Do You Live in One of the Safest—or Most Dangerous—States?
Do You Live in One of the Safest—or Most Dangerous—States?
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“Honey, let’s buy a home someplace super dangerous,” said no one ever. Instead, aspiring homeowners invariably seek out the safest states and communities to raise their families. And right now, that means the Northeast, according to a recent report.
The region was crowned the least dangerous in the U.S., with snowy Vermont, home of Sen. Bernie Sanders, topping the list as the safest state, according to data compiled by personal finance website WalletHub. All five of the top spots went to Northeastern states.
“A lot of those states have very strong economies right now, and that snowballs into home and community safety,” says WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez. “Money [is being] reinvested in things like the local police force, road infrastructure.”
WalletHub factored in home and community safety (e.g., the number of crimes, criminals, and law enforcement) into its rankings along with financial, road, workplace, and natural disaster safety to arrive at its conclusions. The report looked at all 50 states and Washington, DC.
Vermont, renowned for maple syrup, Ben & Jerry’s, and teddy bears, had the fewest number of thefts per 100,000 residents in the nation, according to the report, which looked at FBI data. Our nation’s esteemed capital, Washington, DC, had the most. Watch your wallets, members of Congress!
“Often people will choose to move to Vermont because it’s a very family-oriented, safe environment,” says South Burlington, VT–based real estate broker Nancy Jenkins, who adds that safety is something many of her out-of-state clients check before moving in. “It has both cultural activities [as well as outdoor athletics, like] skiing, hiking, sailing. It’s a great recreational area. We have good hospitals.”
Massachusetts was named the second safest state. It was followed by New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Maine. Rounding out the top 10 were Connecticut, Minnesota, Virginia, Utah, and Iowa.
New Hampshire had the fewest murders and non-negligent (i.e., intentional) manslaughters per 100,000 residents, according to the report. But Washington, DC, again had the most. Guess they’re plotting more than just political coups up on the Hill.
And in a stunner, New York state is apparently no longer plagued with the crime that its namesake city was long known for in the ’80s. The state was ranked No. 12 for safety.
On the other end of the spectrum were the most dangerous states. Mississippi led the way, according to the report.
The state was ranked third in the nation for the most murders and non-negligent manslaughters per 100,000 residents, according to WalletHub. In addition, the average credit score of its residents was the worst in the nation; WalletHub factored TransUnion credit data into its report. And about 17% of Mississippians lacked health care coverage in 2015, according to U.S. Census data.
“Safety, good schools, good churches, the places with the highest resale value are the concerns we address from people moving into here,” says real estate broker Becky Tann of Nix & Tann Associates in Jackson, MS. About a third of her clients are from out of state. “We want them safe. We’re not going to take them into the neighborhoods where there are issues.”
The other most dangerous states are Oklahoma, Alaska, New Mexico, and Tennessee, according to the report.
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