Safest states in the U.S.
Top 10 safest states
ConsumerAffairs weighed five factors to determine the safest states
in 2024: violent crime, property crime, driving safety, public
safety and climate safety. Here’s what the categories covered:
-
Violent
crime (40 points): Rates
of four types of violent crime per 100,000 people (homicide,
rape, robbery and aggravated assault), each worth 10 points
-
Property
crime (30 points): Rates
of three types of property crime per 100,000 people (burglary, larceny-theft and motor
vehicle theft),
each worth 10 points
-
Driving
safety (10 points): The
number of fatalities involving aggressive driving or careless
driving per 100,000 people and road rage incidents with gun
violence per 100,000 people, each worth five points
-
Public
safety (10 points): The
number of law enforcement officers per 100,000 people
-
Climate
safety (10 points): The
number of climate disasters over the past 10 years
The best-performing state for each of the 11 individual metrics
received the maximum number of points, and all other states were
assigned points relative to how they compared with the
best-performing state. Scores were added together to calculate a
final overall safety score, with a maximum score of 100 points.
Below, we highlight the 10 safest states.
1. New Hampshire
Safety score: 87.2
New Hampshire is currently the safest state in the U.S., moving up
from its No. 2 ranking last year. This year, it ranked at the top
across several metrics for both violent crime and property crime
categories. The state has the nation’s lowest burglary rates, with
just 73.5 per 100,000 residents. It also has the third-lowest
homicide rate, at 1.8 per 100,000 residents, and the second-lowest
rate of aggravated assault.
Although New Hampshire falls in the middle of the pack when it comes
to the number of law enforcement officers, it ranks third in driving
safety. These factors combined make New Hampshire an exceptionally
safe place to live.
2. New Jersey
Safety score: 86.2
New Jersey ranks as the second-safest state in the U.S. this year,
dropping from its top-ranked position last year. Despite the shift,
it continues to rank highly in terms of violent crime rates. The
state has the lowest rate of rape in the study, with just 16.8
incidents per 100,000 residents. That falls well below the national
average number of 40 incidents per 100,000 residents.
New Jersey also ranks second overall for law enforcement presence,
with 424 officers per 100,000 residents. However, the state could
improve in driving safety; it ranks 18th overall in that category,
including 30th in deaths involving aggressive or careless driving.
3. Rhode Island
Safety score: 84.7
Rhode Island is the third-safest state in the U.S., up from its
seventh-place ranking last year. It stands out for its top ranking
in overall driving safety, including for the lowest rate of
fatalities involving aggressive or careless driving, at just 1.3 per
100,000 residents. It also has the lowest homicide rate in the
study, at 1.5 per 100,000 residents, well below the national average
of 6.3. Rhode Island ranks sixth overall in property crime and third
in climate safety despite being a coastal state.
4. Massachusetts
Safety score: 83.4
Massachusetts maintained its fourth-place finish from last year. The
state performs well across both violent crime and property crime
categories. It stands out with the second-lowest larceny-theft rate,
at 827.6 per 100,000 residents. That’s below the national average of
1,402 per 100,000 residents. It also has the fifth-lowest homicide
rate and fourth-lowest rape rate in the country. While Massachusetts
ranks 19th in robberies, its rate of 37.7 per 100,000 residents is
still well below the national average of 66.1.
5. Connecticut
Safety score: 81.9
Connecticut ranks as the fifth-safest state in the U.S., up from its
sixth-ranked position last year. The state excels in several safety
categories — ranking second best for violent crime rate and ninth
for property crimes. Connecticut has the second-lowest rate of rape
in the nation, at 18.1 per 100,000 residents. It also ranks third
for the lowest rate of aggravated assault, with 83.3 incidents per
100,000 residents.
6. Maine
Safety score: 81.3
Maine, which ranked third on our list last year, has the lowest
overall violent crime rate and leads the nation with the lowest rate
of aggravated assaults, with just 59 per 100,000 residents, compared
with the national average of 268. The state also has the
second-lowest burglary rate and the seventh-lowest homicide rate. It
could’ve finished higher if not for lower scores in climate safety
(42nd) and law enforcement presence (47th).
7. Idaho
Safety score: 81.0
Idaho has moved up a spot in this year’s rankings. The state ranks
best overall in rate of larcenies and thefts, at 677.1 per 100,000
residents — over 50% below the national average. Robberies are also
relatively rare in Idaho; it has the second-lowest rate in the
country, at just 8.2 per 100,000 residents. The state ranks second
overall for the lowest rate of property crime and seventh for the
lowest rate of violent crime — all while ranking 49th in law
enforcement presence.
8. Vermont
Safety score: 78.8
Vermont is the eighth-safest state in our rankings, down three spots
from last year. It ranks sixth best in violent crime and 11th in
property crime. It also lands in the top 10 for driving safety, with
just three fatalities due to aggressive or careless driving per
100,000 residents; the national average is five per 100,000
residents. However, it has fewer law enforcement officers than most
states, with just 166.8 officers per 100,000 residents — 28% below
the national average of 231.4.
9. Wyoming
Safety score: 78.4
Wyoming ranks as the ninth-safest state in the U.S., up two spots
from last year. It has the lowest rate of robberies in the nation,
at just 7.9 per 100,000 residents. It also has a low rate of
aggravated assaults and a large law enforcement presence, ranking
fifth in both categories. However, the state has the 47th-highest
rate of rape, at 62.8 per 100,000 residents; that’s 57% higher than
the national average.
10. Pennsylvania
Safety score: 77.6
Pennsylvania ranks as the 10th-safest state in our study due to a
strong performance in the property crime category and high law
enforcement numbers. It ranks eighth in the U.S. for lowest rate of
property crime. It has the seventh-highest number of law enforcement
officers, with 269.3 per 100,000 people, well over the national
average.
Which states ranked as the least
safe in 2024?
The five least safe states in the U.S. are New Mexico, Louisiana,
Washington, D.C., Colorado and Arkansas. (We included the capital as
a state for the purposes of our study.) Each of the five ranks among
the 10 worst states for violent crime, property crime and driving
safety. New Mexico, the least safe state in the U.S., ranks third
worst in violent crime, third worst in property crime and last in
driving safety.
Violent crime by state
|
|
| |
State |
Violent crime safety rank |
Homicides per 100K |
Rapes per 100K |
Robberies per 100K |
Aggravated assaults per 100K |
| |
United States |
- |
6 |
40 |
66 |
268 |
| |
Maine |
1 |
2 |
32 |
10 |
59 |
| |
Connecticut |
2 |
4 |
18 |
45 |
83 |
| |
New Hampshire |
3 |
2 |
40 |
16 |
68 |
| |
New Jersey |
4 |
3 |
17 |
48 |
135 |
| |
Rhode Island |
5 |
2 |
38 |
25 |
108 |
| |
Vermont |
6 |
3 |
37 |
13 |
169 |
| |
Idaho |
7 |
3 |
49 |
8 |
182 |
| |
Hawaii |
8 |
2 |
38 |
66 |
154 |
| |
Florida |
9 |
5 |
30 |
34 |
190 |
| |
Wyoming |
10 |
3 |
63 |
8 |
129 |
| |
Kentucky |
11 |
7 |
34 |
38 |
135 |
| |
Iowa |
12 |
2 |
43 |
22 |
221 |
| |
Massachusetts |
13 |
2 |
29 |
38 |
253 |
| |
Virginia |
14 |
7 |
30 |
38 |
158 |
See how your state ranks
The table below shows all 50 states and Washington, D.C., ranked by
overall safety score. Rankings for each of the five categories are
also included. Find out how your state compares with others in the
U.S.
Safest states, ranked (2024)
| |
State |
Overall safety rank |
Violent crime safety rank |
Property crime safety rank |
Driving safety rank |
Public safety rank |
Climate safety rank |
| |
New Hampshire |
1 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
31 |
5 |
| |
New Jersey |
2 |
4 |
7 |
18 |
2 |
12 |
| |
Rhode Island |
3 |
5 |
6 |
1 |
20 |
3 |
| |
Massachusetts |
4 |
13 |
3 |
2 |
11 |
8 |
| |
Connecticut |
5 |
2 |
9 |
17 |
33 |
7 |
| |
Maine |
6 |
1 |
4 |
7 |
47 |
42 |
| |
Idaho |
7 |
7 |
2 |
12 |
49 |
14 |
| |
Vermont |
8 |
6 |
11 |
8 |
48 |
14 |
| |
Wyoming |
9 |
10 |
16 |
26 |
5 |
6 |
| |
Pennsylvania |
10 |
23 |
8 |
20 |
7 |
18 |
| |
West Virginia |
11 |
18 |
5 |
22 |
38 |
27 |
| |
New York |
12 |
29 |
15 |
4 |
3 |
29 |
| |
Iowa |
13 |
12 |
10 |
5 |
42 |
35 |
| |
Virginia |
14 |
14 |
14 |
9 |
28 |
38 |
| |
Utah |
15 |
15 |
24 |
21 |
44 |
10 |
| |
Wisconsin |
16 |
19 |
12 |
45 |
24 |
22 |
| |
Maryland |
17 |
35 |
19 |
23 |
8 |
9 |
| |
Delaware |
18 |
24 |
23 |
37 |
23 |
2 |
| |
Indiana |
19 |
21 |
18 |
34 |
36 |
25 |
| |
Illinois |
20 |
27 |
22 |
29 |
6 |
26 |
Bottom line
Crime happens everywhere, whether you’re in New Hampshire (ranked as
the safest state), New Mexico (ranked as the least safe) or anywhere
in between. To reduce your risk of being the victim of a violent
crime or property crime, consider installing a home
security system.
If you’re planning to move
to a new state,
research crime statistics and trends in the states and cities you're
considering. You can find this information in online reports from
the FBI, state agencies and local governments.
Methodology
To determine the safest states in 2024, the ConsumerAffairs Research
Team compared all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., across five
categories: violent crime, property crime, driving safety, public
safety and climate safety. The scores for each of the five
categories were calculated using the following metrics:
-
Violent
crime (40 points): The
violent crime score is based on four metrics: homicides per
100,000 people (10 points), rapes per 100,000 residents (10
points), robberies per 100,000 people (10 points), and
aggravated assaults per 100,000 people (10 points). We gathered
this data from the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer. Data is from 2022.
-
Property
crime (30 points): The
property crime score is based on three metrics: burglaries per
100,000 people (10 points), larcenies-thefts per 100,000 people
(10 points), and motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 people (10
points). We gathered this data from the FBI’s Crime Data
Explorer. Data is from 2022.
-
Driving
safety (10 points): The
driving safety score is based on two metrics: total fatalities
due to aggressive driving or careless driving per 100,000 people
(five points) and the number of road rage incidents involving
gun violence per 100,000 people (five points). We gathered data
from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Data is from 2022.
-
Public
safety (10 points): The
public safety score is based on the number of law enforcement
officers per 100,000 people. We gathered data from the FBI’s
Crime Data Explorer. Data is from 2022.
-
Climate
safety (10 points): The
climate safety score is based on the number of climate disasters
over the past 10 years. We gathered data from the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The best-performing state for each of the 11 individual metrics
received the maximum number of points, and all other states were
assigned points based on how they compared relative to the
best-performing state. We added the scores together to calculate an
overall safety score, which has a maximum of 100.
For questions about the data or if you'd like to set up an
interview, please contact acurls@consumeraffairs.com.
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