A New York City neighbor just earned a spot among the nation’s safest places. Yonkers, the third-largest city in New York State, cracked the top five in WalletHub’s latest safety rankings, coming in at No. 5.
Sitting along the Hudson River in Westchester County, Yonkers borders the Bronx and lies only a couple of miles from Manhattan’s northern tip. While its housing costs and overall cost of living run above the national average—driven largely by real estate—its location and easy access to Manhattan, roughly a 30-minute train ride away, underscore its appeal.
WalletHub’s report evaluated more than 180 U.S. cities across over 40 indicators of safety. Researchers grouped metrics into three broad categories: home and community safety, natural-disaster risk, and financial security. Factors ranged from violent crime and traffic fatalities to unemployment and the share of residents without health insurance. Each city received a composite score on a 100-point scale, with higher scores indicating greater overall safety.
Warwick, Rhode Island, took the top spot nationwide. The Ocean State’s third-largest city earned high marks thanks to one of the lowest aggravated assault rates in the study, a comparatively low number of murders, and a theft rate that ranked among the 10 best. Those strengths also bolstered its standing in financial safety.
“People often equate safety solely with crime or storms,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo in discussing the findings. “But the safest cities also protect residents’ financial well-being.”
Rounding out the top five were Overland Park, Kansas (No. 2), Burlington, Vermont (No. 3), Juneau, Alaska (No. 4), and Yonkers, New York (No. 5). New York City itself placed 117th overall in the rankings.
The study highlights how a mix of low crime, manageable disaster risk, and strong economic fundamentals can elevate cities that may not always dominate the national conversation—sometimes even those right next door to America’s biggest metro.
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