The study ranked cities according to “Large Metro Areas,” “Mid-Size Cities” and “Small Towns” categories. Madison, Wis. topped large cities; Olympia ranked first among mid-size cities; and Clarkston, Wash. tied with Lewiston, Idaho for the “most secure” small town.
The study considered factors such as crime statistics, extreme weather, risk of natural disasters, housing depreciation, foreclosures, air quality, terrorist threats, environmental hazards, life expectancy and job loss numbers in 379 metro areas, according to a press release.
Rankings were determined by Sperling's BestPlaces, a Portland-based website that has published various lists including “Best Airports to Make a Connection” and “Romantic Cities for Baby Boomers.”
The Bellingham Police Department has made efforts to improve the city's security in the past few years, Bellingham Police spokesman Mark Young said. Those efforts include partnering with local media to make information available to the public and introducing a neighborhood crime team assigned to issues in specific neighborhoods.
“I'd prefer we be number one on the list,” Young said, “but I think being ranked in the top five is a standard the department can appreciate and the community can take pride in.”
The city has also managed to stay afloat during the nation's economic recession, despite declining auto sales and new home listings as well as an 8 percent unemployment rate, just below the national average of nearly 10 percent.
Michael Lilliquist, chair of Bellingham's Finance and Personnel Committee, said he attributes Bellingham's relative economic security thus far, in part, to dollars provided by the stimulus bill passed by Congress in 2009.
“[Stimulus money] was used for public works and transportation projects that kept local contractors working when that might not have been the case,” Lilliquist said. “Looking forward, we fear we'll see fewer of those opportunities in the next year or two.”
Lilliquist said the biggest challenge Bellingham would face in the coming year was getting people back to work. He emphasized the importance of local businesses in tackling the issue. 
“The front line is our entrepreneurs, small businesses, larger employers and that's where a lot of the hope and energy will come from,” Lilliquist said.
While fluctuations in the national economy will affect local markets, Dean of Huxley College Bradley F. Smith suggested that Bellingham’s most valuable assets were the quality of life and the relationship to the environment.
Smith said a city's environmental security could be defined by the sustainability of its local agriculture and the quality of its air, water and infrastructure. Bellingham passed all of those tests, he said.
“[Bellingham is] a manageable size. When cities get too big, they aren't designed for a human scale,” Smith said. “This is a human scale sort of a city. When you drive around this town, you see bikes and kayaks as well as cars. It's a healthier community because people are more active here.”
Whether or not Bellingham maintains relative success may depend on its citizens' sense of security. Lilliquist said the city's security would survive because of the value Bellingham residents place on the community itself.
“Quality of life is an economic driver and it always will be,” Lilliquist said. “I think that's been our local advantage.”