6 Safest and Richest Mid-Size East Coast Cities in 2026
The safest and richest mid-size cities along the East Coast are known for providing an exceptional quality of life. Findings from a study conducted by MoneyLion researchers revealed each city has a livability score of 80 or higher, signifying these locations are fantastic areas to work and play.
For this article, we utilized an existing in-house analysis on America’s safest and richest mid-size cities and isolated East Coast locations where the average household income is $100,000 or greater. Key factors studied included each mid-size city’s (defined as areas with a total population between 75,000 and 500,000 people) average income, average home value and crime data, as sourced from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Offenses Known to Law Enforcement.
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Here are the six safest and richest mid-size cities across the East Coast.
1. Newton, Massachusetts
Population: 89,044
Median household income: $190,304
Average home value: $1,528,894
Total cost of living annually: $128,836
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 5.99
Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.49
2. Cary, North Carolina
Population: 179,306
Median household income: $134,905
Average home value: $626,396
Total cost of living annually: $65,421
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 13.17
Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.71
3. Somerville, Massachusetts
Population: 81,036
Median household income: $132,572
Average home value: $940,239
Total cost of living annually: $89,632
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 16.99
Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 2.21
4. Cambridge, Massachusetts
Population: 118,796
Median household income: $130,748
Average home value: $1,041,569
Total cost of living annually: $95,911
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 26.44
Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 4.37
5. Roswell, Georgia
Population: 92,621
Median household income: $128,654
Average home value: $658,156
Total cost of living annually: $70,239
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 10.21
Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 1.60
6. Alexandria, Virginia
Population: 156,976
Median household income: $119,681
Average home value: $676,205
Total cost of living annually: $72,909
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 26.40
Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 2.19
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
Methodology: For this study, MoneyLion analyzed mid-sized cities to find the safest and richest places to live. Mid-sized cities are considered cities with a total population between 75,000 and 500,000 people. The total population, population ages 65 and over, total households, median household income and mean household income were all sourced from the U.S. Census 2024 ACS. The cost-of-living indexes were sourced from Sperling's BestPlaces and using the national average expenditure costs for all households, as sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Expenditure Survey, the average cost of expenditures was calculated for each city. The average single-family home value was sourced from Zillow Home Value Index. Assuming a 10% down payment and using the national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate, as sourced from the Federal Reserve Economic Data, the average mortgage can be calculated for each city. Using crime data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Offenses Known to Law Enforcement, the property crimes and violent crimes reported in each city was found. Using the total population and crimes reported, the crime rate per 1,000 residents was calculated. The livability index was sourced from AreaVibes for each location and all locations with a livability below 80 were removed as they represent locations with a lower quality of life. The total cost of living was scored and weighted at 1.00, the mean household income was scored and weighted at 1.00, the livability index was scored and weighted at 1.00, the property crime rate per 1,000 was scored and weighted at 1.00, the violent crime rate per 1,000 was scored and weighted at 1.00. All the scores were summed and sorted to show the safest and richest mid-sized cities in the U.S. All data is up to date as of April 23, 2026.
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