Niche, a company that researches and collects reviews on cities, recently pinpointed the safest cities in the country in a 2018 ranking, and Round Rock ranks No. 5.
The researchers analyzed public crime data — including larceny, vehicular theft, and homicide rates — from sources like the U.S. Census and the FBI. They also considered over 100 million reviews from users, who rated how safe they feel in their cities.
Here are the top 10:
- Naperville, IL
- Irvine, CA
- Thousand Oaks, CA
- Provo, UT
- Round Rock, TX
- Carlsbad, CA
- Sunnyvale, CA
- Glendale, CA
- Plano, TX
- Overland Park, KS
According to Niche, the 2018 Safest Places ranking provides a comprehensive assessment of the overall safety in an area. This grade takes into account key indicators of a location’s safety, including violent and property crime rates as well as resident reviews, in an attempt to measure an area’s safety and security. Learn where the data comes from.
Factors considered
| Factor | Description | Source | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assault Rate | Rate of assaults committed per 100,000 residents. | FBI Uniform Crime Report | 20% |
| Robbery Rate | Rate of robberies committed per 100,000 residents. | FBI Uniform Crime Report | 20% |
| Murder Rate | Rate of murders committed per 100,000 residents. | FBI Uniform Crime Report | 15% |
| Burglary Rate | Rate of burglaries committed per 100,000 residents. | FBI Uniform Crime Report | 10% |
| Vehicle Theft Rate | Rate of vehicle thefts committed per 100,000 residents. | FBI Uniform Crime Report | 10% |
| Larceny Rate | Rate of larcenies committed per 100,000 residents. | FBI Uniform Crime Report | 7.5% |
| Composite Crime and Safety Score | Niche survey responses scored on a 1-5 scale regarding crime and safety of the place. | Self-reported by Niche users | 7.5% |
| Drug-related Deaths | Number of drug poisoning deaths per 100,000 population. | CDC | 2.5% |
| Excessive Drinking | The rate of adults (at the county level) who report heavy drinking or binge drinking. | CDC | 2.5% |
| Firearm-related Deaths | Number of deaths due to firearms per 100,000 population. | CDC | 2.5% |
| Premature Death Rate | Years of potential life lost before age 75 per 100,000 population. | CDC | 2.5% |
The same methodology is used to produce the Crime & Safety Grade for each ranked place. Statistics are primarily obtained from the FBI Uniform Crime Report and represent the most recent data available.
For more details about how they calculate their rankings, click here.
