8 Safest and Richest Midsize Midwest Cities in 2026
The Midwest may be known for its overall affordability, but wealth is actively growing in eight mid-size cities across this U.S. region.
Using an in-house MoneyLion study on America’s safest and richest mid-size cities, which analyzed each city’s average income, home value and its property and violent crime rate data, we isolated the Midwestern mid-size cities where household incomes are $100,000 or more annually. A full methodology is included at the end of this article.
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Discover which eight Midwest mid-size cities are the safest and richest to live in, ranked by highest household income.
1. Naperville, Illinois
Population: 150,692
Median household income: $155,105
Average home value: $610,454
Total cost of living annually: $67,194
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 8.84
Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.84
2. Carmel, Indiana
Population: 101,651
Median household income: $141,505
Average home value: $563,458
Total cost of living annually: $61,560
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 8.13
Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.66
3. Plymouth, Minnesota
Population: 79,220
Median household income: $136,534
Average home value: $508,713
Total cost of living annually: $58,117
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 10.24
Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.51
4. Fishers, Indiana
Population: 102,337
Median household income: $130,203
Average home value: $441,582
Total cost of living annually: $53,593
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 6.59
Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.73
5. Woodbury, Minnesota
Population: 78,305
Median household income: $125,310
Average home value: $457,355
Total cost of living annually: $54,612
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 11.80
Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.99
6. Arlington Heights, Illinois
Population: 76,005
Median household income: $116,723
Average home value: $470,945
Total cost of living annually: $57,239
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 8.80
Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.50
7. O’Fallon, Missouri
Population: 93,801
Median household income: $110,443
Average home value: $376,395
Total cost of living annually: $48,790
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 4.79
Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 0.59
8. Farmington Hills, Michigan
Population: 83,515
Median household income: $104,836
Average home value: $387,308
Total cost of living annually: $50,813
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents: 6.81
Violent crime rate per 1,000 residents: 1.98
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 U.S. Census 2024 American Community Survey (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 1000 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 1000 was scored and weighted at 1.00, the violent crime rate per 1000 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.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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