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Mapped: Safest States in America

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Mapped: Safest States in America

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Key Takeaways

  • Vermont ranks as the safest state in America, scoring highly across financial, road, and emergency preparedness metrics.
  • Northeastern states dominate the top of the rankings, while many Southern states rank near the bottom.

Safety is shaped by far more than just crime rates. It reflects how well states protect residents financially, prepare for emergencies, maintain road safety, and enforce workplace standards. Taken together, these factors offer a broader picture of day-to-day risk across the U.S.

This map ranks all 50 states by overall safety, combining 52 indicators into a single composite score. The data for this visualization comes from WalletHub.

The Northeast Sets the Standard for Safety

The Northeast dominates the top of the rankings. Vermont takes the top spot overall, bolstered by first-place finishes in both financial safety and road safety.

State # Personal Safety Financial Safety Road Safety Workplace Safety Emergency Preparedness
Vermont 12 1 1 12 11
Massachusetts 3 3 4 22 9
New Hampshire 2 2 16 43 4
Maine 5 8 8 25 2
Utah 28 18 6 5 3
Connecticut 1 9 23 32 15
Hawaii 18 11 18 19 13
Minnesota 23 5 2 6 23
Rhode Island 8 13 14 40 8
Wyoming 14 27 22 18 21
Indiana 11 37 13 10 28
Iowa 4 25 3 14 46
Maryland 24 19 26 13 22
Virginia 30 10 25 1 29
Washington 43 15 31 8 7
New Jersey 7 36 9 23 24
New York 17 22 5 26 26
Idaho 19 21 12 48 12
Wisconsin 25 6 21 31 20
Kentucky 16 46 35 4 31
Arizona 36 31 48 17 6
North Carolina 10 33 30 2 45
Delaware 13 29 37 41 10
Michigan 44 28 33 15 17
North Dakota 6 7 7 50 37
Oregon 49 26 32 7 14
New Mexico 40 32 49 3 16
Alaska 50 23 24 20 1
Ohio 27 30 20 28 25
Nevada 48 49 43 11 5
Pennsylvania 21 20 28 35 27
Nebraska 9 14 11 34 43
Kansas 15 16 10 29 44
West Virginia 26 43 15 45 19
South Dakota 22 4 17 47 39
Illinois 31 35 19 24 36
South Carolina 41 39 46 9 35
California 47 45 47 21 18
Montana 37 12 27 37 33
Tennessee 46 34 42 16 34
Missouri 29 24 45 30 41
Georgia 35 48 40 27 38
Alabama 33 42 29 39 40
Colorado 45 17 38 42 30
Oklahoma 32 38 41 38 42
Arkansas 42 41 34 46 32
Florida 34 44 44 43 47
Texas 39 40 39 33 48
Mississippi 20 47 50 49 50
Louisiana 38 50 36 36 49

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine all rank in the top five, reflecting strong public institutions, lower violent crime rates, and robust emergency preparedness.

These states tend to benefit from higher income levels and denser access to healthcare.

Western States Show Mixed Results

Western states present a more mixed picture. Utah ranks fifth overall, driven by strong workplace safety and emergency preparedness. Meanwhile, Washington and Minnesota also perform well, though each shows weaker results in specific categories like personal safety.

By contrast, California ranks near the bottom at 38th overall, weighed down by poor scores in personal, financial, and road safety. Alaska stands out for ranking first in emergency preparedness, but low personal safety scores drag down its overall position.

The South Trails in Overall Safety

Many Southern states cluster toward the bottom of the rankings. Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Florida all rank in the bottom ten overall. These states often struggle with higher traffic fatality rates, weaker workplace safety outcomes, and lower emergency preparedness scores.

Mississippi ranks last overall, finishing near the bottom in nearly every category.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Mapped: The Cost of Raising a Child in Each U.S. State in 2025 on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

Source
America