Safest Major City in the USA? It’s San Jose!

A couple of weeks ago, I sent you all a note about the safest suburbs in the U.S., and a bunch of you asked me, “Okay, but what’s the safest city?” Well… drumroll, please… SmartAsset took the 50 most populated cities in the United States and ranked them from safest to least safe, and in the 2025 rankings, guess who landed at number one? Yep, San Jose! We officially snagged the title of safest big city in America, per capita. Wild.

The study looked at everything from crime rates to traffic accidents to overall quality of life, and San Jose crushed it. SJ scored some of the lowest crime numbers per capita in the nation, plus strong marks for income and opportunity. Sure, housing here isn’t cheap, but when you add in safety and quality of life, San Jose really shines. Makes sense, after all, the houses around here are pricey for a reason!

Again, these are the 50 most populated cities in the US.  So, for example, Memphis comes in 50th on the list; they aren't the least safe city in the United States, just the least safe among the top 50 most populated cities.  Hope that makes sense! 

Here’s the full top 50 for 2025: