Salem, Portland nearly 100 spots apart on WalletHub's ranking of safest cities
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Salem is among the 30 safest cities in the U.S., while Portland fared much lower in the top 150 — according to a recent report from none other than WalletHub.
The personal finance website ranked the nation’s most populated cities for their safety, using the “key” factors of home and community safety, natural disaster risk and financial safety.
Salem was the highest-ranking Oregon locale at No. 26 out of 182 places. Here is how the city fared overall.
- 66.13 points out of 100
- Home and community safety ranking: 72
- Natural disaster risk ranking: 13
- Financial safety ranking: 20
The state’s biggest city, on the other hand, placed at No. 118. For comparison, Seattle sat at No. 126.
Portland had the highest score in the financial safety category, and the lowest in the home and community safety category.
- 55.07 points out of 100
- Home and community safety ranking: 150
- Natural disaster risk ranking: 19
- Financial safety ranking: 17
WalletHub evaluated financial safety using metrics like the unemployment rate, median credit score and the debt-to-income ratio. Home and community safety are weighed using factors like thefts per capita, the share of sheltered homeless and the number of mass shootings.
The Rose City’s Southwest Washington neighbor, Vancouver, was deemed the 17th-safest city.
Overall, South Burlington, Vt., Casper, Wyo., Warwick, R.I., Burlington, Vt., and Boise, Idaho were ranked as the safest places in the U.S.
Memphis, Tenn., Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Baton Rouge, La., and New Orleans are the least safe cities, according to WalletHub.