Two local communities are among the safest in Michigan.

SafeWise has released its annual 20 Safest Cities in Michigan report. Hamburg Township and South Lyon again made the list, each improving its ranking from the previous year. Hamburg moved up one spot and ranked 9th while South Lyon improved to 11th from 14th. Each of the communities that made the 2017 list has both violent and property crime rates that are significantly below the state and national averages. As a whole, Michigan has the eleventh-lowest property crime rate in the country, and the ranks 35th for violent crime.

To identify the safest cities in Michigan, the most recent FBI Crime Report statistics from 2015 were reviewed, along with population data. Cities with fewer than 5,000 residents were not included. Communities were narrowed down based on the number of reported violent crimes such as murder, rape, and robbery as well as property crimes that include burglary, arson, larceny-theft and motor vehicle theft in each city. To further level the playing field, the likelihood of those crimes occurring out of 1,000 people in each city was calculated.

Six cities landed on the list for the first time this year, including the number-one safe city, Adrian Township. Officials say the mixture of repeat cities and those making their debut indicates a strong statewide commitment to cutting down on crime and ramping up public safety initiatives. (JM)