IL city among top 15 ‘safest suburbs’ in US, analysis finds. How 12 cities ranked
A suburb of Chicago is among the top 15 safest in the U.S., according to a recent analysis.
The July 30 America’s Safest Suburbs report from financial website SmartAsset found Highland Park the 14th safest suburb in the nation, with Deerfield not too far behind in 23rd. Collinsville and Granite City were also included in the ranking.
The SmartAsset analysis evaluated 360 U.S. towns within a 45-minute drive of the 100 largest cities in the nation on safety metrics such as violent crime rates, property crime, drug overdoses, traffic fatalities and “excessive drinking.” Each town included had at least 5,000 residents.
Out of 360 towns, Collinsville was ranked 282nd and Granite City was ranked 319th.
Lehi, Utah, was found the safest suburb in America, with a violent crime rate of 0.0072 per capita and a property crime rate of 0.0158. Here’s how the top 10 safest suburbs compared:
1. Lehi, Utah
2. Bethesda, Md.
3. Great Falls, Va.
4. Rockville, Md.
5. Dacula, Ga.
6. Buford, Ga.
7. Layton, Utah
8. Edgewater, N.J.
9. McKinney, Texas
10. Frisco, Texas
The ranking’s sources included the FBI, real estate database NeighborhoodScout.com, 2025 County Health Rankings and the U.S. Census Bureau, according to SmartAsset. In addition to crime rates, the analysis also considered housing affordability and local incomes.
What made Highland Park stand out?
Highland Park is about 43 minutes by car from Chicago, depending on traffic. The suburb has a population of 30,229, with median monthly housing costs of $2,700, according to SmartAsset.
The median household income in Highland Park is more than double the statewide figure, at $161,875, according to data from the Census Bureau.
“Enjoy our walkable and lively downtown offering unique shopping and exceptional restaurants. You can stroll from one end to the other to shop, dine and enjoy a day of beauty just a few minutes from scenic parks, Lake Michigan, and the Chicago Botanic Garden,” the city of Highland Park’s website reads.
Here’s how Highland Park performed on the other metrics SmartAsset considered:
- Violent crime per capita: 0.0007
- Property crime per capita: 0.0116
- Number of traffic deaths per 100,000 people: 7.5845
- Number of drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people: 18.3540
- Percentage of adults reporting excessive drinking: 19.51%
The metric on “excessive drinking” represents the portion of adults who self-reported “binge or heavy drinking” in the 2025 County Health Rankings.
“The City of Highland Park is an exceptional place to live, work, and visit,” City of Highland Park spokesperson Amanda M. Bennett wrote in a Sept. 8 emailed statement to the News-Democrat. “Spurred by our commitment to the 10 Shared Principles of Public Safety, our dedicated public safety professionals build relationships with residents and business owners and work to exemplify the values of community-based policing through public education, all-ages programming, and consistent engagement with local schools, businesses and other organizations.”
The safest suburbs in Illinois
Here’s how each Illinois suburb considered in the analysis stacked up, from SmartAsset:
- Highland Park, 14th
- Deerfield, 23rd
- Elmhurst, 40th
- Naperville, 54th
- Orland Park, 158th
- Northbrook, 186th
- Palatine, 231st
- Oak Brook, 254th
- Collinsville, 282nd
- Evanston, 286th
- Oak Park, 288th
- Granite City, 319th
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This story was originally published September 8, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
