Indiana’s Safest Cities of 2024

Cathy Habas
Mar 18, 2024
bullet3 min read
SafeWise is pleased to release the 10th annual Safest Cities report.

Here are the 10 Safest Cities in Indiana for 2024

See crime rates for the safest cities.

Indiana has plenty to be proud of this year despite slight increases in violent crime and property crime. The state still comes in among the lowest in the country for per capita crime overall. And the safest cities in Indiana boast even lower incidence of crime.

In this report

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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 2022.

2024 Indiana crime rates

Image: SafeWise

Indiana saw a small rise in property crime year over year (from 16.6 to 16.8), following nationwide trends. Despite that bump, the state still lands 19% below the nationwide property crime rate of 20.7 incidents per 1,000. Violent crime in Indiana increased from 3.1 incidents per 1,000 people to 3.7, but it still falls 6% below the nationwide violent crime rate of 4.0. 

Despite having lower than average crime rates, fewer Hoosiers feel safe in their state (40%) than the national average (45%). That represents a 9% decrease in Indiana's overall sense of safety year over year. 

Property crime in Indiana: Fear vs. reality

Indiana’s property crime rate of 16.8 incidents per 1,000 people is lower than the national average (20.7) but it's a small rise from our 2023 report. Despite that bump, Indiana still has the fourteenth lowest property crime rate in the country.

The Hoosiers we talked to in our State of Safety survey felt just as concerned about property crime as the average American, with 52% reporting daily levels of concern. That said, 26% of Hoosiers claimed to have experienced property crime in the 12 months prior to the survey, which is lower than the national average of 27%.

  • Indiana has a smaller proportion of property crime (82%) than the national average (84%).
  • Nearly 4 in 10 (37%) Indiana respondents told us they increased their security measures in the 12 months prior to our survey (US 35%).
  • Of the Hoosiers who use some form of property protection (69%), most preferred guard dogs (33%) followed by firearms and security cameras (32% each).
  • Package theft concerns 57% of Indiana residents (US 53%).
  • 31% of Hoosiers claimed to have experienced a package theft in the 12 months prior to the survey, which is lower than the national average of 35% and represents a decrease of 26% year over year.
  • When asked about their package theft prevention strategies, 31% of survey respondents said they use a doorbell camera and 26% ask the delivery person to drop packages in a safe location.

What security measures are used most in Indiana?

Security measures used most in Indiana: guard dogs, firearms, security cameras.

Image: SafeWise


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What crimes are Indiana residents concerned about most?

Image: SafeWise

Violent crime in Indiana: Fear vs. reality

Indiana’s violent crime rate of 3.7 is below the national average of 4.0 and represents a 6% increase year over year. Indiana still comes in with the nineteenth lowest violent crime rate in the US. 

Conversely, our State of Safety Survey results reflected a decrease in high concern about violent crime, from 49% in last year's report to 47%. However, we saw an increase in the number of Indiana residents claiming to have experienced a violent crime in the 12 months prior to the survey—rising from 11% to 14% year over year.

  • 74% of survey respondents think crime is increasing, just 1 point higher than the national average.
  • Indiana reports a higher proportion of violent crimes than the rest of the US. It makes up 18% of all crime in the state, compared to 16% of all crime nationwide.
  • 33% of Indiana residents who participated in our survey use some form of personal protection (US 36%).
  • Of the Hoosiers who use personal protection, most (67%) prefer concealed firearms and pocket knives (52%).

Attitudes about gun violence in Indiana

  • 51% of Indiana survey respondents told us they're highly concerned about gun violence, up from 49% last year (US 51%).
  • 12% experienced gun violence in the 12 months prior to the survey, matching the nationwide average and two points higher than last year.
  • Of the Indiana residents who use some form of personal protection, 67% use concealed firearms, compared to 41% nationwide.
  • 32% rely on a firearm for property protection, compared to 28% across the US.
  • 16 mass shooting events occurred in Indiana during 2023, one more than was reported in 2022.

A closer look at the safest cities in Indiana

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.

  • 51 Indiana cities met the criteria for ranking this year.
  • Zionsville moved into the top spot from second place last year.
  • Frankfort, Cedar Lake, and Chesterton all joined the top 10 for the first time this year.
  • Every safest city reported fewer than 2 violent crimes per 1,000 people, and 8 reported fewer than 1.
  • Fishers and Carmel each have populations exceeding 100,000, making their low crime rates even more impressive.
  • Munster made the biggest move—jumping 11 spots to land at number 5 this year.
  • The safest cities reported 53% fewer burglaries than the rest of the state, with Zionsville and Chesterton reporting the fewest at 3 and 4 respectively.

The 10 safest cities in Indiana

Map of Safest Cities in Indiana 2024

Image: SafeWise

Zionsville, Indiana
#1
Zionsville
(
+1
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    32,575
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.1, 0.3, 0.5
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    3.7, 3.6, 3.0
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Frankfort, Indiana
#2
Frankfort
(
New
)
  • bullet
    Population
    16,572
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.4, N/A, 0.4
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    3.1, N/A, 10.4
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Dyer, Indiana
#3
Dyer
(
-0-
)
  • bullet
    Population
    16,351
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.3, 0.2, 0.1
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    3.5, 5.0, 3.2
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
#4
Cedar Lake
(
New
)
  • bullet
    Population
    15,271
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    1.0, N/A, 1.9
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    4.2, N/A, 9.7
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Munster, Indiana
#5
Munster
(
+6
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    23,628
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.5, 1.2, 0.8
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    8.7, 8.9 11.6
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Fishers, Indiana
#6
Fishers
(
-1
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    102,921
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.7, 0.8, 0.7
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    7.6, 6.7, 6.5
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Westfield, Indiana
#7
Westfield
(
-0-
)
  • bullet
    Population
    54,552
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.8, 0.8, 0.5
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    7.6, 7.5, 7.5
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Carmel, Indiana
#8
Carmel
(
-4
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    101,670
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.6, 0.5, 0.5
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    8.3, 6.5, 5.9
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Brownsburg, Indiana
#9
Brownsburg
(
-3
bullet
)
  • bullet
    Population
    31,072
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    0.8, 0.7, 0.8
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    8.4, 8.0, 9.6
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime
Chesterton, Indiana
#10
Chesterton
(
New
)
  • bullet
    Population
    14,487
  • bullet
    VC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    1.9, N/A, 1.3
  • bullet
    PC Rate 2024, 2023, 2022
    4.1, N/A, 5.9
  • bullet
    VC=Violent crime, PC=Property crime

How we determined the safest cities

Learn how we identified the safest cities on our methodology page.

How to make a safe home anywhere

Over 6 in 10 Americans surveyed don't have a home security system, despite over 50% of all burglaries being residential. Unfortunately, a majority of people who have a security system added it after they had a break-in. One of the best ways to stop a burglary before it happens—and get immediate help if a break-in is detected—is to add a monitored home security system.

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Get a home security system

Find out which companies we recommend for every budget and lifestyle in our roundup of the Best Home Security Systems—and learn the basics with our guide on Everything You Need to Know About Home Security

Find security and safety resources in your area

Find the safest cities in each state

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

Related articles on SafeWise


Endnotes and sources

Find all endnotes and sources in our full methodology.

FBI Crime Data Explorer, "Documents & Downloads." Accessed March 18, 2024.

  • 2022 and 2021 Crime in the United States Annual Reports
    • Offenses Known to Law Enforcement
  • 2022 NIBRS Estimation Tables

Bureau of Justice Statistics, "National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)." Accessed March 18, 2024.

Gun Violence Archive, "Mass Shootings." Accessed March 18, 2023.

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Cathy Habas
Written by
Cathy Habas
With over eight years of experience as a content writer, Cathy has a knack for untangling complex information. Her natural curiosity and ability to empathize help Cathy offer insightful, friendly advice. She believes in empowering readers who may not feel confident about a purchase, project, or topic. Cathy earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Indiana University Southeast and began her professional writing career immediately after graduation. She is a certified Safe Sleep Ambassador and has contributed to sites like Safety.com, Reviews.com, Hunker, and Thumbtack. Cathy’s pride and joy is her Appaloosa “Chacos.” She also likes to crochet while watching stand-up comedy specials on Netflix.

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