A new study listing the safest midsized cities in the United States in 2026 has been released by financial advisor website SmartAsset – and three Wisconsin cities are among the top dozen, including one of the Fox Cities.
The study lists Waukesha as the eighth-safest city out of more than 300 cities in the nation with populations between 65,000 and 250,000. Appleton is No. 10 and Eau Claire is No. 11. Kenosha, Oshkosh and Green Bay landed lower on the list, coming in at 30th, 37th and 72nd, respectively.
How were the cities ranked?
The rankings were determined by evaluations of four primary aspects of public safety: violent crime rates, property crime rates, traffic fatality rates and natural disaster risk.
The study found that, per 1,000 residents, Appleton has about 2.1 violent crimes and 13.47 property crimes. Per 100,000 residents, it has 8.88 auto fatalities. Its natural disaster risk was ranked “relatively low” by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
How does Appleton compare to its neighbors?
Oshkosh’s crime rates were slightly higher, but auto fatalities were lower. Green Bay’s crime rate was more than twice Appleton’s, with 4.95 per 1,000 residents. It had slightly fewer property crimes, though, and a lower auto fatality rate…