Georgia’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.

Violent crime and property crime rates decreased in Georgia year over year and fall close to the national averages. With that said, Georgians reported some of the highest levels of concern and first-hand experiences with crime across the board. 

With a violent crime rate of 3.9 and a property crime rate of 17.5, Georgia’s crime rates aren’t too far from national averages of 4.0 and 19.3, respectively. Compared to the previous reporting year, violent crime in The Peach State fell by around 3% and property crime decreased by nearly 13%. 

According to our latest State of Safety survey, Georgians have the second-highest level of concern about overall crime with 66% of respondents indicating their concern (50% US).

About 73% of Georgia residents feel concerned about property crime—the highest percentage in the nation—and 71% feel concerned about violent crime—the second-highest percentage in the nation. Georgians are also reported the third-highest levels of concern about package theft (65%) and were the fifth-most worried about gun violence (63%). 

Georgians reported the highest percentages of first-hand experiences with violent crime (26%) and gun violence (25%) in the nation. They also reported the fourth-highest percentage of property crime experiences (38%) and the tenth-highest percentage of package theft experiences (38%).

Around 42% of Georgians feel safe in their state, lower than the national average of 50%.

For our 2023 State of Safety Survey, we asked participants about their natural disaster concerns, preparations, and experiences. Most Georgians were worried about strong or high winds (68%), fire or smoke (62%), and extreme heat or cold (60%). 

Compared to the average American, Georgians were more likely to have some kind of disaster protection in place. The most popular options were emergency kits (47% GA, 44% US) and a family emergency plan (42% GA, 40% US).

About 13% of Georgians reported having to evacuate due to a natural disaster in the 12 months prior to the survey, which is the eighth-highest response in the nation and above the national average of 11%. 

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

View the complete 2023 State of Safety report.

 Violent crime in Georgia occurs at a rate of 3.9 crimes per 1,000 people, which is lower than the national average of 4.0. Although this represents a decrease of nearly 3% year over year, our State of Safety respondents reported an 86% increase in violent crime experiences.

• Georgia reported 892 murders in the last year, which is the fourth-highest in the US.
• Georgia ranks fifth in the nation for most robberies and aggravated assaults. 
• Violent crime represents 18% of all crime in Georgia, which is higher than the national average of 17%.
• 50% of Georgians use some form of personal protection (US 39%) with a concealed firearm leading the way at 46%. 
• 57% of Georgia residents say their personal safety has been affected by the pandemic, which is the highest percentage in the nation (US 44%).

• 63% of Georgians worry about gun violence, which is the fifth-highest percentage nationwide (47% US).
• 25% experienced gun violence in the 12 months prior to the survey, which is the highest percentage in the nation (12% US).
• Georgians' gun violence experiences increased 92% year over year. 
• 29 mass shooting events occurred in Georgia during the reporting year, which is a 32% increase compared to the previous year and the fifth-highest number in the nation.

Georgia experienced the a nearly 13% decrease in property crime during the 2023 reporting year. Our State of Safety survey results reflect the opposite trend, with respondents reporting a 138% increase in property crime experiences. 

• 38% of Georgians said they had experienced property crime in the 12 months prior to the survey, compared to 16% the previous year. 
• Georgia’s property crime rate of 17.5 sits below the national average of 19.3 and the South Atlantic average of 19.5. 
• Larceny-theft represents 76% of property crime in Georgia, which is 4 percentage points higher than the national average.
• Of the Georgia residents who use property protection, most prefer security cameras (50%) or security systems (47%).
• Of the Georgians who use some form of package theft prevention, most prefer doorbell cameras (40%).
• 44% of Georgians say the security of their property has been affected by the pandemic, which is the highest percentage in the nation (US 37%).

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.

• 98 Georgia cities met the criteria to be considered for ranking.
• Holly Springs is 1 of 7 new cities in the top 20, displacing Johns Creek from the top spot.
• Georgia's 20 safest cities have an average violent crime rate of 0.7 and an average property crime rate of 6.6. 
• Of the safest cities in Georgia that were repeats from last year, 5 experienced declines in both violent crime and property crime: Hampton, Johns Creek, Palmetto, Grovetown, and Dallas. 
• 6 of the 20 safest cities reported 5 or fewer violent crimes: Holly Springs (0), Kingsland (4), Hampton (5), Barnesville (5), Palmetto (4), and Folkston (3).
• Barnesville reported 0 burglaries.
• Douglas, Folkston, and Flowery Branch reported 0 motor vehicle thefts.
• Johns Creek also appears on our list of the safest cities for raising a family.

We calculated crime rates for every city in the state that met our population threshold, based on the state’s median population as calculated using FBI data. To request a report of the remaining cities in your state email info@safewise.com with the subject line: Safest Cities Full Report.

NOTE: If your city is missing from our full report, it means that it was below the population threshold or didn’t submit a complete crime report to the FBI in 2021.

• 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.