ASHLAND — Checking in at No. 66, Ashland was in the top half of Ohio’s safest cities, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Council for Home Safety and Security.
To identify the safest cities, the organization reviewed the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics along with its own population data and internal research. Only cities who submitted a complete crime report to the FBI were included in the listing.
The cities were ranked based on the number of reported violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery) and property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft) per 1,000 people. These variables were then weighted, with violent crimes assigned a value 1.5 times (due to their severity) that of property crimes.
Among north central Ohio cities, Ashland was 66th, followed by Wooster (116), Galion (121), Marion (129), Mount Vernon (132), Bucyrus (134), and Mansfield (154). The list stopped at 166 cities, with the bottom five listed as Lima (162), Middletown (163), Cleveland (164), Springfield (165), and Chillicothe (166).
The top 10 safest communities were ranked as:
1. Chester Township
2. Olmsted Township
3. Montville Township
4. Hudson
5. Brunswick Hills Township
6. Brecksville
7. Rocky River
8. Sagamore Hills
9. Poland Township
10. Seven Hills
The National Council for Home Safety and Security is a trade association comprised of home security professionals across the United States. The council advocates for safe communities and home safety with a strong focus on community involvement.
