According to a recent study by SmartAsset, Plano has been recognized as the second safest large city in the United States, following Virginia Beach. This ranking is part of a broader analysis that evaluated 83 U.S. cities with populations exceeding 250,000, representing over 90 percent of the nation’s largest urban areas.
In addition to Plano, Laredo also made the top 10, securing the sixth position, while Dallas and Houston were listed among the least safe cities, with Houston ranked second to last.
The study’s methodology assessed a composite score based on four key metrics rather than solely focusing on crime rates. Two of these metrics were derived from the FBI's report on crime in the United States for 2024, which included rates of violent crimes and property crimes per 1,000 residents.
Additionally, the analysis incorporated motor vehicle fatalities per 100,000 residents sourced from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with disaster risk data from FEMA's National Risk Index, which was evaluated as of April 2026 and categorized on a five-point scale.
For Plano, the statistics revealed 1.5 incidents of violent crime per 1,000 residents, 14.7 property crimes per 1,000 residents, and 6.9 motor vehicle fatalities per 100,000 residents. However, the city's disaster risk was rated as "Relatively High," which negatively impacted its overall ranking. Despite this, Plano managed to secure the second spot due to its favorable crime statistics.
The impact of disaster risk was also evident in the rankings of other cities. For instance, Irvine, California, ranked 12th, while Santa Ana was 20th, both hindered by potential earthquake and wildfire threats despite having moderate crime rates. This indicates that the study's rankings are not purely based on crime statistics, as cities with similar crime figures can have varying overall rankings.
