The Safest Cities in Idaho

Being concerned for your safety is nothing unnatural. Your worries might have been exactly why you chose Idaho as a potential choice for your new home. It is, after all, one of the safer states in America, according to most sources. Idaho has also climbed the ladders towards being one of the better states to live in in the U.S. generally speaking. Keeping in mind the improvement they have made, and all the great cross-country movers they offer, how could you not consider moving there? With a good economy, great fiscal stability, and excellent average crime rates, Idaho is a state to look forward to. So let’s go ahead and check out the safest cities in Idaho with all their mountainous glory. Keep in mind that this list has been made according to crime rates, and sorted from low to higher (not really high) crime rates.

General Crime Rates in Idaho

Both violent and property crime rates in Idaho are plenty below the national average. The violent crime rate is 2.4 per 1,000, compared to the 4.0 national average.  On the other hand, the property crime rate in Idaho is 11.1 (also per 1,000), while America’s average is 19.6. According to SafeWise, Idaho’s citizens are not very concerned about their safety. That is a very uncommon trait for cities in America, which is what inspired us to create this list of Idaho’s safest cities. That might be why you shouldn’t waste any time and hook up with some good cross-country movers in Idaho to help you with your move. Literally, the state is listed as one of the least concerned in America. That’s not to say that there is no crime in Idaho at all, but it is significantly less prominent than the usual rates we can see throughout the country.

Most Idahoans don’t think they will experience property crime at all. There is only about 31% of them that think that they might experience such a thing. Not to mention that property crime is the type of crime they are most worried about. Violent crime and property crime come in pretty close though, with 30% of residents being concerned about falling victim to such a crime. There are still things to be worried about when it comes to the safest cities in Idaho. Looking at the small rate of violent crime, 19% of the violent crime has been rape. If we compare that to the 10% national average, our situation isn’t all that perfect anymore. Although, definitely keep in mind that we are looking at a smaller general violent crime rate, meaning that the chances overall are smaller for something like that to happen.

Lochsa River in Idaho, near one of the safest cities in Idaho
Idaho’s nature and beauty never disappoint.

Rexburg, one of the safest cities in Idaho

Let’s finally move on to cities that fall into the category of one of the well-secured cities of Idaho. Rexburg is a smaller city located in the county of Madison. Rexburg is mostly suburban and is awesome for people that don’t like their neighbors particularly close to them. Meaning there is a lot more space to play with, making it one of the best family-friendly USA neighborhoods. One of the main things that make Rexburg a good choice to live in is the crime rate. The annual number of violent crimes in Rexburg is 9, amounting to an astonishing 0.23 violent crime rate per 1,000 residents. That is just incredibly low, don’t you agree? Alternatively, there have been about 100 property crimes, which is also very low for the usual standards. This city’s property crime rate is then equal to 2.56 per 1,000.

One very important thing that we didn’t mention is that Rexburg has been declared the safest city in Idaho several times. That’s exactly why it’s on our list of the safest cities in Idaho. The mentioned city has also seen a lot of growth in the past few years. That shouldn’t be very surprising though since Idaho is one of the top inbound states for relocation. Meaning that a lot of people are eagerly relocating to Rexburg in order to live safer lives. Keep in mind that you would live a bit more secluded here since Rexburg is in the Rocky Mountains.

Hailey

We have moved onto an even smaller city with a population of 8,000. Sadly, this city has not had many new residents coming in so moving here would mean that there is a much bigger chance of you meeting that annoying person from work again. Interestingly enough, Hailey’s crime rate has been declining in the past few years. Seems like the few residents they have really just have no need for any kind of violence. The violent crime rate is 1.6, whilst it was 2.3 in 2021. The property crime rate in Hailey is actually lower than Rexburg’s, being 2.2. Let us just remind you that the national average for property crime is 19.6. The difference is quite obvious. A few other facts worth considering is that Hailey, apart from being a safe city in Idaho, has a great cost of living and offers nice sources for education.

A crime scene
Smaller towns tend to have much smaller rates of crime.

Rigby

If you didn’t get the trend yet, we are looking at yet another small city. This suburban city has about 4,300 citizens. It might not be one of the most high-tech cities in the US, but what’s important is that those residents are safe. Rigby can really assure safety since the general crime rate is 9 in 1,000. Meaning that there is an extremely low chance of you being part of a crime in Rigby. Making it one of the most secure cities in Idaho. Going into more precise statistics, the violent crime rate here is 0.2 and the property crime rate is 9.2.  Rigby is known to be one of the most ethnically diverse cities, with a good education level but a small number of people interested in moving to this small city.

Perrysburg as a contestant for the safest places in Idaho

Let’s take a look at a bit of a bigger city, middle-sized to be more precise. Perrysburg is the home to 21,566 residents. If you are looking for a bit of the urban bite of life, this is one of the safest cities in Idaho when it comes to middle-sized places. Why? Well, because the overall violent crime rate in Perrysburg is 0.25 per 1,000 citizens. Furthermore, the property crime rate is still quite a bit under the national average hitting the 7.23 mark. So you should already start thinking about what to do on the first day in your new home. If you are looking for the exact number of crimes, we’ve got it. The number of committed violent crimes this year was 13, and the number of property crimes was 181. Leaning on the fact that Perrysburg is a middle-sized city, these statistics are absolutely great.

Moscow

Another middle-sized city, with a close-sized population to Perrysburg, is Moscow. This town, known as the “Heart of the Arts” for housing events such as The Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival, Renaissance Fair, Festival Dance, and many more is home to 25,918 people. On account of having more people, the property crime rate is higher, rolling to 15.1 per 1,000 residents. It’s still lower than the 19,6 state average though. Moving on, we’ve got a 0.4 violent crime rate, which is astonishing for a city of this size. Exactly why it’s on the list as a safe city in Idaho, it might also be a good place for starting over. After all, Moscow’s focus is on its community, which makes this low crime rate all the more logical. This beautiful city is literally in the center of a bunch of mountains, and therefore a great source of scenic views.

A mountain range near one of the safest cities in Idaho
Most cities in Idaho aren’t strangers to mountains and forests, which might take some getting used to at first.

Meridian, one of Idaho’s safest cities

We are really moving on to something bigger now, as Meridian has about 119,200 citizens and is truly a great place to live in. That’s not just because it’s one of the safest cities in Idaho, but because it’s thriving in so many ways. The economy in this city is great, there is just a bunch of new people that keep arriving, and like most of the previously mentioned towns, it has awesome scenic views because it’s nestled in Treasure Valley. Therefore, if you are a fan of great views, don’t hold back and get on a call with some cross-country movers in Meridian. Apart from all of that, the crime rates are on point, with a violent crime rate of 1.6 (good for bigger cities). Also, the property crime rate is 8.4, which isn’t too far from Perrysburg but is a lot better than Moscow.

Meridian is just a great place for families to live, because of the low crime rates, the low housing costs, and the friendly nature that resides near the city.  What’s also worth mentioning is that this city has an appreciable job market with a 2.7% unemployment rate. Maybe you could look forward to starting a business in Idaho? That along with the median household income, which is $64,375 is just giving you a lot to look forward to, and not just the fact that it’s a safe place in Idaho.

Middleton

We’re going back to the smaller cities, but we truly have to since we are exploring Idaho’s most secure cities. Most of those safe places just happen to be small towns. Middleton is another great suburb with a population count of 8,877. This small city is better than the bigger cities we’ve mentioned when it comes to crime rates. Middleton has a 1.5 violent crime rate, which has increased a bit since last year (1.3 in 2021 and 1.4 in 2020). Furthermore, the property crime rate is a solid 6.6. Once again, these numbers are great in comparison to the national average.

If you couldn’t tell by the low crime rates, Middleton is one of the safest cities in Idaho and simultaneously a very relaxing place to live in. It offers a small-town lifestyle with not so many people and a lot of space. At least you won’t need to think about adjusting to a smaller home. If nothing, you can always visit a bigger town like Boise that’s nearby if you are not used to this kind of lifestyle. Some people do think that there isn’t much to do in Middleton. Although, since you are primarily interested in safety, that means that that’s good news for you.

State Capital Of Idaho
Boise is actually the capital of Idaho and is a must-see if you are near.

Mountain Home, another one of the safest places in Idaho

Another city near Boise is Mountain Home, which is home to about 15,000 people. According to neighborhoodscout.com, Mountain Home has a bit of a higher violent crime rate, it being 3.2, but still under the national average. On the other hand, this town has a property crime rate of 5.63. The property crime rate really is low, even if you compare it to some of the safest cities in Idaho. Most residents living in Mountain Home feel quite safe in the city and are really friendly. There aren’t too many people so you can expect to get to know most of them quite fast. Most people just seem to not like the absence of many nightlife picks, as there are just a few. But once again, Boise isn’t too far, so you could easily travel there for an awesome night out.

A news report of a crime scene in a not so safest city in Idaho
Being a part of a crime has a big potential of changing your life for the worse, so avoiding crimes is more than welcome.

Honorable Mentions

Apart from all of these towns we’ve mentioned, we can still go through some honorable mentions that have considerably low crime rates. There being plenty of them isn’t weird, since Idaho is a really safe state in the first place. Without further ado, let’s take a look at some more safe cities in Idaho:

  • Buhl –  This little town of 4,544 people has a violent crime rate of 2.2 and a property crime rate of 5.7.
  • Preston – Another one of the safest cities in Idaho. Preston has a population of 5,592 and has a really low violent crime rate of 0.7. The property crime rate here is higher than in the most mentioned towns, with a 10.6 rate per 1,000.
  • Fruitland – A town of about 5,500 residents, with a 1.1 violent crime rate and 10.0 property crime rate.
  • Shelley – Finally, we’ve got Shelley which is also considered to be a really safe place. The violent crime rate is 1.3 and the property crime rate is 11.9. Shelley has 4,470 people calling this place their home.
Sawtooth Range Idaho
There are plenty of cities to choose from in Idaho, and most of them will welcome you with views like these.

Conclusion

We’ve finally reached the end of this long list, haven’t we? Idaho really is a great state to live in, with so many safe cities to choose from. You might not have a big choice if you are trying to find a big city to live in though. Our list of the safest cities in Idaho is crowded with small to mid-sized places. On the other hand, if you are a fan of the suburbs, you are in luck since you will have no problem finding yourself a secure home here at all. We hope we succeeded in our efforts to properly inform you about this theme and that you are now ready to take your first steps to move into one of these lovely places. We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors!

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