The 20 Safest Cities in Michigan — 2017

Michigan’s state police are celebrating 100 years of serving and protecting the state’s citizens this year, and the impressive records of our twenty safest cities are a credit to these men and women in blue. As a whole, Michigan has the eleventh-lowest property crime rate in the country, and the Wolverine State ranks thirty-fifth for violent crime.

Each of the safest cities that made our 2017 list boasts both violent and property crime rates that are significantly below the state and national averages. In fact, four of these cities reported absolutely no violent crimes, according to the FBI’s most recent data, and 95% had zero incidents of murder or nonnegligent manslaughter. Additionally, eight of these safe cities reported no murders and no incidents of rape.

Among our twenty safe cities, nineteen reported fewer than ninety property crimes, and all experienced fewer than two dozen burglaries. Both arson and motor vehicle theft were nearly nonexistent, with eighteen cities reporting fewer than six vehicle thefts and thirteen reporting zero counts of arson.

Six cities landed on our list for the first time this year, including our number-one safe city, Adrian Township. The mixture of repeat cities and those making their debut indicates a strong statewide commitment to cutting down on crime and ramping up public safety initiatives.

The Crime Prevention Association of Michigan (CPAM) helps cities all across the state add new techniques and programs to keep their city streets safe. Educational workshops like CPAM’s “Enhancing Your Crime Prevention and Security Program” help augment community safety by training law enforcement and private security officers about how to prevent, spot, and address potential security threats.

But you don’t have to be an official crime fighter to make a difference in your Michigan community. Identify ways you can join the effort by consulting our Michigan Safety Directory and do your part to help your city make the next Michigan safest cities list.

How We Chose the Safest Cities in Michigan 

To identify the safest cities in Michigan, we reviewed the most recent FBI Crime Report statistics from 2015, along with population data. We eliminated all cities with fewer than 5,000 residents as well as any cities that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI.

From there, we evaluated the remaining cities. We narrowed it down based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) and property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft) in each city. To further level the playing field, we calculated the likelihood of these crimes occurring out of 1,000 people in each city.

Learn more about how we rank our Safest Cities reports.

1. Adrian Township 

Previous Rank: Not ranked

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.16
Property Crime per 1,000: 1.26

2. Lapeer Township ↑

Previous Rank: 9

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.00
Property Crime per 1,000: 2.18

3. Kinross Township ↓

Previous Rank: 2

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.00
Property Crime per 1,000: 2.64

4. Thetford Township ↔

Previous Rank: 4

Violent Crime per 1,000: 1.34
Property Crime per 1,000: 1.48

5. Cambridge Township ↑

Previous Rank: 7

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.00
Property Crime per 1,000: 3.35 

6. Oakland Township

Previous Rank: Not ranked

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.31
Property Crime per 1,000: 3.05 

7. Grosse Ile Township ↓

Previous Rank: 6

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.10
Property Crime per 1,000: 3.35

8. Flushing Township ↑

Previous Rank: 11

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.58
Property Crime per 1,000: 3.80 

9. Hamburg Township ↑

Previous Rank: 10

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.50
Property Crime per 1,000: 3.89

10. Brandon Township

Previous Rank: Not ranked

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.96
Property Crime per 1,000: 3.64

11. South Lyon ↑

Previous Rank: 14

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.85
Property Crime per 1,000: 4.07

12. Beverly Hills ↑

Previous Rank: 19

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.10
Property Crime per 1,000: 5.15

13. Gaines Township ↓

Previous Rank: 3

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.00
Property Crime per 1,000: 5.31

14. Raisin Township ↓

Previous Rank: 1

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.13
Property Crime per 1,000: 5.28

15. Petoskey

Previous Rank: Not ranked

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.87
Property Crime per 1,000: 4.69

16. Huntington Woods ↑

Previous Rank: 50

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.31
Property Crime per 1,000: 5.64

17. Clawson ↓

Previous Rank: 16

Violent Crime per 1,000: 1.57
Property Crime per 1,000: 4.71

18. Oxford Township

Previous Rank: Not ranked

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.44
Property Crime per 1,000: 5.89

19. Napoleon Township ↑

Previous Rank: 24

Violent Crime per 1,000: 0.44
Property Crime per 1,000: 6.06

20. Springfield Township

Previous Rank: Not ranked

Violent Crime per 1,000: 1.32
Property Crime per 1,000: 5.40

 

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 safestcities@safewise.com.