Simpsonville makes list of 20 safest cities in state

City jumps 2 spots

Simpsonville, S.C. — The City of Simpsonville has been ranked one of the top 20 safest cities in South Carolina for the third year in a row.

A company that researches national crime and safety trends, SafeWise, ranked Simpsonville No. 17 out of 68 cities in the state in its “The 20 Safest Cities in South Carolina” list.

Simpsonville Police Chief Mike Hanshaw said the ranking does not surprise him. 

“Simpsonville police officers are sworn to protect and serve and do so every day,” Hanshaw said. “The drop in both violent crime and property crime rates over the last 3 years is due to a commitment to public safety and an increase in the quality of life in Simpsonville. I’m proud of our officers and City.”

The violent crime rate in the City of Simpsonville dropped from 3.3 in 2017 to 1.8 in 2020, and the property crime rate dropped from 36.1 to 30.7 (rates are calculated as the number of incidents per 1,000 people).

Simpsonville jumped two spots from No. 19 in 2019. Other notable rankings are the cities of Mauldin at No. 8, Fountain Inn at No. 19 and Greenville at No. 35.

Simpsonville Community Relations Specialist Justin Campbell said Chief Hanshaw is right about both officers and quality of life.

“With the addition of developments like Burdette Central, new restaurants and a music series and food truck rodeo, the quality of life in Simpsonville continues to increase,” Campbell said. “High quality education is also shown to lower crime rates, and Simpsonville has some of the best schools in the state.”

The Simpsonville Summer Music Series & Food Truck Rodeo hosted by the City of Simpsonville

and Simpsonville Arts Foundation, Inc. add to the quality of life in Simpsonville | City of Simpsonville

SafeWise bases their rankings on the most up-to-date FBI crime data and statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau.

For more information, contact Community Relations Specialist Justin Campbell at jcampbell@simpsonville.com.