Baltimore ranked among the least safe cities in America in WalletHub’s 2026 nationwide safety study, finishing 180th out of 182 cities. Meanwhile, Columbia, Maryland, earned a spot among the country’s safest cities and ranked first nationally in home and community safety.
The findings highlight a striking difference between two Maryland communities separated by roughly 20 miles. Baltimore received an overall safety score of 36.70 out of 100, while Columbia scored 66.60, according to WalletHub’s 2026 Safest Cities in America ranking.
Only Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and New Orleans, Louisiana, ranked lower than Baltimore in the overall standings. Baton Rouge placed 181st, while New Orleans finished 182nd.
Baltimore Scores Near the Bottom in National Safety Ranking
Baltimore’s overall position reflected low rankings across several measures included in the study.
The city placed 180th in home and community safety, one of three major categories WalletHub used to assess safety across the country. Baltimore also ranked 174th in financial safety.
Its comparatively strongest result came in natural-disaster risk, where it placed 106th nationally.
The findings suggest that Baltimore’s position in the overall ranking was not based on a single measure. Instead, the study combined indicators related to crime, personal safety, financial conditions, traffic risks, and environmental threats.
However, the ranking alone does not explain the safety conditions in every Baltimore neighborhood. Citywide scores combine multiple indicators and may not reflect the experiences of individual residents or visitors.
Columbia Ranks Among America’s Safest Cities
Columbia recorded a much stronger result in the same WalletHub study, placing 19th overall with a safety score of 66.60.
The community’s strongest performance came in home and community safety. Columbia ranked No. 1 nationally in that category among the 182 cities included in the comparison.
Columbia also placed 11th in natural-disaster risk, while its financial safety ranking was 68th.
The results show how communities within the same state can receive substantially different scores when researchers evaluate safety across multiple categories.
Baltimore’s overall score was nearly 30 points lower than Columbia’s, while the two communities occupied very different positions in the home and community safety rankings.
What WalletHub Considered in Its 2026 Study
WalletHub compared 182 U.S. cities using 41 indicators designed to measure different aspects of safety.
The analysis considered factors such as violent crime, property crime, traffic fatalities, unemployment, and exposure to natural disasters. It also incorporated measures related to financial security and residents’ broader well-being.
By examining these factors together, the study aimed to provide a wider assessment of safety than crime statistics alone can offer.
Financial conditions and environmental risks can affect residents differently from crime-related concerns. Combining these measures into an overall score allows cities to be compared across several dimensions, although the final ranking depends on the indicators and weighting method used.
For readers evaluating the results, it is important to distinguish between the overall ranking and the individual category scores. A city’s position in one category may differ considerably from its overall standing.
What the Rankings Mean for Maryland
WalletHub’s 2026 results placed Baltimore near the bottom of the national list, while Columbia ranked among the top 20 cities overall.
The contrast offers a snapshot of how the two Maryland communities performed under the study’s selected measures. Columbia’s first-place ranking in home and community safety stands out, while Baltimore’s results show weaker positions in that category and financial safety.
Still, a nationwide ranking is only one way to evaluate a city. Residents considering where to live or travel may also want to review neighborhood-level crime information, local traffic conditions, housing costs, public services, and other factors relevant to their circumstances.
Readers can review the complete methodology, category scores, and city-by-city results in WalletHub’s 2026 Safest Cities in America report.
