California is home to five of America’s 40 safest cities.

That according to Forbes Magazine, which looked at the country’s 40 largest metropolitan statistical areas across four categories of danger.

The ranking considered four measurement categories:

  • Violent crime rates from the FBI’s 2008 uniform crime report;
  • 2008 workplace death rates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics;
  • 2008 traffic death rates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration;
  • and natural disaster risk

The Bay Area metropolitan area of San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara ranked as the safest California city and No. 7 in the nation.

It ranked second for the lowest rate of violent crimes, No. 6 in traffic deaths and No. 8 in workplace fatalities. However, it was ranked low at No. 38 in natural disaster risk.

The area of San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos ranked No. 13. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana ranked No. 19 and had the third lowest rate of workplace fatality rates.

Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville ranked at No. 24 on the list, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont ranked No. 25 and Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario ranked No. 32.

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wisc. received the highest honors on the list.

To see the full list, click here.

James Spencer can be reached at jspencer@publicceo.com