Five Michigan Cities Rank Among Least Safe Small Cities
A WalletHub study of 1,318 U.S. small cities places Kalamazoo, Flint, Battle Creek, Jackson and Saginaw among the 100 lowest for safety.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Violence
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WalletHub's Best Small Cities in America (2026) ranking placed five Michigan cities among the 100 least safe small cities in the nation. The study compared communities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 people.
Why it matters
Safety rankings like this one can shape how residents and prospective newcomers view smaller communities across Michigan. The study weighted violent and property crime most heavily among its six factors.
The ranking compares 1,318 communities with populations of 25,000 to 100,000 people, placing five Michigan cities among the 100 lowest. Individual city crime figures and scores behind those placements were not included in the study summary.
The players
WalletHub
WalletHub is a personal finance website that publishes comparative city rankings covering cost of living, quality of life and safety.
The details
WalletHub's safety score weighted violent crime and property crime most heavily, and also measured motor vehicle crash deaths, pedestrian fatalities, alcohol-impaired driving deaths and drug-poisoning deaths relative to population. Kalamazoo, Flint, Battle Creek, Jackson and Saginaw are the Michigan cities named among the lowest-ranked.
Timeline
2026: WalletHub publishes Best Small Cities in America (2026) study.
Seasonal Patterns
This 2026 edition extends WalletHub's annual Best Small Cities in America series, which ranks communities of 25,000 to 100,000 residents on safety and other factors, placing five Michigan cities among its lowest safety scores.
Residents of Kalamazoo, Flint, Battle Creek, Jackson and Saginaw may see the ranking cited in local discussions of public safety. Individuals considering a move to smaller Michigan cities can use the factors WalletHub weighted, including violent crime and traffic deaths, to compare communities.
The takeaway
Safety rankings combine several measures, so a city's overall placement reflects a blend of crime, traffic and drug-related factors rather than a single statistic. Reviewing the individual components of any ranking can clarify what drives a city's score.
Further reading
Explore more on Violence in Michigan communities.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 97.5 NOW FM.
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