The Safest U.S. Beach Towns for Your Summer Escape

Key takeaways

• Montauk, New York, and Half Moon Bay, California, are the safest beach towns.
• Ocean City, Maryland; Rehoboth Beach, Delaware; and Miami Beach, Florida, are the least safe.
• Montauk, New York, is the beach town with the lowest property and violent crime rates.
• Santa Cruz, California, has the most lifeguards per 1,000 jobs
• Volusia and Brevard County, Florida, are the beach towns most likely to have unprovoked shark attacks.

Seeking America's safest shores

Planning a beach getaway but concerned about safety? You're not alone. With rising concerns about crime rates, shark attacks, and general security, choosing the safest coastal destination involves looking at a handful of different factors. We recently explored the safety profiles of 58 of America's most popular beach towns, analyzing property crime, violent crime, lifeguard presence, and even shark attacks. From unexpected safe havens to surprising risk zones, our findings might just reshape your summer vacation plans.

Coastal safety scorecard

Coastal safety is a top concern for beachgoers planning their summer getaways. So first, let's examine the overall safety rankings of popular beach towns, considering factors like crime rates and shark attack incidents.

Based on property crime, violent crime, the number of lifeguards on duty, and summer temperatures, Montauk, New York, and Half Moon Bay, California, have been the safest beach towns overall. Montauk's high ranking is mostly due to also ranking No. 1 for having the least property crime and violent crime.

Ocean City claimed the dubious distinction of being the least safe beach town overall (likely for its property and violent crime rates). Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and Miami Beach, Florida, ranked as the second- and third-least safe beach towns.

Beach town extremes: Best and worst by safety factor

From shark attacks to lifeguard presence, beach towns vary widely in their safety profiles. Let's dive into the highs and lows we uncovered across different safety factors.

Montauk, New York, was the crime safety champ, boasting the lowest rates for both property and violent crimes among all the beach towns we studied. Meanwhile, Santa Cruz, California, took the crown for water safety based on the number of lifeguards. For every 1,000 jobs in the metropolitan area, there were 1.9 employed recreational protective service workers (including lifeguards).

Finally, watch out for the heat if you're visiting the Sunshine State, where residents have already experienced record-breaking temperatures in 2024. Florida's beach towns consistently scored the highest average summer temperatures. Take heat safety precautions like staying hydrated and wearing the right clothing.

Searching for shark attacks

Where are the most people concerned about sharks? We tallied up online searches about shark attacks and counted the actual incidents.

While shark attacks are rare, our numbers show they're definitely on people's minds—especially in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. This beach town took the cake with 296.5 shark attack-related searches per 1,000 residents in the past year. That's a lot of worried beachgoers!

But what about real shark encounters? Volusia County, Florida, has been the biggest hotspot for unprovoked shark attacks since way back in 1882, with 351 recorded incidents. In fact, Florida counties (known for having sharks) dominated this category: the top three for unprovoked shark attacks were all in the Sunshine State (including Brevard County and Palm Beach County).

Sun, sand, and safety

From Montauk's low crime rates to the seemingly shark-infested waters of Florida, no single factor determines a beach town's overall safety. Even beautiful Half Moon Bay, California, ranked in the Top 3 for overall safety, but also came in at No. 1 for the highest summer temperatures, presenting a mixed bag of risks and reassurances.

Awareness is your best defense as you plan your next coastal escape. Consider the factors that matter most to you—whether it's crime rates, lifeguard presence, or shark attack history—and choose accordingly. The safest beach vacation is one where you can relax, knowing you've made an informed decision.

Methodology

The weighting factors for the Safest Beach Towns meta ranking are as follows:

• Property crime per 1,000 residents in 2022: 40%
• Violent crime per 1,000 residents in 2022: 40%
• Number of recreational protective service workers (including lifeguards) employed per 1,000 jobs in each metropolitan area in 2022: 10% (If metropolitan area data was not available, county data was used.)
• Average high temperatures in June, July, and August based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data from the past 30 years: 10%

We also collected University of Florida data on unprovoked shark attacks by county. The date on which data collection began varied by state: California data is from 1926 to present, Florida's is from 1882-present, North Carolina's is from 1935-present, South Carolina's is from 1837-present, and Texas's was from 1911-present.

We used search volume data from the past year to see which cities had the most shark-related searches (“recent shark attacks” and “attacks from sharks”) per 1,000 residents. Only cities with 1,000 or more residents were included.

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