Ohio’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.

In our latest State of Safety survey, 51% of respondents in Ohio reported concern for their safety. This is about the same as the national average of 50%.

This is surprising since the state falls below national averages for both violent crime and property crime. Property crime stayed the same year over year, and violent crime rose by just 0.3 incidents per 1,000 residents. Ohio's 20 safest cities saw only a fraction of the state rates for both crime categories.

Although Ohio's violent crime rate is relatively low compared to most states, it had a small increase from 3.1 crimes per 1,000 people to 3.4 this year. Last year, the state's property crime rate followed national downward trends, moving from 20.6 per 1,000 people to 18.5. This year it holds steady at 18.5.

People in Ohio tend to feel less safe in their home state than the average American. This isn't surprising since the respondents reported an above-average experience with violent crime and gun violence. 

• 46% of people in Ohio reported feeling safe in their state compared to 50% of Americans.
• 21% of Ohio respondents reported having a personal experience with violent crime in the 12 months prior to the survey (US 15%). That's up 31% from the year before.
• Murder is the least-common violent crime in The Buckeye State, making up 2% of violent crimes (US 2%).
• 39% of survey participants report using some form of personal protection like pepper spray—the same as the US average (39%).
• The most common form of protection (41%) was pocket knives.
• 39% of Ohioans say their personal safety has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 44% of Americans. 

• 50% of Ohio residents named gun violence as a safety concern—well above the US average of 47%.
• 16% of survey respondents reported experiencing gun violence in the 12 months prior to the survey—higher than the national average of 12%.
• There were 19 mass shootings in Ohio. This number decreased this year by 40%.
• 38% of Ohioans said they use a concealed firearm for protection (US 41%).

There was an increase in personal encounters with property crime in Ohio this year. It rose 38%. There was also a large increase in experiences with package theft, rising 84%. 

• 29% of Ohio residents told us they personally experienced property crime this year, up from last year (21%).
• Burglary accounts for 15% of all property crimes in The Buckeye State (US 14%).
• 35% of respondents reported experiencing package theft—almost matching the US average (34%).
• 29% of people in Ohio use no form of property protection. This is substantially higher than the 24% national average.
• The most popular form of property protection is security cameras (39%).
• 34% of respondents say the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the security of their property—this is higher than the US average of 28%.

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.

• All of the safest cities reported less than one violent crime per 1,000 residents.
• Olmsted Township jumped three spots to earn our #1 spot and reported zero violent crime for the second year in a row. Clearcreek Township was the only other city to report zero violent crimes.
• All of the safest cities reported less than 180 property crimes each. Many of them reported less than 60.
• 2 cities, New Philadelphia and Brecksville, reported zero motor vehicle thefts. 
• Zero murders were reported among the top eight safest cities.
• Six of the top 10 safest cities reported zero rapes.
• Violent crime was 92% lower and property crime was 78% lower in the safest cities than the state average.

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

• Best Home Security Systems
• Best Home Security Cameras
• Best Video Doorbell Cameras
• 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.