10 Safest Small Towns in Ohio to Retire!

In all of 2024, police in one Ohio city recorded seven crimes. Not seven a week: seven for the whole year, and every one of them was a theft. We count down the ten safest small towns in Ohio to retire: Bellbrook, Chardon, Canfield, Columbiana, Madeira, Huron, Brecksville, Olmsted Falls, Trenton and, at number one, St. Clairsville. For every town you get the 2024 crime rate, the median home value, the share of residents 65 and older, where the nearest hospital is, and one real downside. Crime rates are FBI data for 2024 as published by AreaVibes, per 100,000 residents. Home values are US Census Bureau figures (American Community Survey 2020–2024). In a small town one or two incidents move the rate a lot, so treat these as a one-year snapshot and check the latest numbers before you buy. Maps and charts are original to Hidden Ohio. Stock footage that stands in for a place we could not film is labelled "Illustrative" on screen. CHAPTERS 0:00 Seven crimes in a whole year 0:42 Where the numbers come from 2:05 #10 Bellbrook 4:08 #9 Chardon 6:00 #8 Canfield 8:10 #7 Columbiana 10:14 #6 Madeira 12:14 #5 Huron 14:21 #4 Brecksville 16:07 #3 Olmsted Falls 18:13 #2 Trenton 19:56 #1 St. Clairsville 23:08 Next time SOURCES Crime rates: FBI data for 2024, as published by AreaVibes (per 100,000 residents; Ohio about 1,845, US about 2,119) Home values, rents and age shares: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates; St. Clairsville age share: 2020 Census Bellbrook: City of Bellbrook (Sugar Maple Festival, Age-Friendly Bellbrook); Five Rivers MetroParks (Sugarcreek MetroPark) Chardon: Geauga County Maple Festival; University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center; Chardon Senior Center Canfield: Canfield Fair; Mill Creek MetroParks; Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Boardman Columbiana: Firestone Park; The Henry Ford (Firestone Farm, Greenfield Village); Salem Regional Medical Center Madeira: City of Madeira (McDonald Commons Park); Madeira Historical Society (Miller House); The Jewish Hospital – Mercy Health Huron: City of Huron (pier, Nickel Plate Beach, Boat Basin); Firelands Regional Medical Center; Erie County senior services Brecksville: Cleveland Metroparks; Cuyahoga Valley National Park (NPS visitation); MetroHealth Olmsted Falls: City of Olmsted Falls (David Fortier River Park, Grand Pacific Junction, Jenkins Place); UH Southwest General Trenton: Great Miami River Trail; MetroParks of Butler County (Woodsdale); Trenton Historical Society; Atrium Medical Center St. Clairsville: National Road Bikeway; Trinity Health; St. Clairsville Senior Center; Belmont County Heritage Museum