FILE-People walk along a busy intersection at a crosswalk. (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)
Safety is paramount no matter what region of the country you live in.
And knowing that you’re in a place where you feel protected offers peace of mind.
To take a closer look at how all 50 states rank in terms of safety, WalletHub released a new report evaluating them across five categories: personal and residential safety, financial safety, road safety, workplace safety, and emergency preparedness.
Categories for the report range from assaults per capita to monetary losses from climate disasters per resident, and economic conditions, including unemployment.
Top safest states in America
Why you should care:
WalletHub assessed the five subgroups using 52 metrics, with each one graded on a scale of 100, with a perfect score representing the state with the highest safety level.
- Vermont
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- Utah
- Connecticut
- Hawaii
- Minnesota
- Rhode Island
- Wyoming
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Maryland
- Virginia
- Washington
- New Jersey
- New York
- Idaho
- Wisconsin
- Kentucky
WalletHub’s analysis of the safest states
Dig deeper:
The personal finance website ranked Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire as its top three safest states and here’s what researchers are saying about the rankings.
Vermont
Vermont ranks as the number one state for safety in part because it has the fourth-highest percentage of safest neighborhoods in America, while also having the seventh-most neighborhood watch groups per capita.
WalletHub noted that the state has the 15th-fewest aggravated assaults, 17th-fewest murders and nonnegligent manslaughters, and 24th-fewest thefts per capita.
Regarding financial safety, Vermont has the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S. at 2.3% and high job growth rates.
Meanwhile, Vermont has the second-fewest identity theft complaints per capita and safest roads, with the 11th-fewest traffic deaths and the sixth-fewest pedestrian deaths per capita.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts earned the second spot as the nation’s safest state. It also has the third-best job security rate in the U.S. and the fourth-best annual growth rate for new jobs.
According to WalletHub, the state has low levels of crime, with the fourth-fewest thefts, and fourth-fewest murders and manslaughters per capita. Massachusetts also had the eighth-fewest mass shootings between June 2023 and June 2025, and low rates of sexual crimes and drug arrests.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire ranks third on WalletHub’s list in part because the state had the fewest mass shootings between June 2023 and June 2025, the fewest murders, and nonnegligent manslaughters per capita, the second-fewest aggravated assaults per capita, and the second-fewest thefts per capita.
WalletHub noted that most New Hampshire residents believe they live in safe neighborhoods and think their children go to safe schools. The state also has a low rate of violence and the most neighborhood watch groups per capita. Furthermore, the state is one of the best areas for financial safety with the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 2.6% and the lowest poverty rate.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by WalletHub, which ranked the safest states in the U.S. using key categories on a scale of 100. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.