One Chicago suburb has a new reason to brag—and this time, it’s all about safety.
WalletHub has released its list of the Safest Cities in America for 2026, and Aurora cracked the top 25, coming in at No. 24 overall with a score of 65.07 out of 100. It was also the highest-ranking Illinois city in the study.
The personal finance site compared 182 cities across 41 safety metrics, looking at everything from traffic fatalities and violent crime to natural-disaster risks and financial security. In other words, there’s more to this ranking than crime rates alone.
Aurora ranks among America’s safest cities
Aurora earned its top-25 finish with strong placements in two of the study’s three main categories.
Here’s how its rankings broke down:
- Home & Community Safety: No. 25
- Natural-Disaster Risk: No. 25
- Financial Safety: No. 127.
Those figures are category rankings, not safety scores, with No. 1 representing the safest conditions.
WalletHub’s analysis considers factors including assaults, traffic deaths, severe-weather risks, unemployment, and insurance coverage to calculate each city’s overall position.
Aurora was the only Illinois city to make this year’s top 25—but it didn’t take the national crown. That honor went to Juneau, Alaska, followed by Warwick, Rhode Island, and Overland Park, Kansas.
Where did Chicago rank?
As for us? Chicago landed at No. 163 overall, with a total score of 45.52. The city ranked No. 159 for Home & Community Safety, No. 105 for Natural-Disaster Risk, and No. 151 for Financial Safety.
One detail worth keeping in mind: WalletHub evaluated a selected group of 182 cities, not every city or suburb in the country. Its findings reflect that sample and its particular mix of safety measures.
View the full ranking and methodology here.
