No matter where you are in the world, you’ll usually have the choice of where you want to live, whether you want to live in a built-up urban area or out in the sticks in a rural destination. Of course, it doesn’t matter whether you’re by yourself, with your partner, or with a family with children; your safety is going to be a high priority.

But then, which place is safer? Are you safer in a city or in a rural place? While there’s no right or wrong answer, today we’re going to explore some keys points you’re going to want to think about, so let’s jump straight into it.

The Actual Facts

Before jumping into potential variables, we’re, of course, going to first look at the statistics. Perhaps surprisingly, science and studies show it’s actually safer to live in a city or urban area. When you consider that cities feel like they have more opportunities for crime, this simply isn’t the case. A study back in 2013 called ‘Safety in Numbers’ found that the injury mortality rate, which includes deaths from events like accidents, car crashes, shootings, drownings, falls, and suffocation found that these kinds of death were ‘significantly more likely’ in rural areas than in cities.

In fact, the study found you were 1.22 times more likely to experience one of these in a rural area than in an urban one.

That being said, this study, which is the best study in this area to date, could be a little outdated since it only looked at the deaths from the years 1999 to 2006, and I’m sure you’ll agree a lot has changed over the years.

Higher Population Counts

The main concern that comes with living in a city that’s going to put you at risk is that there are so many more people and, therefore, more chances for things to happen and crimes to occur. When you live in a large town or city, you tend to get a lot more homelessness, drug crime, and gangs. While these problems do exist in rural areas, it’s far fewer in rural areas.

More Isolated

A few years ago, my parents moved out of the city to a rural area because they were looking for a quieter way of living life, but were surprised that their new house was burgled within the first month of moving there. As it turns out, living in a rural area can be quite isolated, especially if you don’t have any neighbors around, which can make your property and much more likely a target of theft.

Protect Yourself and Your Family

At the end of the day, there are pros and cons to both ways of living, so the best thing you can do is to be proactive in looking after yourself and your family. Whether you’re following basic home safety tips, such as getting an alarm installed on your property or even equipping yourself with a concealed weapon for protection, there are a lot of options out there for you to explore. If you are interested in arming yourself, you’ll need to complete an official License to Carry online course to make sure you’re carrying legally.

Summary

It doesn’t matter where you live; the chances are you’re going to experience some degree of unsafety, so protect yourself and your family by making the right decisions. Get educated and expect the unexpected.