2 SC cities among the least safe in the US, new report shows. Which one is the worst?

South Carolina has two of the most unsafe cities in the U.S., a new report shows.

Columbia ranked 89th and Charleston ranked 160th out of a total of 182 cities analyzed for the study by WalletHub, a major personal finance website.

There have been hundreds of mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year, which can make Americans feel unsafe. But other concerns, such as lack of insurance or taking out an unaffordable second mortgage, can also make people feel less safe and secure.

Some cities are better at protecting their residents from harm. To determine where Americans can feel secure in multiple ways, WalletHub compared 182 U.S. cities — including the 150 most populated and at least two of the most populated in each state — across 42 key indicators for safety. The data set ranges from the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated and assaults per capita, to the unemployment rate and road quality. The report used statistics from sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the FBI, the U.S. Fire Administration, the U.S. Department of Housing and the Federal Highway Administration.

This is how Columbia and Charleston did in a few key metrics, where a ranking of first means the safest.

Columbia

• Financial safety: 157th
• Home and community safety: 87rd
• Natural disaster risk: 83rd

Charleston

• Financial safety: 93rd
• Home and community safety: 155th
• Natural disaster risk: 165th

Here are other key findings from the report:

• Irvine, California, has the fewest aggravated assault incidents (per 100,000 residents), 22.22, which is 86.3 times fewer than in Memphis, Tennessee, the city with the most at 1,917.08.
• Port St. Lucie, Florida, has the fewest thefts (per 1,000 residents), 8.26, which is 9.2 times fewer than in Salt Lake City, the city with the most at 75.93.
• Washington has the most law-enforcement employees (per 100,000 residents), 624, which is 6.8 times more than in Chula Vista, California, the city with the fewest at 92.
• Gilbert, Arizona, has among the fewest pedestrian fatalities (per 100,000 residents), 0.40, which is 25.3 times fewer than in Little Rock, Arkansas, the city with the most at 10.10.

These are the 10 safest cities in the U.S., according to WalletHub.

1. Columbia, MD
2. Nashua, NH
3. Laredo. TX
4. Portland, ME
5. Warwick, RI
6. Yonkers, NY
7. Gilbert, AZ
8. Burlington, VT
9. Raleigh, NC
10. Lewiston, ME

This story was originally published October 11, 2022 at 5:00 AM.

Patrick McCreless

The State

803-771-8353

Patrick McCreless is the Southeast service journalism editor for McClatchy, who leads and edits a team of six reporters in South Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi. The team writes about trending news of the day and topics that help readers in their daily lives and better informs them about their communities. He attended Jacksonville State University in Alabama and grew up in Tuscaloosa, AL.