Ranking the 60 Safest Places to Live

Farmers Insurance Group of Cos. released its seventh annual "Most Secure U.S. Places to Live" rankings.

The study, compiled by database experts at Bestplaces.net, divided the communities into three groups: large metropolitan areas, mid-size cities and small towns. The rankings took into consideration crime statistics, extreme weather, risk of natural disasters, housing depreciation, foreclosures, air quality, terrorist threats, environmental hazards, life expectancy and job loss numbers in 379 U.S. municipalities.

"In today's challenging economy, citizens look to their local governments to keep their communities secure and economically strong," Robert Woudstra, Farmers CEO said in a statement. "In the 82 years since its founding, Farmers has been committed to improving the communities where its customers, agents and employees live and work."

The complete Farmers Insurance Group's Most Secure U.S. Places to Live for 2010:

Large Metro Areas (500,000 or more residents)

1. Madison, Wis.
2. Des Moines/West Des Moines, Iowa

3. Syracuse, N.Y.
4. Austin/Round Rock, Texas
5. Portland/South Portland/Biddeford, Maine
6. Rochester, N.Y.
7. Honolulu, Hawaii
8. El Paso, Texas
9. Bethesda/Gaithersburg/Frederick, Md.
10. Seattle/Bellevue/Everett, Wash.
11. Pittsburgh, Pa.
12. Minneapolis/St. Paul/Bloomington, Minn.
13. Nassau/Suffolk Counties, N.Y.
14. McAllen/Edinburg/Mission, Texas
15. Bridgeport/Stamford/Norwalk, Conn.
16. Raleigh/Cary, N.C.
17. Albany/Schenectady/Troy, N.Y.
18. Wichita, Kan.
19. Buffalo/Niagara Falls, N.Y.
20. New Haven/Milford, Conn.         

Mid-Size Cities (150,000 - 500,000 residents)

1. Olympia, Wash.
2. Sioux Falls, S.D.
3. Bellingham, Wash.
4. Kennewick/Richland/Pasco, Wash.
5. Fargo, N.D./Moorhead, Minn.
6. Rochester, Minn.
7. Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis.
8. Binghamton, N.Y.
9. Lynchburg, Va.
10. Burlington, Vt.
11. St. Cloud, Minn.
12. Green Bay, Wis.
13. Yakima, Wash.
14. Appleton, Wis.
15. Spokane, Wash.
16. Bremerton/Silverdale, Wash.
17. Boulder, Colo.
18. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
19. Fayetteville/Springdale/Rogers, Ark.
20. Las Cruces, N.M.
              
Small Towns (Fewer than 150,000 residents)

1. Lewiston, Idaho/≠Clarkston, Wash.
2. State College, Pa.
3. Ithaca, N.Y.
4. Bismarck, N.D.
5. Logan, Utah
6. Wenatchee, Wash.
7. Morgantown, W.Va.
8. Billings, Mont.
9. Corvallis, Ore.
10. Midland, Texas
11. Sioux City, Iowa
12. La Crosse, Wis./Winona, Minn.
13. Elmira, N.Y.
14. Rapid City, S.D.
15. Oshkosh/Neenah, Wis.
16. Eau Claire, Wis.
17. Mount Vernon/Anacortes, Wash.
18. Fond du Lac, Wis.
19. Blacksburg/Christiansburg/Radford, Va.
20. Grand Forks, N.D./Crookston, Minn.