Besides education, the paramount role of government in the eyes of most citizens is the provision of public safety. To lead healthy, productive and happy lives, residents need to live and work in safe surroundings. This category measures a host of outcome measures, such as arrest and crime rates. It also takes up issues specific to youth. Finally, it covers some of the role of local fire departments. Nearly all the indicators are benchmarked to the state and many to the U.S.
A full definition of each indicator, as well as its relevance to the two counties, can be found in the More Information section. The data are available in a spreadsheet via the Download Data tab.