Safest Cities in Alabama

Alabama. It’s the home of the Crimson Tide, Lionel Richie and some beautiful beaches. Lots of folks love living in Sweet Home Alabama, and moving there could be a great option for you and your family. Of course, you’ll want to know which cities are the safest places to live before you decide to pack up and head down south. Well, we’ve got you covered.

Safest Cities in Alabama

Here’s a look at the top 10 safest cities in Alabama (drumroll, please):

1. Rainbow City
2. Southside
3. Helena
4. Mountain Brook
5. Pleasant Grove
6. Vestavia Hills
7. Moody
8. Pelham
9. Daphne
10. Alabaster

How’d we decide which cities made the cut? We looked at the most recent FBI crime data for each city in Alabama with more than 7,000 residents.¹ Then, we compared those numbers with the FBI’s data for how many full-time law enforcement employees each city has.²

The cities on the list above had the lowest crime rate per 1,000 residents and the fewest law enforcement officers per 1,000 residents (fewer law enforcement officers is a good thing, since it means the city doesn’t need as many). If you want more info on how we crunched the numbers, check out the Methodology section at the bottom.

We’re going to take a closer look at each of those 10 cities below, and you should keep this in mind as we do: Your real estate agent won’t be able to help you decide on the safest place to live in Alabama. That’s called real estate steering, and it’s against the law.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work with an agent if you’re thinking about moving, though. In fact, buying or selling a home without a top-notch agent on your side could mean missing out on a great home, or a great deal!

That’s where our RamseyTrusted agents come into play. They’re rockstars with loads of experience in your area, and they’ll serve you with excellence. They may not be able to give you advice on the safest cities in Alabama, but they’ll provide incredible value in so many other ways and help you buy with confidence.

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Okay, without further ado, here’s a breakdown of the 10 safest cities in Alabama, including what each one has to offer its residents.

First up on the list is Rainbow City! Unfortunately, Rainbow City is not where you’ll find the headquarters of Lucky Charms, My Little Pony or Skittles. It is, however, a small town in northeast Alabama that’s great for raising a family and, according to the data, very safe to live in.

Here’s a look at the crime rate and law enforcement data for Rainbow City. Remember: For each of the graphs in this list, all the crime and law enforcement numbers refer to the number of crimes in a year or law enforcement employees per 1,000 residents.

	Rainbow City	Alabama	U.S.
Population	9,546	4.9 million	327 million
Violent Crimes	0.1	5.2	3.7
Property Crimes	5.24	28.17	22
Total Crimes	5.34	33.373	25.74
Law Enforcement	3.46	3.325	2.86

Southside may be a small town, but that doesn’t mean the people who live there have nothing to do! In fact, Southside is just a 15-minute drive from nearby Gadsden, which is home to the Imagination Place Children’s Museum and the Gadsden Museum of Art.

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At the top of the list of Gadsden’s attractions, though, is Noccalula Falls Park—a campground and park surrounding a beautiful, 90-foot waterfall. Yeah, you’ll want to spend some time there if you decide to move to Southside.

	Southside	Alabama	U.S.
Population	8,774	4.9 million	327 million
Violent Crimes	1.71	5.2	3.7
Property Crimes	7.41	28.17	22
Total Crimes	9.12	33.37	25.7
Law Enforcement	2.05	3.32	2.8

Coming in at number three is Helena. While Helena isn’t a huge city that’s bustling with things to do, it’s less than 20 minutes away from Hoover—the home of the Hoover Met Stadium, which hosts a ton of sporting events including the SEC Baseball Tournament each summer. Hoover is also home to the Riverchase Galleria, a gigantic shopping mall with nearly 150 stores and restaurants.

	Helena	Alabama	U.S.
Population	19,387	4.9 million	327 million
Violent Crimes	3.15	5.2	3.7
Property Crimes	6.76	28.17	22
Total Crimes	9.91	33.37	25.7
Law Enforcement	1.44	3.32	2.8

Here’s a little secret that only Mountain Brook locals know about: The Birmingham Zoo is technically located in Mountain Brook. That’s right—it really should be called the Mountain Brook Zoo. If you’re an animal lover looking for a safe place to live, Mountain Brook may be right up your alley. It’s also got several popular restaurants, including Gilchrist and Another Broken Egg Café.

	Mountain Brook	Alabama	U.S.
Population	20,373	4.9 million	327 million
Violent Crimes	0.79	5.2	3.7
Property Crimes	11.19	28.17	22
Total Crimes	11.98	33.37	25.7
Law Enforcement	3.49	3.32	2.8

Pleasant Grove is 10 miles east of Birmingham and even closer to a handful of cool places in Hueytown and Bessemer. If you’re into theme parks, Pleasant Grove is just a short drive from Alabama Adventure amusement park and Splash Adventure water park. More of a thrill-seeker? Look no further than Red Mountain Park, which offers ropes courses and ziplining.

	Pleasant Grove	Alabama	U.S.
Population	10,105	4.9 million	327 million
Violent Crimes	1.58	5.2	3.7
Property Crimes	12.57	28.17	22
Total Crimes	14.15	33.37	25.7
Law Enforcement	1.98	3.32	2.8

If you want all the perks and excitement of living in a big city but you’re looking for a safer alternative, Vestavia Hills may be for you. It’s just over seven miles from Birmingham, but it’s significantly safer. That means you can watch plenty of Birmingham Barons baseball games, visit the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, catch some shows at the Red Mountain Theatre and live in a low-crime area. It’s the best of both worlds.

	Vestavia Hills	Alabama	U.S.
Population	34,368	4.9 million	327 million
Violent Crimes	0.87	5.2	3.7
Property Crimes	12.66	28.17	22
Total Crimes	13.53	33.37	25.7
Law Enforcement	2.76	3.32	2.8

Moody is just 15 miles east of Birmingham, but it’s also super close to another bigger city with plenty of things to do: Leeds. It’s less than five miles from Moody and home to the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum, a must-see if you love motorcycles—whether you own one or just wish you did. You’ll also find a lovely outlet mall, the Outlet Shops of Grand River, in Leeds.

	Moody	Alabama	U.S.
Population	13,134	4.9 million	327 million
Violent Crimes	4.26	5.2	3.7
Property Crimes	15.68	28.17	22
Total Crimes	19.94	33.37	25.7
Law Enforcement	1.52	3.32	2.8

In Pelham, Alabama, you’ll find several fun things to do. Pelham is home to the Oak Mountain Amphitheatre, a 10,000-seat live music venue where several A-list musicians have performed (Zac Brown Band, Jimmy Buffett and Snoop Dogg, to name a few). It’s also home to Oak Mountain State Park and, for those looking to be adventurous and go scuba diving, the Blue Water Park.

	Pelham	Alabama	U.S.
Population	23,785	4.9 million	327 million
Violent Crimes	1.51	5.2	3.7
Property Crimes	16.99	28.17	22
Total Crimes	18.5	33.37	25.7
Law Enforcement	3.57	3.32	2.8

Daphne is less than 15 minutes east of Mobile and nicknamed The Jubilee City. That’s because, each year, Daphne’s beaches are one of the primary locations of the Mobile Bay Jubilee—a time when, for reasons only a biology super nerd could explain, tons of marine life leave the deeper parts of the ocean and swarm close to the shore.

Jubilees are a fisherman’s dream, since they know they’ll be able to catch potentially thousands of fish in one spot, and Mobile Bay is one of only two locations in the entire world where a major jubilee occurs. (The other location is Tokyo, for those keeping score at home.)

So, if you like seafood (and staying safe), Daphne may be the perfect destination for you and your family.

	Daphne	Alabama	U.S.
Population	26,618	4.9 million	327 million
Violent Crimes	1.35	5.2	3.7
Property Crimes	17.39	28.17	22
Total Crimes	18.74	33.37	25.7
Law Enforcement	3.57	3.32	2.8

Finally, Alabaster comes in at number 10. About a 30-minute drive from Birmingham, Alabaster is a great place to live if you like the outdoors. That’s because they have two major parks (Buck Creek Park and Warrior Park), and Central Alabama Paintball Park is just 10 minutes away.

	Alabaster	Alabama	U.S.
Population	33,501	4.9 million	327 million
Violent Crimes	2.75	5.2	3.7
Property Crimes	17.28	28.17	22
Total Crimes	20.03	33.37	25.7
Law Enforcement	2.51	3.32	2.8

Where Is the Safest Place to Live in Alabama?

Based on the data, Rainbow City is technically the safest place to live in Alabama. But honestly, any of the cities on this list would be a great option. All of them have crime rates well below the state and national averages.

The best place in Alabama for you and your family to live will depend on your individual situation. You’ll want to consider these crime-rate stats, the cost of living, and your personal preferences about culture and atmosphere.

Methodology Breakdown: How’d We Get Our Data?

Methodology, which is a term used by people who look at graphs all day, just means the method we used to find and rank the safest cities in Alabama.

Here’s what we did: We took official crime stats reported by the FBI for cities in Alabama with at least 7,000 residents (excluding any cities with incomplete data). The FBI splits crimes into two categories: 

• Violent crimes: These are defined as murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.⁷

• Property crimes: These include burglary, larceny (theft of personal property), motor vehicle theft and arson (setting fire to property).⁸

After that, we did some math to see how many of these crimes happened in each city per 1,000 residents. Then, we calculated how many full-time law enforcement employees work in each city per 1,000 residents.

Finally, we combined the total crime rate and number of law enforcement employees per 1,000 residents to get each city’s safety score. The safest cities had the lowest scores, and the cities with the 10 lowest scores made up our list. Voila!