Lacey Named One Of NJ's Safest Towns: Report

LACEY, NJ —Lacey residents can relax knowing they're living in one of the safest towns in New Jersey, according to a new report.

SafeWise, a security product review platform, looked at FBI crime statistics for cities in the state to compile its 10th annual Safest Cities report. A total of 102 cities met the criteria to be considered for ranking.

According to the data, Lacey is the 49th-safest town in state.

Statewide violent crime has actually dipped 59 percent year-over-year, making The Garden State the fourth-lowest state for violent crime experience, according to the the study.

New Jersey's violent crime rate is 2.8 incidents per 1,000 people, lower than the national rate of 4.0.

According to SafeWise, Lacey's violent crime rate is 1.5 incidents per 1,000 people, and the township's property crime rate is 7.8 incidents per 1,000 people.

The rankings were based on FBI crime data. Cities and jurisdictions across the country voluntarily report the information through the FBI Summary Reporting System and National Incident-Based Reporting System. The most recent FBI data was released in October 2023 and accounts for crimes reported in 2022. SafeWise also used population thresholds in its reporting, according to the company.

However, it's worth noting that the FBI itself discourages ranking locations or making comparisons based on this data, as "crime is a sociological phenomenon influenced by a variety of factors." Crime data alone cannot necessarily show how safe one town is compared to another, the FBI said.

See the top 20 safest NJ cities here.

This article contains additional reporting by Patch's Nicole Rosenthal.