The 20 Safest Cities in Ohio—2017

Alexia Chianis May 22, 2017

If you live in Ohio, or you’re thinking of moving there, you’ll be glad to hear that the Buckeye state’s overall crime rate decreased from 2014 to 2015, making it the twenty-fourth safest state. But these twenty Ohio communities boast crime rates far below the state—and national—averages.

According to the most recent FBI Crime Report, Ohioans living in any of the cities on our list had less than one out of 1,000 chance of experiencing a violent crime in 2015—almost 75% less than the national average. Equally impressive is the fact that only one of these safe cities reported more than seventeen violent crimes, and Montville Township reported none. We also applaud Bellevue, Poland Township, Hudson, and Hamilton Township in Warren County for having zero reports of murder, rape, or robbery.

Ohio’s top twenty safest cities didn’t report much property crime either, and the occurrence of burglaries was especially low. On average, they cited about twenty break-ins over the course of the year, and Chester Township reported less than five. This is remarkably few burglaries considering one takes place every twenty seconds in the United States.¹

With thirteen of the cities on this list having appeared in last year’s top twenty, we think it’s safe to say that the leaders, law enforcement officers, and citizens of these communities continue to work together to keep crime under control. That certainly seems to be the case in Brunswick, where Chief of Police Carl S. DeForest encourages police officers and citizens to “develop partnerships” to help solve community problems—whether they collaborate through initiatives like the Brunswick Citizens Police Academy, the ride-along program, or block watches.

Even if you live in a city where crime isn’t much of a concern, it’s important to learn as much as you can about personal safety and home security. A great resource is our Ohio Safety Directory, where you’ll find a variety of crime prevention information along with a color-coded map noting the most and least burglarized counties in the state.

How We Chose the Safest Cities in Ohio

To identify the safest cities in Ohio, we reviewed the most recent FBI Crime Report statistics from 2015, along with population data. We eliminated all cities with fewer than 2,000 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. Dover ↑

Previous Rank: 10

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.47
Property Crimes per 1,000: 2.95

2. Chester Township

Previous Rank: Not ranked

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.10
Property Crimes per 1,000: 3.37

3. Bay Village

Previous Rank: Not ranked

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.45
Property Crimes per 1,000: 3.05

4. Bellevue

Previous Rank: Not ranked

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.12
Property Crimes per 1,000: 3.86

5. Poland Township

Previous Rank: 5

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.08
Property Crimes per 1,000: 4.38 

6. Hudson

Previous Rank: 6

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.27
Property Crimes per 1,000: 4.36

7. Brecksville ↓

Previous Rank: 2

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.45
Property Crimes per 1,000: 4.32 

8. Olmsted Township

Previous Rank: 8

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.68
Property Crimes per 1,000: 4.53

9. Seven Hills

Previous Rank: 9

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.34
Property Crimes per 1,000: 5.14

10. Powell ↑

Previous Rank: 18

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.47
Property Crimes per 1,000: 5.41

11. North Ridgeville ↑

Previous Rank: 15

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.34
Property Crimes per 1,000: 5.57

12. Hamilton Township, Warren County

Previous Rank: 12

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.09
Property Crimes per 1,000: 5.88

13. Sagamore Hills

Previous Rank: 13

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.36
Property Crimes per 1,000: 6.01

14. Montville Township

Previous Rank: Not ranked

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.00
Property Crimes per 1,000: 6.47

15. Sylvania Township

Previous Rank: Not ranked

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.75
Property Crimes per 1,000: 6.48

16. Aurora ↑

Previous Rank: 22

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.38
Property Crimes per 1,000: 6.97

17. Clearcreek Township ↓

Previous Rank: 11

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.46
Property Crimes per 1,000: 7.04

18. Springboro ↓

Previous Rank: 17

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.55
Property Crimes per 1,000: 6.98

19. Fostoria

Previous Rank: Not ranked

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.99
Property Crimes per 1,000: 6.55

20. Brunswick ↓

Previous Rank: 19

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.49
Property Crimes per 1,000: 7.24

Didn’t see your city rank in the top 20?

Check the remaining cities below, and take a look at the most recent FBI crime data here.

21. Marysville	22. Solon	23. Canfield
24. Twinsburg	25. Berea	26. New Philadelphia
27. Orrville	28. Lawrence Township	29. Shawnee Township
30. Madison Township, Franklin County	31. Dublin9	32. Mason
33. Centerville	34. Parma	35. Westlake
36. Miamisburg	37. New Albany	38. American Township
39. Miami Township, Clermont County	40. Lyndhurst	41. Medina
42. Louisville	43. Wyoming	44. Upper Arlington
45. Perrysburg Township	46. Goshen Township, Clermont County	47. Clayton
48. Montgomery	49. Vermilion	50. Liberty Township
51. Ross Township	52. Highland Heights	53. Delhi Township
54. Lebanon	55. Norton	56. Weathersfield
57. North Canton	58. Streetsboro	59. Tipp City
60. Tiffin	61. Bath Township, Summit County	62. Kent
63. Wadsworth	64. Strongsville	65. Macedonia
66. Westerville	67. Gahanna	68. Medina Township
69. Athens	70. Kettering	71. Wapakoneta
72. Oregon	73. Bowling Green	74. Amherst
75. Eastlake	76. Willoughby	77. Springfield Township, Hamilton County
78. Tallmadge	79. Brimfield Township	80. Stow
81. University Heights	82. Beavercreek	83. Monroe
84. Mentor	85. Vandalia	86. Ashland
87. Riverside	88. Oxford	89. Cleveland Heights
90. Cuyahoga Falls	91. Bedford Heights	92. Howland Township
93. West Chester Township	94. East Cleveland	95. Delaware
96. Ironton	97. Richmond Heights	98. Blue Ash
99. Sugarcreek Township	100. Union Township, Clermont County

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.

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1. FBI: UCR, “Crime Clock”