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telmar25 t1_is4kd9f wrote

This Wallethub “safest cities” ranking uses a strange definition of “safe”. Only about 25% of this ranking has to do with crime. Otherwise it’s about things like road quality, unemployment rates, COVID vaccinations, and natural disaster risk. Look at their methodology. Honestly I think it’s mostly (effective) clickbait - how many times a year do I see this headline? And how many rankings do you think they do across the US where other cities are number 1? I wouldn’t put any stock in this ranking.

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Wx_Justin t1_is4p79a wrote

25% may be about crime, but the crime statistics are given relatively higher weights. If you look at the "Home and Community" section, COVID, crime, and traffic fatalities are included, but most of the weight is placed on violent crime. Columbia is also #1 in this specific section, so we must be doing something right when it comes to crime.

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telmar25 t1_is4pps0 wrote

To get 25% I roughly added up the weights of all the crime-related individual items in their “methodology.” So crime is only 25% of it overall.

I’m not making a point about Columbia crime… I live here and have a fairly good idea where things sit. But this WalletHub thing is kinda silly.

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Wx_Justin t1_is4q5c6 wrote

All of the crime-related fields actually add up to over 50% of the weight for that section.

I do agree that it would be better to see a full report rather than summary statistics, however.

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telmar25 t1_is4qq57 wrote

I hear you, it’s good that we are first in that section and probably indicates that we are doing something right with regard to crime. Still the point stands, about 25% or thereabouts of the weight of this overall ranking is about crime, and the WalletHub thing is kinda clickbaity and misleading.

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micmea1 t1_is6v5tt wrote

Seems eerily similar to how Sykesville keeps winning "coolest town in America" awards from various websites and magazines.

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Gr8WallofChinatown t1_isewdwy wrote

Coolest town in america yet still has a business openly showing the SS…

(Google southern states sykesville)

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