This ‘boomtown’ now ranks as the safest place to live in North Carolina. Here’s why
A North Carolina “boomtown” now ranks as the safest place to live in the state.
The Raleigh suburb of Apex is No. 1 on a list of small cities boasting lower crime rates and crime-related costs, according to results from the financial website MoneyGeek.
“Crime and safety remain top concerns for many Americans, shaping daily routines and long-term decisions about where to live, work, or travel,” the website wrote in a Dec. 26 news release. “This report goes beyond crime rates, providing insights into the economic losses caused by crime and its impact on individuals, communities, and society as a whole.”
To create the list, MoneyGeek said it studied FBI data from 2023, the latest time period available. Nationwide, it focused on more than 1,000 small cities that were home to between 30,000 and 100,000 residents.
Why did Apex rank No. 1 for safety?
Though Apex landed at No. 65 nationwide, it was the highest-ranked location in North Carolina. The town — located southwest of Raleigh — was found to have the state’s lowest crime cost per capita at $159.
Apex, which says it’s home to about 79,000 residents, also has the state’s lowest rate of violent crimes such as murder and robbery. But the suburb’s property crime rate was higher than three other North Carolina towns considered in the rankings, results show.
Here’s where the rest of the top five North Carolina towns landed on the national list:
- Leland at No. 91
- Holly Springs at No. 115
- Clayton at No. 203
- Fuquay-Varina at No. 279
The acclaim from MoneyGeek adds to the honors Apex received in 2024. In October, the town was named the state’s No. 1 “boomtown” for housing, income and population growth. It also earned spots on two separate lists of the nation’s best small cities to call home, McClatchy News reported.
This time around, MoneyGeek also released a list of the safest larger cities, defined as places with more than 100,000 residents. Cary, just west of Raleigh, was No. 6 in the country in those rankings.
This story was originally published December 31, 2024 at 10:50 AM with the headline "This ‘boomtown’ now ranks as the safest place to live in North Carolina. Here’s why."
