 82.76% |
| 18 | Byron | 5,222 | 1.15 | 23.75 | 4.84% | 95.16% |
| 19 | Cumming | 5,772 | 1.21 | 47.99 | 2.53% | 97.47% |
| 20 | McDonough | 23,675 | 1.27 | 30.71 | 4.13% | 95.87% |
| 21 | Fayetteville | 17,157 | 1.28 | 30.48 | 4.21% | 95.79% |
| 22 | Jefferson | 10,340 | 1.35 | 21.57 | 6.28% | 93.72% |
| 23 | Jackson | 4,966 | 1.41 | 19.53 | 7.22% | 92.78% |
| 24 | McRae-Helena | 8,786 | 1.48 | 18.32 | 8.07% | 91.93% |
| 25 | Roswell | 95,684 | 1.49 | 17.79 | 8.40% | 91.60% |
| 26 | Cairo | 9,772 | 1.53 | 28.04 | 5.47% | 94.53% |
| 27 | Locust Grove | 5,862 | 1.54 | 66.87 | 2.30% | 97.70% |
| 28 | Dunwoody | 49,232 | 1.58 | 41.98 | 3.77% | 96.23% |
| 29 | Port Wentworth | 8,177 | 1.59 | 15.16 | 10.48% | 89.52% |
| 30 | Centerville | 7,657 | 1.70 | 32.39 | 5.24% | 94.76% |
| 31 | Richmond Hill | 12,520 | 1.76 | 17.97 | 9.78% | 90.22% |
| 32 | Thomasville | 18,773 | 1.81 | 52.26 | 3.47% | 96.53% |
| 33 | Decatur | 22,449 | 1.83 | 23.39 | 7.81% | 92.19% |
| 34 | Acworth | 22,467 | 1.91 | 25.37 | 7.54% | 92.46% |
| 35 | Kennesaw | 34,204 | 1.93 | 17.75 | 10.87% | 89.13% |
| 36 | Glennville | 5,068 | 1.97 | 26.44 | 7.46% | 92.54% |
| 37 | Auburn | 7,621 | 2.10 | 17.85 | 11.76% | 88.24% |
| 38 | Hampton | 7,451 | 2.15 | 16.64 | 12.90% | 87.10% |
| 39 | Pooler | 24,006 | 2.17 | 29.12 | 7.44% | 92.56% |
| 40 | Folkston | 5,349 | 2.24 | 19.26 | 11.65% | 88.35% |
| 41 | Madison | 4,034 | 2.48 | 40.41 | 6.13% | 93.87% |
| 42 | Adairsville | 4,804 | 2.50 | 28.73 | 8.70% | 91.30% |
| 43 | Canton | 25,985 | 2.50 | 22.71 | 11.02% | 88.98% |
| 44 | Lafayette | 7,185 | 2.51 | 39.81 | 6.29% | 93.71% |
| 45 | Bremen | 6,380 | 2.51 | 42.16 | 5.95% | 94.05% |
| 46 | Temple | 4,329 | 2.54 | 25.87 | 9.82% | 90.18% |
| 47 | Camilla | 5,080 | 2.56 | 46.65 | 5.49% | 94.51% |
| 48 | Calhoun | 16,439 | 2.62 | 38.87 | 6.73% | 93.27% |
| 49 | Kingsland | 16,597 | 2.65 | 22.71 | 11.67% | 88.33% |
| 50 | Social Circle | 4,414 | 2.72 | 19.03 | 14.29% | 85.71% |
How We Chose the Safest Cities in Georgia
To identify the fifty safest cities in Georgia, 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 Safe Is Your Home?
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 or select the city nearest you in the drop down menu below.
If you would like to contact a SafeWise Safest Cities Analyst, please email info@safewise.com.
1. CNN, “Atlanta Hasn’t Forgotten That Trump Called It ‘Crime Infested’ and in ‘Horrible Shape’”
2. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Murders in Atlanta Are Way Up, but Overall Crime Is Way Down”
Written by Christa Baxter
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mike s