Safest cities in Oregon, shows La Grande in the top 20
By Paul Hall on Wednesday, March 17th, 2021 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – SafeWise, the leading resource for all things safety and security, announced today the release of its 20 safest cities in Oregon report for 2021—with West Linn holding the number one spot for the second year in a row and La Grande coming in 11th.
See the full report here:
https://www.safewise.com/blog/oregons-20-safest-cities-of-2021/
SafeWise names West Linn the safest city in Oregon with a violent crime rate of .07 per 1,000 residents and only 8.6 property crime incidents per 1,000 residents.
The SafeWise report notes that compared to previous years, violent crime in Oregon has stayed roughly the same. The state has the lowest violent crime rate in the Pacific region.
Key findings from the Safest Cities in Oregon Report include:
Oregonians feel less concerned for their safety than their fellow Americans. Only 39% expressed a daily level of high concern compared to 47% nationwide.
However, 57% of the Oregonians we surveyed said they worry about the COVID-19 pandemic on a daily basis and 55% believe that crime is increasing.
50% of Oregon residents said that gun violence was their top concern.
Assault is the top violent crime concern, which is in line with crime reporting—aggravated assault was the most-reported violent crime among the safest cities, with Truth or Consequence reporting 20 aggravated assaults.
As for property crime, Oregon saw a higher rate of motor vehicle theft than most of the nation with 13% per 1,000 people compared to 10% across the US.
27% of Oregonians say their property security has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (US 29%).
Quotes
“Oregon has a better read on crime trends than most of the US—just 55% think that crime is increasing, compared to 66% nationwide,” says Rebecca Edwards, lead safety and tech reporter for SafeWise. “That could be due to crime dropping across the board in Oregon, and the phenomenal performance of the safest cities in the state—75% of the cities on our list reported fewer than two violent crimes per 1,000 people. That’s nearly half the national average.”
“It’s unusual for us to see three cities bigger than 100,000 people on a safest cities list,” says Rebecca Edwards, lead safety and tech reporter for SafeWise, “But Oregon has three—Bend, Beaverton, and Hillsboro. Bend is especially impressive with crime rates that are well below state, regional, and national averages.”
Methodology
To identify the cities with the best safety records, SafeWise analysts looked at the number of violent crimes reported in the 2019 FBI Unified Crime Report, the most recent data available. They also calculated the number of violent crime incidents per 1,000 people in each city. Analysts established population thresholds and, in the event of a tie, property crimes were considered.
About SafeWise
SafeWise is the leading resource for all things safety and security. We are real people seeking the best products to help you live your safest, smartest life. Guided by our Buy Smart, Live Safe philosophy, we figure out how things work and whether or not they’re worth your money. At SafeWise, we believe simplifying home security and safety helps bring peace of mind to you and your family.
