Westfield Named Among Top 20 Safest Cities In New Jersey: Report

WESTFIELD, NJ — Here is something to brag about. Westfield is listed among the top 20 safest cities in New Jersey, according to a new study done by Safewise.

Westfield ranked at number 17. For 2024, the Town, which boasts a population of 30,628 earned top marks with a 0.2 violent crime rate and a 7.6 property crime rate per 1,000 people.

Violent crime is down from 0.3 in 2022 while property crime is up from 5.9 in 2022.

Overall, Vernon Township in Sussex County was the top-ranked city on the list.

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, including municipalities like Denville that reported zero violent crimes, and others like Vernon Township, Jefferson Township, New Milford, and Dumont that reported just two violent crimes. Read More: Here Are The 20 Safest Cities In NJ, 2024 Report Says

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 of 2.8 incidents per 1,000 people, lower than the national rate of 4.0.

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.

Statewide, the property crime rate of 15.7 incidents per 1,000 people is is the tenth-lowest in the nation, lower than the nationwide rate of 20.7.

About 46 percent of people in New Jersey reported feeling safe in their state compared to 50 percent of Americans, according to the report.

Gun violence is the only issue where concern increased year over year, rising from 47 to 52 percent who said they worry about it on a daily basis. It’s consistent with increasing mass shooting incidents in New Jersey, with nine incidents in 2022 rising to 12 in 2023.

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