So is Midland safe or not?

Yeah, it is, but there are some reports which have as high as No. 11 (among small metro areas) according to a Farmers Insurance study. However, according to www.bestplaces.net, which uses Farmers Insurance for its fourth annual Most Secure U.S. Places to Live rankings Midland just misses the top 20, finishing 21st, which is still not shabby.

The rankings, according to www.bestplaces.net, took into consideration crime statistics, extreme weather, risk of natural disasters, environmental hazards, terrorism threats, air quality, life expectancy and job loss numbers in 379 U.S. municipalities. The study divided the communities into three groups: large metropolitan areas, mid-size cities and small towns.

Competing against all metro areas (no matter the size, Midland ranks 41st.

Here are the rankings for small metro areas. Rankings are for all metropolitan areas no matter the size.

Rank Change City Size Population
1 +50 Corvallis, OR S 81,105
2 +9 Harrisonburg, VA S 113,343
3 +2 Ithaca, NY S 103,641
4 +18 State College, PA S 144,311
6 +1 Logan, UT-ID S 110,632
7 +22 Lewiston, ID-WA S 58,928
8 +27 Bismarck, ND S 97,858
10 -9 St. George, UT S 110,515
11 +90 Napa, CA S 133,051
15 -13 Bend, OR S 136,927
23 -7 Wenatchee, WA S 103,216
27 +56 Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA S 110,809
30 +141 Ames, IA S 84,569
34 -28 Morgantown, WV S 115,519
36 +20 Wausau, WI S 128,677
39 +97 Iowa City, IA S 138,941
40 -30 Winchester, VA-WV S 113,613
41 -37 Coeur d'Alene, ID S 121,824
45 -31 Glens Falls, NY S 127,879
46 +8 Grand Forks, ND-MN S 95,087
48 +89 Midland, TX S 119,495
Also
135 +123 Victoria, TX S 113,803
142 -37 Odessa, TX S 124,541
244 -55 San Angelo, TX S 105,367
316 +25 Texarkana, TX-Texarkana S 133,977
335 +28 Wichita Falls, TX S 151,127