A new study listing the safest midsized cities in the United States in 2026 has been released by financial advisor website SmartAsset – and three Wisconsin cities are among the top dozen, including one of the Fox Cities.
The study lists Waukesha as the eighth-safest city out of more than 300 cities in the nation with populations between 65,000 and 250,000. Appleton is No. 10 and Eau Claire is No. 11. Kenosha, Oshkosh and Green Bay landed lower on the list, coming in at 30th, 37th and 72nd, respectively.
How were the cities ranked?
The rankings were determined by evaluations of four primary aspects of public safety: violent crime rates, property crime rates, traffic fatality rates and natural disaster risk.
The study found that, per 1,000 residents, Appleton has about 2.1 violent crimes and 13.47 property crimes. Per 100,000 residents, it has 8.88 auto fatalities. Its natural disaster risk was ranked “relatively low” by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
How does Appleton compare to its neighbors?
Oshkosh’s crime rates were slightly higher, but auto fatalities were lower. Green Bay’s crime rate was more than twice Appleton’s, with 4.95 per 1,000 residents. It had slightly fewer property crimes, though, and a lower auto fatality rate.
Both cities received “relatively moderate” scores for disaster risk.
Where were the safest cities?
SmartAsset’s rankings found that most of the highest-ranked cities are inland, with 15 of the 20 safest midsized cities in noncoastal states. The safest midsized city of 2026 was Broomfield, Colorado, while the last of the cities evaluated was Little Rock, Arkansas.
SmartAsset has also safety rankings of the 50 largest U.S. cities. Its 2025 list placed Milwaukee at No. 44 and Chicago at no. 38. The safest of America’s largest cities, according to that list, is San Jose, California.
Wasn’t Appleton recently ranked for something else?
It’s not the first time this year Appleton’s been recognized by an external survey.
Appleton was also recently ranked on U.S. News & World Report’s best places to live list, landing in the top 100, where it also beat Oshkosh (187th overall) and Green Bay (266th overall). That report ranked cities by scoring four categories: affordability, quality of life, desirability and job market. All scores are derived from data collected via the Census Bureau, Department of Commerce, the Federal Reserve and the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
In March, however, the region was ranked on a less sought-after list. In a survey from Munley Law, a personal injury law firm, Interstate 41 was named the “angriest route” in Wisconsin. The law firm surveyed more than 3,000 workers nationwide on the worst commutes in each state that causes the most road rage. The Fox Valley ranked on top of the list in Wisconsin, likely due to the traffic changes amid construction on I-41.
Appleton Post-Crescent editor Taima Kern, Green Bay Press-Gazette reporter Benita Mathew, and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Caden Perry contributed to this report.
Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Appleton on list of safest cities in U.S., topping Oshkosh, Green Bay
Reporting by Kelli Arseneau, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kelli Arseneau, Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY Network
