The Top 10 Most Safe & Least Safe Military Towns for Families

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The Safest Military Towns in America

A well-guarded military base can imply that such areas—including the nearby military towns—are safe and secure. According to the Military Family Advisory Network, 78% of surveyed military personnel still live off base and in the surrounding cities. This made us wonder which military towns in the US are the safest and which aren’t as secure for military personnel and civilians.

The team at Vivintsource.com looked at Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard installations to identify the ten safest and least safe military towns in the nation. Check out the details below to see where your military town ranks.

Data Highlights

Our research revealed the following data points:

  • Among the ten safest military towns, three reported zero incidents of violent crime per 100,000 residents: Quantico, VA; Shiremanstown, PA; and Lakehurst, NJ. Lakehurst also has an overall national crime rate 52% lower than the national average.
  • Two Coast Guard Yards in the two most dangerous military towns are located in Baltimore, which saw a murder rate ten times the national average in 2017. Homicides occurred at a rate of nearly one a day over the past three years, while arrests for those crimes dropped. In 2014, 41% of murders resulted in an arrest, but that figure fell to 27% by 2017.
  • In New Jersey, home of two Navy bases and one Army base in the top ten safest military towns, violent crime fell 10% percent in 2017. The 22% decline in homicides that year was the largest percentage drop in such crimes in forty-one years.
  • The Anniston Army Depot Base in Anniston, Alabama, isn’t just in the ten most dangerous military towns—it also has one of the highest crime rates in the country. One in twenty-nine residents of this small city is likely to be the victim of a violent crime.

Methodology

Using militarybases.com, we identified more than 300 active US military bases from all five branches of the armed services. We then examined the FBI’s 2017 Uniform Crime Reporting data for these areas, focusing on violent and property crime rates per capita for the city each base was located in (or the nearest city with available data). Cities without available crime data and their respective bases were excluded from the list. Due to the long-term negative impacts of violent crime, it was weighted five times heavier than property crime, which is typically prosecuted more lightly.

See the full list of military duty stations and their rankings below.
RankMilitary TownBase(s)Branch
1Quantico, VirginiaQuantico Military Reservation Marine CorpsMarine
2Shiremanstown, PennsylvaniaNSA Mechanicsburg Navy BaseNavy
3Bedford, MassachusettsHanscom Air Force BaseAir Force
4Colts Neck Township, New JerseyNWS Earle Navy BaseNavy
5Satellite Beach, FloridaPatrick Air Force BaseAir Force
6Rockaway, New JerseyPicatinny Arsenal Army BaseArmy
7Lakehurst, New JerseyNAES Lakehurst Navy BaseNavy
8Oak Harbor, WashingtonNAS Whidbey Island Navy BaseNavy
9White Hall, ArkansasPine Bluff Arsenal Army BaseArmy
10Sandwich, MassachusettsAir Station Cape Cod Coast Guard BaseCoast Guard
11Montgomery, OhioWright Patterson Air Force BaseAir Force
12Natick, MassachusettsSoldier Systems Center Army BaseArmy
13North Chicago, IllinoisGreat Lakes Training Center Navy BaseNavy
14Valparaiso, FloridaEglin Air Force BaseAir Force
15Bowie, MarylandFort Meade Army BaseArmy
16Twentynine Palms, CaliforniaTwentynine Palms Marine CorpsMarine
17Monroe, WisconsinFort Mccoy Army BaseArmy
18Fairfax City, VirginiaFort Belvoir Army BaseArmy
19Grovetown, GeorgiaFort Gordon Army BaseArmy
20Brunswick, MaineNAS Brunswick Navy BaseNavy
21Clare, MichiganSelfridge ANGB Air Force BaseAir Force
22Del Rio, TexasLaughlin Air Force BaseAir Force
23Ayer, MassachusettsFort Devens Army BaseArmy
24Alexandria, VirginiaWarrenton Training Center, Telecomo Systems Command, Henderson HallArmy, Coast Guard, Marine
25Portsmouth, New HampshirePortsmouth Shipyard Navy BaseNavy
26Havelock, North CarolinaMCAS Cherry Point Marine Corps BaseMarine
27Moscow, PennsylvaniaTobyhanna Army Depot BaseArmy
28Bellevue, NebraskaOffutt Air Force BaseAir Force
29Elizabethtown, KentuckyFort Knox Army BaseArmy
30Abilene, TexasDyess Air Force BaseAir Force
31Dublin, CaliforniaCamp Parks PRFTA Army BaseArmy
32Kingston, TennesseeHolston Army Plant Army BaseArmy
33Virginia Beach, VirginiaNAS Oceana, Joint Expeditionary Fort Story Naval BaseNavy
34Port Hueneme, CaliforniaNAS Point Mugu, Naval Battalion Center Navy BaseNavy
35Saratoga Springs, New YorkSaratoga Springs NSU Navy BaseNavy
36Knob Noster, MissouriWhiteman Air Force BaseAir Force
37Cape May, New JerseyTraining Center Cape May Coast GuardCoast Guard
38Mountain Home, IdahoMountain Home Air Force BaseAir Force
39Groton, ConnecticutMarine Safety Center Marine Base, Naval Submarine Base New LondonCoast Guard, Navy
40Carlisle, PennsylvaniaCarlisle Barracks Army BaseArmy
41Colonial Beach, VirginiaNSWC Dahlgren Naval BaseNavy
42Valdez, AlaskaMarine Safety Unit Valdez Coast Guard BaseCoast Guard
43Ingleside, TexasNS Ingleside Navy BaseNavy
44Jacksonville, North CarolinaCamp Lejeun, MCAS New River Marine Corps BaseMarine
45Oak Island, North CarolinaMilitary Ocean Terminal Sunny PointNavy
46Milton, FloridaNAS Whiting Field Navy BaseNavy
47Radford, VirginiaRadford Army Ammunition PlantArmy
48Southern Pines, North CarolinaCamp Mackall Army BaseArmy
49Port Townsend, WashingtonNaval Magazine Indian IslandNavy
50Falmouth, MassachusettsCoast Guard Station Woods HoleCoast Guard
51Kingsland, GeorgiaKings Bay Submarine Navy BaseNavy
52Petaluma, CaliforniaTracen Petaluma Coast Guard BaseCoast Guard
53Midway, GeorgiaFort Stewart Army BaseArmy
54Seal Beach, CaliforniaNWS Seal Beach Navy BaseNavy
55Minot, North DakotaMinot Air Force BaseAir Force
56San Diego, CaliforniaMultipleMarine, Navy
57El Paso, TexasFort Bliss Army BaseArmy
58Madison, AlabamaRedstone Arsenal Army BaseArmy
59Aberdeen, MarylandAberdeen Proving Ground Army BaseArmy
60Honolulu, HawaiiHickam, Fort Shafter, Fort Derussy, Wheeler Army Airfield, Honolulu Coast Guard BaseAir Force, Army, Coast Guard
61North Pole, AlaskaEielson Air Force BaseAir Force
62Eatontown, New JerseyFort Monmouth Army BaseArmy
63Altus, OklahomaAltus Air Force BaseAir Force
64Tampa, FloridaMacdill Air Force BaseAir Force
65Watervliet, New YorkWatervilet Arsenal Army BaseArmy
66Port Royal, South CarolinaMCRD Parris Island Marine Corps BaseMarine
67Hopkinsville, KentuckyFort Campbell Army BaseArmy
68Goose Creek, South CarolinaNWS Charleston Navy BaseNavy
69Daleville, AlabamaFort Rucker Army BaseArmy
70Chambersburg, PennsylvaniaLetterkenny Army Depot Army BaseArmy
71Oceanside, CaliforniaNaval Hospital Pendleton Navy BaseNavy
72Fayetteville, North CarolinaPope Air Force Base, Fort Bragg Army Base, Simmons Army AirfieldAir Force, Army
73Chesapeake, VirginiaFinance Center Coast Guard Base, NSA Northwest Annex Navy BaseCoast Guard, Navy
74Newport, Rhode IslandStation Castle Hill, NS Newport Naval BaseCoast Guard, Navy
75Lemoore, CaliforniaNAS Lemoore Navy BaseNavy
76Fort Walton Beach, FloridaHurlburt Field Air Force BaseAir Force
77Ridgecrest, CaliforniaNAWS China Lake Navy BaseNavy
78Alameda, CaliforniaISC Alameda Coast Guard BaseCoast Guard
79Elizabeth City, North CarolinaAir Station Elizabeth City, National Strike Force Coast GuardCoast Guard
80Warren, MichiganDetroit Arsenal Army BaseArmy
81Universal City, TexasRandolph Air Force BaseAir Force
82Hampton, VirginiaLangley Air Force Base, Fort Monroe Army BaseAir Force, Army
83Richmond, KentuckyBlue Grass Army Depot BaseArmy
84Key West, FloridaNAS Key West Navy BaseNavy
85Fallon, NevadaNAS Fallon Navy BaseNavy
86Wichita Falls, TexasSheppard Air Force BaseAir Force
87Alamogordo, New MexicoHolloman Air Force BaseAir Force
88Lompoc, CaliforniaVandenberg Air Force BaseAir Force
89Goldsboro, North CarolinaSeymour Johnson Air Force BaseAir Force
90Chicopee, MassachusettsWestover Air Force BaseAir Force
91Tooele, UtahDugway Proving Ground Army BaseArmy
92Enid, OklahomaVance Air Force BaseAir Force
93Cheyenne, WyomingFrancis E Warren Air Force BaseAir Force
94Frederick, MarylandFort Detrick Army BaseArmy
95Fairfield, CaliforniaTravis Air Force BaseAir Force
96Annapolis, MarylandNaval Academy, NSA Annapolis, Naval Support Facility Thurmont/Camp DavidNavy
97Concord, CaliforniaMilitary Ocean Terminal Concord Navy BaseNavy
98New London, ConnecticutCoast Guard AcademyCoast Guard
99Sierra Vista, ArizonaFort Huachuca Army BaseArmy
100El Segundo, CaliforniaLos Angeles Air Force BaseAir Force
101Austin, TexasCamp Mabry Army BaseArmy
102Yuma, ArizonaYuma Proving Ground Army Base, MCAS Yuma Marine Corps BaseArmy, Marine
103Marietta, GeorgiaDobbins Air Reserve Base, NAS Atlanta Navy BaseAir Force, Navy
104Newport News, VirginiaFort Eustis Army BaseArmy
105San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaCamp San Luis Obispo Army BaseArmy
106La Plata, MarylandNSF Indian Head Navy BaseNavy
107Riverside, CaliforniaMarch Air Reserve Base Air ForceAir Force
108Brownwood, TexasCamp Bowie Army BaseArmy
109Bloomington, IndianaNSWC Crane Division Navy BaseNavy
110Kingsville, TexasNAS Kingsville Navy BaseNavy
111Clearwater, FloridaAir Station Clearwater Coast Guard BaseCoast Guard
112Junction City, KansasFort Riley Army BaseArmy
113Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan, GeorgiaHunter Army Airfield Army BaseArmy
114San Angelo, TexasGoodfellow Air Force BaseAir Force
115Colorado Springs, ColoradoAir Force Academy, Cheyenne Mountain, Peterson, Schriever Air Force BaseAir Force
116Lancaster, CaliforniaEdwards Air Force BaseAir Force
117Hattiesburg, MississippiCamp Shelby Army BaseArmy
118Flagstaff, ArizonaCamp Navajo Army BaseArmy
119Belleville, IllinoisScott Air Force BaseAir Force
120Moline, IllinoisRock Island Arsenal Army BaseArmy
121Fort Worth, TexasJRB Fort Worth Navy BaseNavy
122Las Vegas, NevadaCreech Air Force BaseAir Force
123Aurora, ColoradoBuckley Air Force BaseAir Force
124Blackstone, VirginiaFort Pickett Army BaseArmy
125El Centro, CaliforniaNaval Air Facility Navy BaseNavy
126Tullahoma, TennesseeArnold Air Force BaseAir Force
127Sacramento, CaliforniaMcclellan Air Force BaseAir Force
128Meridian, MississippiNAS Meridian Navy BaseNavy
129Monterey, CaliforniaPresidio Of Monterey, Fort Hunter Liggett, Camp Roberts, Naval Postgraduate SchoolArmy, Navy
130Reno, NevadaHawthorne Army Depot BaseArmy
131Norfolk, VirginiaNAB Little Creek, NS Norfolk, SCSC Wallops Island Navy BaseNavy
132Killeen, TexasFort Hood Army BaseArmy
133Bremerton, WashingtonNavy Base Kitsap, Naval Hospital Bremerton Naval BaseNavy
134Jacksonville, FloridaBlount Island Command, NAS Jacksonville, Naval Hospital JacksonvilleMarine, Navy
135Pensacola, FloridaTraining Center Corry, NAS Pensacola, Naval Hospital Pensacola Navy BaseNavy
136Watertown, New YorkFort Drum Army BaseArmy
137Martinsburg, West VirginiaOperations Systems Center Coast GuardCoast Guard
138Everett, WashingtonNS Everett Navy BaseNavy
139Glendale, ArizonaLuke Air Force BaseAir Force
140Ogden, UtahHill Air Force BaseAir Force
141Rapid City, South DakotaEllsworth Air Force BaseAir Force
142Leavenworth, KansasFort Leavenworth Army BaseArmy
143Corpus Christi, TexasCorpus Christi Army Depot, NAS Corpus Christi Navy BaseArmy, Navy
144Gulfport, MississippiGulfport Battalion Center, Mississippi Gulfport Battalion CenterAir Force, Navy
145Starke, FloridaCamp Blanding Army BaseArmy
146Great Falls, MontanaMalmstrom Air Force BaseAir Force
147Youngstown, OhioYoungstown–Warren Air Reserve StationAir Force
148Emerado, North DakotaGrand Forks Air Force BaseAir Force
149Petersburg, VirginiaFort Lee Army BaseArmy
150Milan, TennesseeMilan Army Ammunition Plant Army BaseArmy
151North Las Vegas, NevadaNellis Air Force BaseAir Force
152Phoenix, ArizonaBarry M Goldwater Range Air Force BaseAir Force
153McAlester, OklahomaMcalester Army AmmunitionArmy
154Miami, FloridaHomestead Air Reserve Base, District 7 Coast Guard BaseAir Force, Coast Guard
155Fairbanks, AlaskaFort Wainwright, Fort Greely Army BaseArmy
156Oklahoma City, OklahomaTinker Air Force Base, Coast Guard InstituteAir Force, Coast Guard
157Bastrop, TexasCamp Swift Army BaseArmy
158Yakima, WashingtonYakima Training Center Army BaseArmy
159Columbus, GeorgiaFort Benning Army BaseArmy
160St. Robert, MissouriFort Leonard Wood Army BaseAir Force
161Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaNaval Support ActivityNavy
162Dover, DelawareDover Air Force BaseAir Force
163Marysville, CaliforniaBeale Air Force BaseAir Force
164Warner Robins, GeorgiaRobins Air Force BaseAir Force
165Valdosta, GeorgiaMoody Air Force BaseAir Force
166North Little Rock, ArkansasCamp Joseph Robinson Army BaseArmy
167Kodiak, AlaskaISC Kodiak Coast Guard BaseCoast Guard
168Pascagoula, MississippiNS Pascagoula Navy BaseNavy
169Lawton, OklahomaFort Sill Army BaseArmy
170Beaufort, South CarolinaMCAS Beaufort, Naval Hospital BeaufortArmy, Navy
171Biloxi, MississippiKeesler Air Force BaseAir Force
172San Antonio, TexasLackland Air Force Base, Fort Sam Houston, Camp Bullis, Martindale Army AirfieldAir Force, Army
173Bossier City, LouisianaBarksdale Air Force BaseAir Force
174Sumter, South CarolinaShaw Air Force BaseAir Force
175Bernalillo, New MexicoKirtland Air Force BaseAir Force
176Harrisburg, PennsylvaniaNew Cumberland Army Depot Army BaseArmy
177District of ColumbiaMultipleAir Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine, Navy
178Forest Park, GeorgiaFort Gillem Army BaseArmy
179Columbia, South CarolinaFort Jackson Army BaseArmy
180West Palm Beach, FloridaAutec Complex Navy BaseNavy
181Jacksonville, ArkansasLittle Rock Air Force BaseAir Force
182Trenton, New JerseyMcguire Air Force Base, Fort Dix Army BaseAir Force, Army
183Clovis, New MexicoCannon Air Force BaseAir Force
184Mobile, AlabamaAviation Training Center Coast Guard BaseCoast Guard
185Orlando, FloridaNaval Air Warfare Center Navy BaseNavy
186Tucson, ArizonaDavis Monthan Air Force BaseAir Force
187Portsmouth, VirginiaSector Hampton Roads, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Medical Center PortsmouthCoast Guard, Navy
188Susanville, CaliforniaSierra Army Depot Army BaseArmy
189Fort Smith, ArkansasFort Chaffee Army BaseArmy
190Houston, TexasMedical Education and Training Campus Fort SamNavy
191Tacoma, WashingtonMcchord Air Force Base, Camp Murray, Fort Lewis Army BaseAir Force, Army
192New Orleans, LouisianaMarine Corps Support Facility, NSA New Orleans Navy BaseMarine, Navy
193Juneau, AlaskaUscg Juneau Coast Guard BaseCoast Guard
194North Charleston, South CarolinaJoint Base Charleston Air Force, Naval Hospital Charleston Navy BaseAir Force, Navy
195Millington, TennesseeNSA Mid South Naval BaseNavy
196Spokane, WashingtonFairchild Air Force BaseAir Force
197Barstow, CaliforniaFort Irwin Army Base, MCLB Barstow Marine Corps BaseArmy, Marine
198Panama City, FloridaTyndall Air Force Base, NAS Panama City Navy BaseAir Force, Navy
199Wichita, KansasMcconnell Air Force BaseAir Force
200Albany, GeorgiaMCLB Albany Army BaseMarine
201Texarkana, TexasRed River Army Depot Army BaseArmy
202Anchorage, AlaskaElmendorf Air Force BaseAir Force
203Pineville, LouisianaCamp Beauregard Army BaseArmy
204Cleveland, OhioISC Cleveland Coast Guard BaseCoast Guard
205Edinburgh, IndianaCamp Atterbury Army BaseArmy
206Miami Beach, FloridaISC Miami Coast Guard BaseCoast Guard
207Baltimore, MarylandCoast Guard Yard, Surface Forces Logistics Coast GuardCoast Guard
208Leesville, LouisianaFort Polk Army BaseArmy
210Anniston, AlabamaAnniston Army Depot BaseArmy

Reporters can email questions to media@vivintsource.com.

Stay Safe in Any Military Town

No matter where you and your family are stationed, a security system and 24/7 monitoring can increase your personal and home safety.

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