As it did in 2004, Sunnyvale placed fifth in the 100,000 to 499,999 residents population, which made the city the 17th safest in the United States, up one from its 18th place ranking last year.

Each year, Morgan Quitno ranks cities in the United States according to six crime categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft. It uses data collected by the FBI.

The 369 cities ranked this year were separated into size categories, the largest being 500,000 residents and over and the lowest 75,000 to 99,999 residents.

Although the rankings are defined by crime statistics, Sunnyvale communications officer John Pilger said it is much more than just "cars and cops" that makes Sunnyvale a safe city. He credited programs such as the Columbia Neighborhood Center's after school programs, Sunnyvale's youth sports and the involvement of Sunnyvale's neighborhood associations as factors.

San Jose was deemed the safest city in the largest category. San Diego took sixth on that list. Sunnyvale was behind such California cities as Thousand Oaks and Irvine. Sunnyvale was also the only Northern California city to break the top 20 overall list at 17.

"It's interesting that the largest city in the county and the second largest in the county were both in the top five for their population groups," Pilger said. "I think it says a lot about the county."

While Sunnyvale has always been in the top five for its size--its highest ranking was number three in 2002--its place in the overall ranking has fluctuated. In 2002 it was number five; in 2003 it was 10, and last year, it was 18. But Pilger said that even the top 20 of a list of almost 400 is a good achievement.

"If we were anywhere in the top 50, I'd be delighted" Pilger said. "Small slips or gains don't really mean a whole lot, but we're obviously proud of our record and our community."

For more on the Morgan Quitno ratings, visit www.morganquitno.com.