St. Paul, Minn., residents report highest confidence in city’s safety, according to Gallup

Among the 50 largest metropolitan centers in the nation, residents of St. Paul, Minn., are likely to feel the most safe, according to a Gallup poll.

The telephone poll, released April 5, reported that, when asked if they felt comfortable walking alone in their community at night, 80 percent of St. Paul residents said “yes.”

Next on the list of perceived safety rankings were Aurora, Colo., and Cary, N.C., with 78 percent feeling secure, followed by Cambridge, Mass.; Quincy N.H.; Salt Lake City, Utah and Round Rock, Texas, all with 77 percent of residents feeling confident during their twilight strolls.

Conversely, Memphis, Tenn., residents felt the least safe out of the nation's largest cities, with only 55 percent of residents saying they could confidently walk alone at night. Only slightly more secure were residents of New Orleans, La., at 59 percent, Riverside, Calif., at 61 percent and Huston, Texas, and Jacksonville, Fla., both at 63 percent.

Gallup found there is a strong correlation between violent crime statistics and the perceived safety felt by metropolitan center residents. Although FBI violent crime statistics were not available for St. Paul, in general Gallup statisticians found areas that have lower violent crime rates tend to have a higher percentage of residents reporting they feel safe.

The poll also found that individual's feelings about safety are relatively stable. Compared to the 2011 poll, the average change in percent of the population feeling safe was one point in either direction.

In 2011, Minneapolis and Boston tied with the highest percentage of residents saying they feel safe at 79 percent, followed by Raleigh and Austin residents at 77 percent. The least safe metro areas again were Memphis (60 percent), Riverside (61 percent), New Orleans (63 percent), and Houston (63 percent).

For the complete list of findings, visit http://www.gallup.com/poll/161648/minneapolis-paul-area-residents-likely-feel-safe.aspx#1