TL;DR: Vero Beach is Florida’s safest city at 0.3 violent crimes per 1,000 — with zero reported rapes or motor vehicle thefts. Safety Harbor, Dunedin, and Hialeah Gardens follow.
Florida’s safest cities share a pattern: they are suburbs, not big cities — planned communities and waterfront towns orbiting Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa. SafeWise ranked 35 qualifying Florida cities by violent and property crime per capita using FBI data. Here they are.
#1: Vero Beach — 0.3 Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents
Population: 17,622 | Violent crime: 0.3 per 1,000 | Property crime: 2.7 per 1,000 | Victim chance: 1 in 3,333
A Treasure Coast city of 17,622 in Indian River County, famous for beaches and citrus. Vero Beach reported zero rapes and zero motor vehicle thefts — and the state’s lowest violent and property crime rates.
#2: Safety Harbor — 1.3 Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents
Population: 16,924 | Violent crime: 1.3 per 1,000 | Property crime: 7.0 per 1,000 | Victim chance: 1 in 769
A Pinellas County waterfront town of 16,924 on Tampa Bay. Safety Harbor pairs small-town livability with just 1.3 violent crimes per 1,000.
#3: Dunedin — 0.8 Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents
Population: 35,885 | Violent crime: 0.8 per 1,000 | Property crime: 9.3 per 1,000 | Victim chance: 1 in 1,250
A Pinellas County suburb of 35,885 west of Tampa with Scottish heritage and a beloved downtown. Its violent crime rate actually improved year over year — a rare feat.
#4: Hialeah Gardens — 0.6 Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents
Population: 22,065 | Violent crime: 0.6 per 1,000 | Property crime: 10.2 per 1,000 | Victim chance: 1 in 1,667
A Miami-Dade suburb of 22,065 and a newcomer to the top ten, reporting zero rapes and zero motor vehicle thefts.
#5: St. Cloud — 1.9 Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents
Population: 68,966 | Violent crime: 1.9 per 1,000 | Property crime: 7.6 per 1,000 | Victim chance: 1 in 526
An Osceola County city of 68,966 south of Orlando that exploded from small town to suburb — yet holds a violent crime rate well under half the national average.
#6: Coral Springs — 1.3 Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents
Population: 135,157 | Violent crime: 1.3 per 1,000 | Property crime: 11.1 per 1,000 | Victim chance: 1 in 769
A Broward County planned community of 135,157 — by far the largest city here, with both violent and property rates falling year over year.
#7: Sunny Isles Beach — 1.3 Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents
Population: 21,762 | Violent crime: 1.3 per 1,000 | Property crime: 11.9 per 1,000 | Victim chance: 1 in 769
A barrier-island city of 21,762 in northeast Miami-Dade, known for high-rise condos along Collins Avenue. Its violent crime rate held steady at 1.3 per 1,000.
#8: Miami Lakes — 1.0 Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents
Population: 31,511 | Violent crime: 1.0 per 1,000 | Property crime: 13.2 per 1,000 | Victim chance: 1 in 1,000
A master-planned Miami-Dade suburb of 31,511 that climbed two spots, pairing a 1.0-per-1,000 violent rate with an improved property crime rate of 13.2.
#9: West Melbourne — 1.5 Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents
Population: 30,057 | Violent crime: 1.5 per 1,000 | Property crime: 12.2 per 1,000 | Victim chance: 1 in 667
A Brevard County Space Coast suburb of 30,057 near the Kennedy Space Center corridor. New to the top ten at 1.5 violent crimes per 1,000.
#10: Cutler Bay — 1.5 Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents
Population: 43,290 | Violent crime: 1.5 per 1,000 | Property crime: 13.9 per 1,000 | Victim chance: 1 in 667
A South Dade suburb of 43,290 and this year’s biggest mover, jumping six spots — cutting property crime from 17.3 to 13.9 and violent crime from 1.8 to 1.5 per 1,000.
How This Ranking Was Built
Cities are ranked by violent and property crimes per capita using FBI data (per SafeWise’s 2026 Safest Cities report. Only 35 Florida cities met the population and complete-reporting criteria — a city must have submitted a full crime report to the FBI to qualify, per the FBI Crime Data Explorer. The honest caveat: these reflect the most recent FBI reporting year available (2023 data), not 2026 estimates. See also our ranking of Nevada’s safest cities backed by FBI data.
Staying Safe in Florida’s Safest Cities
Even in the safest cities, the basics matter: lock doors and cars, install motion-sensor lighting, know your neighbors, and join a neighborhood watch. Florida’s biggest everyday risks are property crimes and hurricanes — secure valuables and make sure your insurance covers storm season. Check the FBI Crime Data Explorer for the latest published numbers before you sign a lease.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the safest city in Florida?
Vero Beach, with the state’s lowest violent (0.3 per 1,000) and property (2.7 per 1,000) crime rates, per SafeWise’s FBI-data analysis.
What is the minimum population for these rankings?
Only 35 Florida cities met the population and complete-reporting criteria.
Is Florida safe overall?
Florida’s violent crime rate of 3.96 per 1,000 is below the U.S. average of 4.43, and its property crime rate of 20.29 is below the national 22.89 — though safety varies enormously by city.
Are the safest cities all in South Florida?
Mostly — suburbs of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Tampa — but Vero Beach and West Melbourne are east-coast exceptions.
What counts as violent crime in these rankings?
Murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault per 1,000 residents. Property crime is measured separately.
How current is this crime data?
SafeWise’s 2026 rankings use the latest FBI-reported crime data (2023 reporting year) — not 2026 estimates.
Does low crime mean no crime?
No. Even Vero Beach’s 0.3 per 1,000 means roughly 5 violent incidents for its 17,622 residents.
Is Coral Springs really one of the safest big cities?
Yes — at more than 135,000 residents, it is one of the largest cities on any national safest-cities list.
