You’re Safer in Berkley Than Almost Anywhere Else in Michigan

Here’s another reason to love Berkley: It’s the fifth-safest community with a population over 10,000 in Michigan.

That’s the word from the real estate research group Movoto.

The rankings are based on FBI crime statistics for violent crime (rape, murder and assault); property crime (theft, burglary and motor vehicle thefts) and the odds that a resident will be a victim of the crime.'

Here's what Movoto said about Berkley:

"... Berkley has just over 15,000 residents and scored well in our ranking for a number of reasons – all of which added up to a total of just 141 reported crimes in 2012. The majority of those crimes (132 of 141) were property crimes. Of those property crimes, only 24 were burglaries, nine were motor vehicle thefts; the rest of which were simple larceny/theft.

"Only nine of the 141 crimes reported in 2012 were violent crimes, and of those, the majority were aggravated assault. Compare this to the similarly sized Owosso, which had a total of 61 violent crimes in 2012 – including one murder and 13 forcible rapes."

The entire Top 10 were from Livingston, Oakland, and Wayne counties, out of 102 locations with a population over 10,000 that Movoto surveyed.

Here’s the top 10:

1. Grosse Ile Township

2. Hamburg Township

3. South Lyon (tie)

3. Village of Milford (tie)

5. City of of Berkley

6. City of New Baltimore

7. Bloomfield Township

8. City of Riverview (tie)

8. West Bloomfield Township (tie)