Most Dangerous States 2024

Most Dangerous States 2024

The United States ranks 128th in safety globally, facing challenges like hate crimes, shootings, and natural disasters. Safety significantly impacts relocation decisions, especially for families.

WalletHub assessed safety across all 50 states using 53 criteria, from crime rates to disaster preparedness.

  1. Vermont is the safest state in the US, followed closely by Maine.

  2. For overall safety and quality of life, Maine is often considered one of the best states to live in the USA. Other states like New Hampshire, Idaho, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Wyoming, and Virginia also boast low crime rates.

  3. New Hampshire reports the least number of murders among all US states, with only 20 recorded incidents. Vermont and Wyoming follow closely behind, with 24 and 27 homicides respectively.

  4. The states with the highest murder rates are Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, Alabama, and Illinois. These states also tend to have higher rates of homicides compared to others.

Most Dangerous States 2024

Top 10 Safest States in the US

  1. Vermont – Safety Score: 68.79
  2. Maine – Safety Score: 66.95
  3. New Hampshire – Safety Score: 63.99
  4. Utah – Safety Score: 63.48
  5. Hawaii – Safety Score: 60.36
  6. Massachusetts – Safety Score: 60.02
  7. Connecticut – Safety Score: 59.88
  8. Minnesota – Safety Score: 59.81
  9. Washington – Safety Score: 59.44
  10. Rhode Island – Safety Score: 58.99

Top 10 Most Dangerous States 2024

  1. Louisiana – Safety Score: 31.64
  2. Mississippi – Safety Score: 32.52
  3. Arkansas – Safety Score: 33.72
  4. Texas – Safety Score: 36.77
  5. Alabama – Safety Score: 37.68
  6. Oklahoma – Safety Score: 39.34
  7. Florida – Safety Score: 39.52
  8. Missouri – Safety Score: 40.25
  9. South Carolina – Safety Score: 41.03
  10. Tennessee – Safety Score: 41.34
Most Dangerous States 2024

The following table ranks states based on various safety indicators. Higher Total Scores indicate greater safety overall. Conversely, lower numbers in the subcategory columns reflect higher rankings.

StateTotal scoreFinancial SafetyPersonal and Residential SafetyRoad SafetyWorkplace Safety
Emergency Preparedness
Louisiana324846344049
Mississippi334630504850
Arkansas344347474733
Texas374240363148
Alabama384136423746
Oklahoma394535293645
Florida402532464442
Missouri403241432441
South Carolina413650441636
Tennessee414049411138
Montana42645283832
Kansas432829213444
South Dakota43328325039
Colorado44844314328
Ohio454732232924
Georgia454422392534
Nebraska4792493940
West Virginia473331264518
Illinois484913182335
Nevada48504837176
North Dakota48122084937
Pennsylvania493518332627
Kentucky493925352030
California492242401819
Michigan503443381514
New Mexico503838481012
Delaware512923253313
Wisconsin512126113220
New York52311043026
North Carolina52151230443
Arizona5320334998
Indiana533715241229
Maryland53249451423
Wyoming542721102221
Alaska55163727212
New Jersey55305162825
Idaho55181664615
Iowa551985747
Oregon55113912816
Virginia56171122331
Rhode Island59266193510
Washington597271559
Minnesota604173622
Connecticut60231172717
Massachusetts605714211
Hawaii60141420134
Utah63219725
New Hampshire641413413
Maine671332191
Vermont691021417

FAQ: Safety in the United States

1. Is California or Texas safer? Based on FBI data from 2019, California had 441.2 violent crimes and 2,331.2 property crimes per 100,000 residents, while Texas had 418.9 violent crimes and 2,390.7 property crimes per 100,000 residents.

2. Is it safe to live in the US? In 2021, the percentage of Americans feeling safe in their state dropped to 50%, with the violent crime rate remaining at 4.0 incidents reported per 1,000 people.

3. Is Birmingham, Alabama safe? Violent crime rates have dropped nationally, but some cities, including Birmingham, still face elevated crime levels, according to the FBI.

4. Is it safe to live in California? California ranks 17th in national violent crime rates as of 2023, showing a 6.1% increase from 2021 to 2022, but still below historical highs.

Sources for 

Most Dangerous States 2024

  1. Crime Data Explorer – https://crime-data-explorer.fr.cloud.gov/pages/explorer/crime/crime-trend
  2. FBI – Crime Publications – https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ucr/publications#cius
  3. Council on Criminal Justice – Crime Trends Year-End 2021 Update – https://counciloncj.org/crime-trends-yearend-2021-update/
  4. CDC – Firearm Mortality – https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/firearm_mortality/firearm.htm
  5. CDC – Homicide Mortality – https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/homicide_mortality/homicide.htm
  6. Statista – Reported Violent Crime Rate in the US States – https://www.statista.com/statistics/200445/reported-violent-crime-rate-in-the-us-states/
  7. Crime Data Explorer – Downloads – https://crime-data-explorer.app.cloud.gov/pages/downloads
  8. The Marshall Project – What did FBI data say about crime in 2021? It’s too unreliable to tell – https://www.themarshallproject.org/2022/06/14/what-did-fbi-data-say-about-crime-in-2021-it-s-too-unreliable-to-tell
  9. The Hill – Hotter summers, rising gun violence put vulnerable youth at risk: Can advocates keep them safe? – https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/education/3536338-hotter-summers-rising-gun-violence-put-vulnerable-youth-at-risk-can-advocates-keep-them-safe/
  10. The Center Square – How the murder rate in Maine compares to the rest of the country – https://www.thecentersquare.com/maine/how-the-murder-rate-in-maine-compares-to-the-rest-of-the-country/article_0c2ba1b1-721a-5877-b459-798f18371472.html
  11. SafeWise – Safest Cities in Maine – https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-maine/#:~:text=2022 Maine crime rates,for 82%25 of property crime.
  12. SafeWise – Safest Cities in New Hampshire – https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-new-hampshire/#:~:text=2022 New Hampshire crime rates&text=Its already-low violent crime,decreased from 12.2 to 11.0.
  13. TravelSafe-Abroad – Vermont – https://www.travelsafe-abroad.com/united-states/vermont/
  14. SafeWise – Safest Cities in Vermont – https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-vermont/#:~:text=Vermont’s overall level of concern,crime rates in the country.
  15. BackgroundChecks.org – Safest Cities in Connecticut – https://backgroundchecks.org/safest-cities-in-connecticut.html
  16. Connecticut Post – The true facts on CT crime – https://www.ctpost.com/opinion/article/Opinion-The-true-facts-on-CT-crime-16571389.php
  17. SafeWise – Safest Cities in New Jersey – https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-new-jersey/
  18. MPDC – District Crime Data at a Glance – https://mpdc.dc.gov/page/district-crime-data-glance
  19. SafeWise – Safest Cities in Alaska – https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-alaska/#:~:text=Alaska’s violent crime rate is 8.4 per 1%2C000 people%2C more,points above the national average.
  20. SafeWise – Safest Cities in New Mexico – https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-new-mexico/
  21. WREG – Crime stats show decrease in violence, a spike in thefts – https://wreg.com/news/local/crime-stats-show-decrease-in-violence-a-spike-in-thefts/
  22. The Center Square – How the violent crime rate in Arkansas compares to other states – https://www.thecentersquare.com/arkansas/how-the-violent-crime-rate-in-arkansas-compares-to-other-states/article_e515cb78-7670-5a9d-8eee-0e061d4b2148.html
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