A new study ranking the “Best Small Cities in America” for 2025 uncovers some disturbing data for several Michigan towns — including 11 that are among the most dangerous small cities in America.
How WalletHub Ranks Small Cities
The annual study, conducted by the personal finance website WalletHub, evaluates American cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 people on a myriad of metrics ranging from affordability, quality of life, education and health, economic health, and safety. That population range includes more than 1,300 U.S. towns, nearly 40 of which are in Michigan.
What the Safety Metric Really Means
Drilling down, the study’s “safety” metric encompasses a lot of things. It’s not all crime statistics (although each town’s violent crime and property crime rates are considered). Other things taken into account when evaluating the relative safety of each city include the number of car crash deaths per capita,…..