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The safest states in America in 2024, according to WalletHub report

By Kelly Hayes
Published  October 21, 2024 6:48am PDT
U.S.
KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco

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Which U.S. state is the safest to call home? While no place is immune to all danger, some areas of the country are better in this category than others – and many are in the Northeast, according to a new report.

The personal finance site WalletHub ranked the "safest states" in 2024, using a range of metrics – from assaults per capita to the total loss from climate disasters per capita to the unemployment rate.

Vermont was ranked No. 1, and particularly for its neighborhood safety. Nearly 77% of parents in Vermont believe they live in safe neighborhoods, according to WalletHub – which is the second-highest percentage in the country.

Additionally, Vermont has the seventh-most neighborhood watch groups per capita, which can help alert law enforcement of crimes or suspicious activity, the report said. It added that the state has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and safe roads, comparatively.

FILE - A white house with a picket fence and autumn leaves is pictured in a file image. (Photo by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

"The safest states in America protect their residents from harm in a multitude of different ways, from keeping crime rates low and maintaining safe roadways to having strong economies and job markets that prevent people from falling into dangerous financial situations," Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst, said in a statement. "They have high levels of occupational safety and disaster preparedness, too."

Lupo added that states are made safer "by efforts that individual residents take, such as forming a neighborhood watch or working in firefighting and EMT jobs at high rates."

To determine the safest places to live in 2024, WalletHub said it compared the 50 states across five key metrics: 1) Personal & Residential Safety, 2) Financial Safety, 3) Road Safety, 4) Workplace Safety, and 5) Emergency Preparedness.

RELATED: These small towns and cities are ranked the safest in America, study shows

Safest U.S. states, ranked

The top five "safest" states in WalletHub's ranking were Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and Utah. 

The bottom five states were Florida, Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi and
Louisiana at No. 50.

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