What is the Safest County in America? It’s Right Here in Our Backyard

In a recent report issued by US News and World Report, Nassau County, on Long Island, was named the safest county in the US for the second year in a row, having previously garnered that distinction in 2020 as well as this past year, 2021.

The report compared 3,000 communities across the nation, analyzing crime rates, fatal vehicular accidents, and the amount of money a community spends on health and emergency services, and found that Nassau ranked at the top.

According to the report, Nassau spends $1,148 per capita on police and fire protection while the national median is $359. Public safety professionals account for 1.26 percent of the county’s population, compared with the national median of 0.70 percent.

More than 82 percent of the county’s population, according to the report, is deemed to be “living close to emergency facilities.” This number compared with almost 37 percent in the nation and just more than 69 percent in New York.

“As County Executive, keeping Nassau residents safe is my highest priority,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said.

Nassau beat out Rockland County, Westchester County and Richmond County, the only other New York counties to crack the national top 10.

Curran praised the work of the Nassau County Police Department, Office of Emergency Management, first responders and all law enforcement officials for their part in achieving the distinction. “We’ve made a commitment to community policing and building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve, and the results are showing,” Curran said. “As always, we will continue to put the health and safety of Nassau residents first.”

These are the top-performing counties in the public safety category, along with the metrics in which they excelled most and their overall Healthiest Communities score and rank if within the top 500.

These Are the 25 Safest Counties in America