Is your community one of Ohio’s safest? How area cities and townships rank

City of Springboro. LAWRENCE BUDD / STAFF

Credit: Lawrence Budd

Credit: Lawrence Budd

City of Springboro. LAWRENCE BUDD / STAFF

Three localities in southwest Ohio cracked the top 20 of Ohio’s safest communities, but smaller cities and townships in northwest Ohio — many on the outskirts of Cleveland — dominated the top of a new list.

FBI crime statistics analyzed for the SafeWise 20 Safest Cities in Ohio 2017 report show overall crime in Ohio decreased between 2014 and 2015. People living in the cities ranked had a less than one out of 1,000 chance of experiencing a violent crime in 2015 — almost 75 percent less than the national average, according to the study by the home security industry reviewer.

Noelle Dente, left, sits next to Brenna Lowery on a roller coaster at the Hamilton Township Berry Festival in 2012. Hamilton Twp. is the safest locality in the region, according to a trade group study.

Credit: Cameron Knight

icon to expand image

Credit: Cameron Knight

Top 5 safest Ohio communities according to the report:

1. Dover ↑ 

Previous Rank: 10

County: Tuscarawas

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.47

Property Crimes per 1,000: 2.95

2. Chester Township 

Previous Rank: Not ranked

County: Geauga

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.10

Property Crimes per 1,000: 3.37

3. Bay Village 

Previous Rank: Not ranked

County: Cuyahoga

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.45

Property Crimes per 1,000: 3.05

4. Bellevue 

Previous Rank: Not ranked

Counties: Erie, Huron, Sandusky

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.12

Property Crimes per 1,000: 3.86

5. Poland Township 

Previous Rank: 5

County: Mahoning

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.08

Property Crimes per 1,000: 4.38

Area communities in the state’s top 20:

12. Hamilton Township 

Previous Rank: 12

County, Warren

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.09

Property Crimes per 1,000: 5.88

17. Clearcreek Township ↓ 

Previous Rank: 11

County: Warren

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.46

Property Crimes per 1,000: 7.04

18. Springboro ↓ 

Previous Rank: 17

Counties: Warren, Montgomery

Violent Crimes per 1,000: 0.55

Property Crimes per 1,000: 6.98

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How other local communities ranked:

32. Mason

33. Centerville

36. Miamisburg

47. Clayton

48. Montgomery

49. Vermilion

50. Liberty Township

51. Ross Township

54. Lebanon

59. Tipp City

70. Kettering

71. Wapakoneta

82. Beavercreek

83. Monroe

85. Vandalia

87. Riverside

88. Oxford

93. West Chester Township

99. Sugarcreek Township

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