Warwick was ranked recently as the 8th safest municipality in Rhode Island by independent online review site SafeWise, which highlighted the city’s low crime rate and continued a trend of high marks regarding safety in the city across multiple review platforms.

However, the study did reflect that Warwick dropped five spots from last year’s assessment, when the city earned the third-ranked spot in the state.

The study is assembled through analyzing the most up-to-date crime statistics as recorded by the FBI – which for the 2019 report utilizes crime numbers from 2017. These include violent crimes (aggravated assault, murder, sexual assault and robberies) as well as property crimes (burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft). Municipalities with insufficient data or that don’t report their crime statistics are not reflected in the study. Crimes are assessed on a per 1,000 residents ratio.

In Warwick in 2017, there were 1.19 violent crimes per 1,000 people and 16.94 property crimes. Cumberland jumped seven spots from last year’s assessment to the number one overall spot, with only 0.43 violent crimes and 7.69 property crimes.

The full top 10 list was reported as: Cumberland, South Kingstown, Smithfield, Bristol, North Kingstown, Westerly, Coventry, Warwick, Lincoln and North Providence at number 10. Cranston came in at number 11, and Johnston ranked 13th. Providence was the lowest ranked of the 19 recorded municipalities, with 5.34 violent crimes per 1,000 residents and 32.94 property crimes, narrowly edging Woonsocket and Central Falls, which had 5.32 and 5 violent crimes per 1,000 residents respectively.

Also included in the findings was the fact that 70 percent of recorded cities and towns in Rhode Island reported zero murders in 2017, and only 9 percent of Rhode Islanders reported experiencing a violent crime within the past year (according to 2017 data) – 1 percentage point lower than the national average.

In total, Rhode Island’s aggregate violent crime rate of 2.27 incidents per 1,000 residents is about half the national average of 4.49, and its 17.23 property crime incidents per 1,000 residents is about 10 points lower than the national average of 27.11.

The study reports that, “Even though Rhode Island enjoys a low violent crime rate, residents still worry about it. Violent crime was the second-most worrying safety issue according to our State of Safety survey, with assault by a stranger topping the list of violent crime concerns. That falls in line with FBI crime numbers – assault was the most-reported violent crime among our safest cities, ranging from four in Smithfield to 57 in Warwick.”

Warwick has been ranked among the safest cities in the United States before, earning the title of 3rd safest city in the country in 2017 and 5th safest in 2018 by financial analysis company Wallethub, which also utilizes FBI data to make their assessment.

Mayor Joseph Solomon also recently announced that the City has been named 78th on Livability.com’s list of the top 100 places to live in America.

To determine the rankings, the organization examined over 1,000 cities with populations between 20,000 and one million residents. Forty data points in eight categories – amenities, demographics, education, economy, health care, housing, social/civic capital and transportation/infrastructure – were used to calculate a score for each community. A survey of more than 1,000 people in the Millennial generation determined the weight of each data point.

Livability.com uses a wide variety of available data from non-profits like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, as well as organizations like Great Schools, Esri, and ATTOM along with public-sector agencies such as the FCC, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Census Bureau, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Housing and Urban Affairs, Medicare/Medicaid Services, the U.S. Departments of Education and Agriculture, the FAA and the U.S. Golf Association.

“This news comes as no surprise to those of us who live and work in Warwick or to those who visit our community,” Solomon said through a release. “With 39 miles of coastline, a variety of affordable housing options, terrific restaurants, good schools and municipal services, and a wide range of recreational facilities, our city offers something for everyone. We’ve also been creating jobs in a variety of industries. And, as home to T.F. Green Airport and the InterLink intermodal rail station, Warwick is a convenient location for companies and business travelers and commuters alike.”