November 2, 2006

San Jose remains safest big city in America

Annual analysis of FBI national crime stats keeps San Jose in top spot for sixth year

For the sixth year in a row, San Jose continues to be rated the safest big city in America for the 32 cities with populations over 500,000, according to the 13th annual statistical analysis based on FBI crime statistics released by Morgan Quitno Press.

"I'm very proud that San Jose has kept this title since 2001, despite the challenges of the economic recession in Silicon Valley and crime trends across the country over this same six-year period," said Mayor Ron Gonzales. "During my two terms as mayor we've successfully made the safety of our residents and neighborhoods safe one of our highest priorities, year after year.

"San Jose has become a model for other big cities because of the sustained commitment and support from our entire community, including our investments in a well-trained and well-equipped police force, our strong focus on crime prevention, and our effective and innovative community partnerships that protect public safety."

This year Honolulu moved to second from third on the list for safest big cities, edging out El Paso, which slipped to third. San Antonio moved up to seventh, switching places with Louisville.

Morgan Quitno uses six basic crime categories—murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft—to determine its annual rankings for all cities with populations over 75,000 that reported crime data to the FBI. According to Morgan Quitno, it uses a formula that compares each city to the national average for each crime category, using final 2005 statistics released by the FBI on Sept.18, 2006.

The farther below the national average, the higher (and better) a city ranks in the final safest cities list; the farther above the national average, the lower a city ranks. Explanation of methodology and full details can be found online at www.morganquitno.com/safecity.htm.

Additional information regarding the rankings for each of the 371 cities and 344 metropolitan areas considered for the Safest City Awards are available from Morgan Quitno Press at www.morganquitno.com, or by calling (785) 841-3534.

2006 Ten Safest Big Cities (500,000 or More Population)

1. San Jose, CA (1)
2. Honolulu, HI (3)
3. El Paso, TX (2)
4. New York, NY (4)
5. Austin, TX (5)
6. San Diego, CA (6)
7. San Antonio, TX (8)
8. Louisville, KY (7)
9. Fort Worth, TX (9)
10. Jacksonville, FL (10)

(2005 ranking in parentheses)

Source: Morgan Quitno Press, based on 2005 FBI Crime Index www.morganquitno.com/safecity13.htm and www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm