Andover, North Andover Ranked Among Safest Small Cities, Towns In U.S.

ANDOVER, MA — Both Andover and North Andover have been ranked among the 15 safest small cities and towns in America by MoneyGeek, a financial planning website.

In a report titled Safest Small Cities and Towns, MoneyGeek analyzed crime statistics for 660 municipalities with a population between 30,000 and 100,000.

According to MoneyGeek, researchers quantified the cost of crime per capita and ranked the cities based on those statistics. Data on violent crimes, such as murder, rape and aggravated assault were included, as well as property crimes such as burglaries and car theft.

MoneyGeek used standardized crime statistics reported to the FBI from 2021, which was the latest year of available data.

Andover was ranked as the No. 3 safest small city or town in America with a $51 crime cost per capita. North Andover was No. 14 on the list with a $95 crime cost per capita.

Yorktown, New York ($43) and Mason, Ohio ($47) occupied the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the list. Arlington, Massachusetts ($65) was No. 5 and Needham, Massachusetts was No. 9 ($77).

The least safe small city or town was Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

MoneyGeek also offered a few additional findings about crime in small cities and towns and how those statistics compared to larger cities:

• The cost of crime in small cities decreased by 5 percent from 2020 to 2021, while the cost in larger cities (100,000 or more residents) increased by 6 percent.
• Small cities and towns have 42 percent lower crime costs than larger cities.