Safest States & Most Dangerous States in the U.S.: Rankings Updated
WalletHub ranks the safest and most dangerous states using 52 key indicators, including personal, residential, financial, roads and more.
Adobe Stock image by Chaylek
Vermont is the safest state in the U.S. Meanwhile, Louisiana ranks as the most dangerous state. This is according to the 2023 Safest States in America report by personal finance website WalletHub.
The annual rankings look at 52 key metrics grouped into five major categories: personal and residential safety; financial safety; road safety; workplace safety; and emergency preparedness.
Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of safety.
“With every new headline about a mass shooting, terrorist attack, hate crime or natural disaster, many of us fear for our safety and that of our loved ones,” the WalletHub report says. “Recent concerns like the COVID-19 pandemic may have cooled off, but they’ve been replaced with things like elevated homicide rates and severe weather.
“Americans have to worry about their financial safety as well, as the government continues to work on slowing down inflation,” the report says.
This Year’s Safest States
Overall, Vermont scored a 68.27, about 2.5 points higher than Maine (65.85), which finished second in the 2023 rankings. New Hampshire, Utah and Massachusetts round out this year’s top five safest states.
The Bay State bumped Hawaii out of the top five in the 2023 rankings, while the top four safest states remained unchanged in 2023.
This is the third consecutive year Vermont has taken top honors in WalletHub’s Safest States rankings.
Connecticut ranked highest in personal and residential safety on this year’s list, while Utah topped the rankings in financial safety, New Hampshire topped the list for road safety, Vermont led the way in workplace safety and Alaska earned top honors for its emergency preparedness.
Here’s a look at the top 10 safest states in 2023:
- Vermont
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Utah
- Massachusetts
- Connecticut
- Hawaii
- Minnesota
- Rhode Island
- Wyoming
This Year’s Most Dangerous States
Louisiana ranked 50th on this year’s list at 32.99 overall, about two points lower than Mississippi (34.86). Arkansas, Texas and Florida are the other three states at the bottom of this year’s list.
It’s the third straight year Louisiana has ranked at the bottom of this list.
Alabama escaped the indignity of being in this year’s bottom five, dropping Florida into the group. The other four states at the bottom of the list remained unchanged from 2022.
Colorado ranked lowest in personal and residential safety this year, while Mississippi had the lowest score for financial safety, road safety and emergency preparedness and North Dakota’s workplace safety ranking was this year’s worst.
Here are the top 10 most dangerous states for 2023:
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Arkansas
- Texas
- Florida
- Alabama
- Oklahoma
- Colorado
- Montana
- Missouri
This post is updated as of Feb. 12, 2024.
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About the Author
D. Craig MacCormack, Web Editor
Craig MacCormack is a veteran journalist who joined Security Sales & Integration in June 2023 as web editor. He covered AV, IT and security with SSI's sister publication, Commercial Integrator, from January 2011 to June 2021.
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