Maryland city ranks No. 1 on insurer’s list of safest places to live in U.S.

Bethesda, Md. has maintained its top spot on an annual list of large communities in the United States ranked on their safety and security.

Grand Rapids, Mich. and Pittsburgh also made the top three in the large communities category of most secure places to live in the U.S., an annual list from Farmers Insurance.

The study of large metropolitan areas (population of 500,000 or greater) was compiled by researchers at Sperling’s BestPlaces.

The rankings take into consideration a number of criteria, including economic stability, crime statistics, extreme weather, risk of natural disasters, housing depreciation, foreclosures, air quality, environmental hazards, life expectancy, motor vehicle fatalities, and employment numbers.

“Our most secure large metropolitan areas are islands of security in our challenging times,” said Bert Sperling, president of Sperling’s BestPlaces.

“Some have a stable economy due to their local colleges and seats of government, and some may be fortunate that their locale is not prone to hurricanes, tornadoes or earthquakes,” he added.

Bethesda has earned a top 20 rating on the list for seven consecutive years and has been in the top 10 every year since 2007. The historical Maryland area has a low unemployment and low personal crime rate, as well as a long life expectancy rate, according to Farmers.

The top 20 large areas include:

• Bethesda–Gaithersburg–Frederick, Md.
• Grand Rapids–Wyoming, Mich.
• Pittsburgh, Pa.                                                         
• Austin–Round Rock, Texas
• Cambridge–Newton–Framingham, Mass.
• Omaha, Neb.–Council Bluffs, Iowa
• San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, Calif.
• San Francisco–San Mateo–Redwood City, Calif.
• Portland–Beaverton, Ore.–Vancouver, Wash.
• Dallas–Plano–Irving, Texas
• Boise City–Nampa, Idaho
• Madison, Wis.
• Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, Minn.
• Raleigh–Cary, N.C.
• Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine
• Essex County, Mass.
• El Paso, Texas
• Honolulu, Hawaii
• Santa Ana–Anaheim–Irvine, Calif.
• Des Moines–West Des Moines, Iowa