Safest and Most Dangerous States in the U.S. 2020: Annual Ranking Updated

The 2020 edition of WalletHub’s annual report compares the 50 states across 53 key safety indicators to determine which are the safest and least safe.
Published: June 2, 2020

Personal-finance website WalletHub has released this year’s edition of its “Safest States in America” report.

In order to determine its rankings, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 53 key metrics grouped into five different categories: personal and residential safety; financial safety; road safety; workplace safety; and emergency preparedness.

A notable metric that was added this year was states offering the most coronavirus support, which falls under the personal and residential safety category.

Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of safety. You can view the full details of the report and its methodology here.

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The Safest States in America

Maine has unseated Minnesota as the safest state in America. Vermont is still in second place while Minnesota is now third. The top 10 safest states remain largely the same as last year, albeit a slightly different order and Rhode Island has replaced Hawaii.

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

The Most Dangerous States in America

Once again, the Southern U.S. has been ranked the least safe area in the country. Mississippi is still considered the most dangerous state in America, followed by Louisiana and Florida. Georgia has replaced Montana in the top 10.

  1. Mississippi
  2. Louisiana
  3. Florida
  4. Arkansas
  5. Texas
  6. Oklahoma
  7. Missouri
  8. Alabama
  9. Georgia
  10. South Carolina

Click here for a slideshow comparing statistics such as assaults per capita and law enforcement numbers between the safest and most dangerous states.

Though this data doesn’t reflect solely physical safety, security professionals can look at the specific score of the personal and residential safety category to get an idea of what states are likely in need of better home security.

Does this data correlate with your state? Let us know in the comments!

Source: WalletHub

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