It comes as no shock to some residents of Corona and Temecula that their cities have been deemed two of the safest in America.

An online ranking company named Corona No. 13 and Temecula No. 20 in its report of the 2016 safest cities in America, based on crime rates provided by law enforcement to the FBI. Niche.com analyzed data from 208 cities with populations of more than 100,000, weighing five categories of violent crime and property crime to come to its results.

Tiana Cofield, 22, of Corona, said she wasn’t surprised to hear how her city stacked up. She moved to Corona about five years ago and feels like it’s a safe place for her 2-year-old daughter and 4-month son to grow up.

“I mean, there’s crime everywhere, but here it’s minimal,” Cofield. “I feel comfortable walking around by myself here, even at night.”

Temecula reported 92.33 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2014, the most recent year available. Corona reported 106.13. Statewide, the violent crime rate in 2014 dropped to a 47-year-low of 393 per 100,000 residents.

Both cities also have relatively low rates of property crime: 2,340 per 100,000 residents in Temecula, and 2,134 in Corona.

Other Riverside County cities with low crime rates, but populations too small to make the list, include Canyon Lake, Wildomar and Eastvale. Murrieta, which had lower crime rates in 2014 than both Corona and Temecula and a population over 100,000, wasn’t on the list; representatives of Niche.com couldn’t be reached Thursday to explain why.

Officials in Corona and Temecula believe they’ve been able to keep crime rates low by having a tight, trusting relationship between residents and the law enforcement agencies that serve them.

“It’s a team effort,” Corona City Councilman Dick Haley said. “Obviously we’re safe because we have a great Police Department, a great Fire Department, some of the lowest insurance rates.”

Corona City Councilwoman Karen Spiegel chalked up the city’s safety to having a well-equipped Police Department.

“We have a very engaged community as well as state-of-the-art tools for public safety,” Spiegel said.

Temecula Mayor Michael Naggar said the city has had a consistently low crime rate. He believes that’s due in equal part to the city’s police force – contracted through the Sheriff’s Department – and to the community’s attitude.

“We’re also a military town, so there’s a great deal of respect for the law,” Naggar said.

Wildomar resident Tru Dhillon, 21, was perplexed that Temecula made the list, given two recent violent incidents that rattled the city: a deadly attack at a CVS pharmacy in June and a fatal stabbing at a Circle K in April.

Despite those incidents, he still fees safe walking around Temecula at night. He was at the Temecula Duck Pond until 4 a.m. several times last week playing “Pokémon Go.”

Riverside County sheriff’s Capt. Jeff Kubel, who serves as Temecula’s police chief, said the community’s engagement with law enforcement helps deputies to do their job and reach the shared goal of making the city a safer place.

“I’ve worked in places in the county where if a deputy shows up after something occurred, people will deny a crime even took place, because they’re scared to get involved,” Kubel said. “Out here, people stand alongside the police to say, ‘This is what I saw, this is where he went.’ People take ownership of the community, which amplifies the work that we do.”

Staff writer Alex Groves contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9284, atadayon@pe.com, @PE_alitadayon