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Crime & Safety

How Did Oceanside Rate On 2021’s Safest Cities In America?

Oceanside ranked #61 out of 182 cities on WalletHub's 2021's Safest Cities In America study with Home & Community Safety among the highest.

OCEANSIDE, CA — How safe is Oceanside compared to other cities in America? A new study from WalletHub ranked 2021’s Safest Cities In America and Oceanside ranked number 61 out of 182 overall.

A recent Gallup poll found that only 38% of Americans feel “very” confident they can protect themselves from COVID-19 while they are out in public, a sharp drop from around 51% in May. While COVID-19 has continued to dominate the news this year, Americans still have other dangers to worry about, from mass shootings to riots to traffic accidents.

People can feel unsafe in other ways, too. Aside from the types of hazards that can cause bodily injury or other physical harm, taking out an unaffordable second mortgage, forgoing health insurance or even visiting unsecured websites are also ways people run into danger. One of the biggest worries for many people is the availability of affordable healthcare. In fact, half of all U.S. adults are worried a major health event could lead to bankruptcy.

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No one can avoid all danger, however, and we take on a certain level of risk based on where we choose to live. Some cities are simply better at protecting their residents from harm. To determine where Americans can feel most secure — in more than one sense — WalletHub compared more than 180 cities across 44 key indicators of safety. Our data set ranges from COVID-19 deaths in the past week per capita and assaults per capita to the unemployment rate and road quality.

Oceanside ranked among the top 20 with a number 17 ranking for Home & Community Safety, which includes a wide range of factors including:

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  • Average COVID-19 Deaths in the Past Week per Capita: Double Weight (~4.00 Points)
  • Average COVID-19 Cases in the Past Week per Capita: Double Weight (~4.00 Points)
  • Percentage of Residents Who Are Fully Vaccinated: Double Weight (~4.00 Points)
  • Presence of Terrorist Attacks: Triple Weight (~6.00 Points)
  • Number of Mass Shootings: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
  • Murders & Non-Negligent Manslaughters per Capita: Triple Weight (~6.00 Points)
  • Forcible Rapes per Capita: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
  • Assaults per Capita: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
  • Thefts per Capita: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
  • Sex Offenders per Capita: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
  • Law-Enforcement Employees per Capita: Half Weight (~1.00 Points)
  • Active Firefighters per Capita: Half Weight (~1.00 Points)
  • EMTs & Paramedics per Capita: Half weight (~1.00 Points)
  • Hate Crimes per Capita: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
  • Share of Sheltered Homeless: Half Weight (~1.00 Points)
  • Perception of Safety (Safety walking alone during daylight/night): Full Weight (~2.00 Points) Note: These data are based on perceptions of visitors of Numbeo website in the past 3 years. If the value is 0, it means it is perceived as very low, and if the value is 100, it means it is perceived as very high.
  • Drug Poisoning Deaths per Capita: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
  • Traffic Fatalities per Capita: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)
  • Pedestrian Fatalities per Capita: Full Weight (~~2.00 Points) Note: “Pedestrians” also includes pedacyclists.
  • Road Quality: Full Weight (~2.00 Points)

On the opposite end of the safety scale, Oceanside ranked a very low score of 144 for Natural-Disaster Risk that includes these factors:

  • Earthquake Risk Level: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
  • Flood Risk Level: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
  • Hail Risk Level: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
  • Hurricane Storm-Surge Risk Level: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
  • Tornado Risk Level: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
  • Wildfire Risk Level: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)

The other key factor that determined rankings was Financial Safety. Oceanside ranked number 108 on the financial score which was based on :

  • Unemployment Rate: Double Weight (~2.11 Points)
  • Underemployment Rate: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
  • Share of Uninsured Population: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
  • Share of Uninsured Drivers: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
  • Foreclosure Rate: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
  • Median Credit Score: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
  • Debt-to-Income Ratio: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
  • Share of Owner Occupied Housing Units Spending at Least 35% of Their Household Income on Housing: : Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
  • Poverty Rate: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
  • Fraud & Other Complaints per Capita: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
    Note: “Other” includes both financial and nonfinancial complaints.
  • Identity-Theft Complaints per Capita: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
  • Share of Unbanked Households: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
  • Job Security: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
    Note: This metric was calculated as follows: (Total Workers in May 2021 – Total Workers in May 2020) / Total Workers in May 2020.
  • Employment Growth: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
    Note: This metric was adjusted for the working-age population growth and compares figures between 2020 and 2021.
  • Share of Households with Emergency Savings: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
    Note: This metric measures the share of households that saved for unexpected expenses or emergencies in the past 12 months.
  • Retirement Plan Access & Participation Rate: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
    Note: “Retirement Plan” includes only employer-based plans.
  • Personal Bankruptcy Filings per Capita: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
  • Share of Seriously Underwater Mortgages: Full Weight (~1.05 Points)
    Note: This metric measures the proportion of seriously underwater mortgages, where the combined estimated balance of loans secured by those properties was at least 25 percent more than their estimated market value.

  • The safest city in America overall was listed as Columbia, MD while the least safe city ranked was St. Louis, MO. In California, the safest city ranking went to Fremont, CA at #17, while the least safe ranked CA city was San Bernardino, CA at #180.

    Safest Cities in the U.S.

    Source: WalletHub

    2021’s Safest Cities In America


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