According to the WalletHub report, New England states are the safest in the US

The rankings are based on a variety of factors: personal safety and home security; financial security; road safety; workplace safety; and emergency preparedness, the report says.

WalletHub analyzed 52 metrics across the five categories, assigned a score to each, and then took the weighted average of each state to create an overall score that was used to assign the rankings.

“The safest states in America protect their residents from harm in a variety of ways, from low crime rates and maintaining safe streets to strong economies and job markets that prevent people from getting into dangerous financial situations,” Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst said in a statement.

“They also have a high level of occupational safety and disaster preparedness,” Lupo continued. “In addition, states are becoming safer through the efforts of individual residents, such as forming a neighborhood watch or working in firefighting and emergency medical services at high rates.”

Vermont topped all 50 states with an overall score of 67.94.

According to the report, the state stands out for neighborhood safety, with nearly 77 percent of parents there believing they live in safe neighborhoods – “the second highest percentage in the country.”

“In addition, the state has the seventh-highest neighborhood watch group per capita, which can help alert law enforcement to crimes or suspicious activity,” the report said. “Vermont has the 13th fewest aggravated assaults per capita, the 7th fewest murders and non-negligent manslaughters, and the 25th fewest thefts per capita.”

The state also has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and the “lowest share of mortgages that are severely underwater and the second fewest non-business bankruptcies per capita,” according to the analysis.

“Vermont residents are also largely safe from having their data stolen, as the state has the second-fewest identity theft complaints per capita,” the report said.

According to WalletHub, New Hampshire ranked second in part because it has “very little violence.”

“For example, New Hampshire had the fewest mass shootings between June 2022 and June 2024,” the study says. “The state also has the second fewest murders and involuntary manslaughters per capita and the fewest aggravated assaults per capita. In addition, the state is also very safe from non-violent crime, as it has the second fewest thefts per capita.”

Meanwhile, Maine, ranked third, “really shines when it comes to financial security,” the report said.

“The unemployment rate is just 2.7 percent, one of the lowest in the country,” the report said. “Workers also benefit from the fourth-best job security rate in the country and the third-best annual job growth rate.”

The report also mentioned some specific areas where New England was located shines compared to the rest of the country: Rhode Island, for example, had the fewest deaths per 100 million vehicle miles of travel, followed by Massachusetts.

According to the analysis, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut and Rhode Island (in that order) had the fewest assaults per capita, and Massachusetts had the lowest share of people uninsured.

According to the study, Rhode Island also has the fewest fatal workplace injuries relative to the total number of workers, followed by Connecticut and Massachusetts.

The annual rankings were released after WalletHub released its latest “Safest Cities in America” report earlier this month.

Several New England communities ranked in the top five in this roundup: South Burlington, Vt. at number 1; Warwick, Rhode Island, No. 3; and Burlington, Vt. in 4th place.

Here are the top 10 “safest states”:

1. Vermont
2. New Hampshire
3. Maine
4. Massachusetts
5. Utah
6. Hawaii
7. Connecticut
8. Minnesota
9. Rhode Island
10. Wyoming

Christopher Gavin can be reached at [email protected].