Nassau County's low crime rate and abundance of emergency facilities helped it rank as the safest community in America, according to U.S. News & World Report's Healthiest Communities analysis.
In the study released this week, Nassau received a perfect public safety score of 100. Only six counties in the entire U.S. received a score of 90 or higher.
To compile its list of safest communities, U.S. News looks at violent and property crime rates, accidental and motor vehicle fatality rates, per capita spending on health care and emergency services, the percentage of residents who live near health care and emergency services, and the percentage of public safety professionals who live within the community.
Nassau County's per capita spending on health care and emergency services is $1,148, which compares favorably to the national average of $440. The county's violent crime rate is 143.6 incidents per 100,000 residents, compared to the national average of 255.2.
Suffolk County, on Nassau's Long Island side, ranked 22nd on the U.S. News safety list with a score of 83, while Nassau's neighbor to the west, Queens, ranked 20th. Staten Island and Brooklyn ranked 17th and 25th, respectively.
29th healthiest community in the country
Factors indicative of community safety helped U.S. News determine a community's overall healthiness: Of the 25 counties with the highest public safety scores in the report, 20 were ranked among the top 500 healthiest communities in the nation, and nine counties were ranked in the top 50 of the overall rankings.
Overall, Nassau ranked 29th in U.S. News' Healthiest Communities report, which looked at the health of nearly 3,000 counties and county-equivalent areas across the country.
Not only does Nassau rank highly in safety rankings, but its overall health is supported by a thriving economy and excellent schools.
In education, Nassau received a score of 88 out of 100, ranking third in the nation, while in economy, it received a score of 94, ranking 11th in the nation.
The county received low marks in the housing and environment sections of the report, scoring 43 points for each.
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To read a detailed breakdown of Nassau County in U.S. News' Healthiest Communities survey, click here.
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