The Safest States in America (2026)
Public safety remains one of the most important factors for residents choosing where to live. Our safety score combines FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) violent crime rate (60% weight) and property crime rate (40% weight) per 100,000 residents for 2025. States with lower crime rates receive higher scores. Safety accounts for 12% of our overall composite ranking. Northern New England states consistently rank among the safest, with low rates of both violent and property crime, while several Southern states face higher crime rates across both categories.
Safety Score by State
Key Takeaways
- 1New Hampshire leads the nation in safety with a score of 93.5, 3.9 points ahead of #2 Maine. The top 3 is rounded out by Connecticut at 84.2.
- 2The Northeast dominates: 6 of the top 10 states are in the Northeast. New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey lead the way for the region.
- 3The 85.8-point gap between #1 New Hampshire and #50 New Mexico is one of the widest spreads across all categories. The median state scores 57.9, meaning half of all states fall below this threshold.
- 4The bottom 5 — Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alaska, New Mexico — are concentrated in the South, with 3 of 5 from that region. New Mexico ranks last with a score of 7.7, signaling persistent challenges in safety.
- 5New Hampshire's #1 safety ranking aligns with its strong overall position at #1 in our composite rankings. High safety performance often correlates with strength in other categories, reinforcing New Hampshire's position as a top-tier state.
Related Analysis
Safest States in America 2026: Crime Rates Ranked
Safety is personal. It's the thing that determines whether you feel comfortable walking your neighborhood at night, whether your kids can play outside unsupervised, whether you lock your doors or don't. We ranked all 50 states using FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data, scoring both violent crime and property crime per 100,000 residents.
Read the full analysis →The safest state in America in 2026 is New Hampshire with a safety score of 93.5/100, followed by Maine (89.6) and Connecticut (84.2). See the full rankings below.
| Rank | State | Grade | Safety Score | Overall Score | Violent Crime | Property Crime | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | A+ | 93.5 | 87.8 | 110 per 100K | 918 per 100K | Northeast |
| 2 | Maine | A+ | 89.6 | 77.3 | 100 per 100K | 1,232 per 100K | Northeast |
| 3 | Connecticut | A+ | 84.2 | 73.5 | 136 per 100K | 1,405 per 100K | Northeast |
| 4 | Rhode Island | A+ | 83.8 | 69.8 | 154 per 100K | 1,332 per 100K | Northeast |
| 5 | Vermont | A+ | 83.3 | 79.6 | 208 per 100K | 1,072 per 100K | Northeast |
| 6 | New Jersey | A | 83.0 | 65.9 | 195 per 100K | 1,162 per 100K | Northeast |
| 7 | Idaho | A | 80.5 | 70.7 | 214 per 100K | 1,233 per 100K | West |
| 8 | Wyoming | A | 79.8 | 69.4 | 203 per 100K | 1,336 per 100K | West |
| 9 | Virginia | A | 78.5 | 74.9 | 201 per 100K | 1,439 per 100K | South |
| 10 | Kentucky | A | 73.7 | 38.4 | 218 per 100K | 1,667 per 100K | South |
| 11 | West Virginia | B+ | 73.4 | 34.4 | 285 per 100K | 1,329 per 100K | South |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | B+ | 71.6 | 60.3 | 313 per 100K | 1,300 per 100K | Northeast |
| 13 | Massachusetts | B+ | 71.0 | 72.8 | 345 per 100K | 1,166 per 100K | Northeast |
| 14 | Wisconsin | B+ | 69.9 | 65.2 | 295 per 100K | 1,510 per 100K | Midwest |
| 15 | South Dakota | B+ | 66.9 | 81.8 | 330 per 100K | 1,525 per 100K | Midwest |
| 16 | Iowa | B+ | 66.9 | 69.5 | 295 per 100K | 1,713 per 100K | Midwest |
| 17 | New York | B+ | 66.0 | 58.4 | 364 per 100K | 1,401 per 100K | Northeast |
| 18 | Nebraska | B+ | 65.7 | 74.9 | 290 per 100K | 1,816 per 100K | Midwest |
| 19 | Minnesota | B | 64.7 | 76.7 | 256 per 100K | 2,073 per 100K | Midwest |
| 20 | Mississippi | B | 63.7 | 31.5 | 270 per 100K | 2,060 per 100K | South |
Show all 50 states ▾Show fewer ▴
| 21 | North Dakota | B | 62.5 | 76.6 | 267 per 100K | 2,161 per 100K | Midwest |
| 22 | Ohio | B | 60.5 | 49.1 | 303 per 100K | 2,098 per 100K | Midwest |
| 23 | Illinois | B | 59.5 | 52.0 | 393 per 100K | 1,680 per 100K | Midwest |
| 24 | Utah | B | 58.8 | 79.3 | 228 per 100K | 2,620 per 100K | West |
| 25 | Michigan | B | 58.6 | 47.7 | 430 per 100K | 1,541 per 100K | Midwest |
| 26 | Indiana | B | 57.9 | 50.7 | 361 per 100K | 1,963 per 100K | Midwest |
| 27 | Florida | C+ | 56.2 | 52.8 | 384 per 100K | 1,954 per 100K | South |
| 28 | Georgia | C+ | 53.4 | 51.5 | 368 per 100K | 2,227 per 100K | South |
| 29 | Hawaii | C+ | 53.3 | 63.2 | 272 per 100K | 2,756 per 100K | West |
| 30 | Maryland | C+ | 53.1 | 67.7 | 415 per 100K | 1,997 per 100K | Northeast |
| 31 | Kansas | C+ | 52.7 | 59.3 | 360 per 100K | 2,321 per 100K | Midwest |
| 32 | North Carolina | C+ | 51.6 | 53.7 | 380 per 100K | 2,285 per 100K | South |
| 33 | Montana | C+ | 50.9 | 71.1 | 377 per 100K | 2,346 per 100K | West |
| 34 | Oregon | C+ | 50.5 | 58.1 | 292 per 100K | 2,834 per 100K | West |
| 35 | Nevada | C | 49.8 | 40.3 | 431 per 100K | 2,131 per 100K | West |
| 36 | Texas | C | 47.3 | 45.8 | 401 per 100K | 2,463 per 100K | South |
| 37 | Arizona | C | 46.4 | 44.7 | 430 per 100K | 2,369 per 100K | West |
| 38 | Delaware | C | 44.7 | 52.3 | 423 per 100K | 2,518 per 100K | Northeast |
| 39 | California | C | 43.8 | 42.9 | 440 per 100K | 2,490 per 100K | West |
| 40 | Washington | C | 42.3 | 61.4 | 372 per 100K | 2,958 per 100K | West |
| 41 | Oklahoma | C | 40.5 | 41.5 | 434 per 100K | 2,746 per 100K | South |
| 42 | Alabama | C | 40.4 | 38.9 | 424 per 100K | 2,802 per 100K | South |
| 43 | Colorado | D | 39.2 | 66.2 | 413 per 100K | 2,942 per 100K | West |
| 44 | South Carolina | D | 38.5 | 44.0 | 492 per 100K | 2,562 per 100K | South |
| 45 | Missouri | D | 37.7 | 49.3 | 495 per 100K | 2,600 per 100K | Midwest |
| 46 | Louisiana | D | 34.9 | 25.9 | 520 per 100K | 2,658 per 100K | South |
| 47 | Tennessee | D | 30.6 | 46.8 | 592 per 100K | 2,555 per 100K | South |
| 48 | Arkansas | D | 28.9 | 30.9 | 579 per 100K | 2,744 per 100K | South |
| 49 | Alaska | F | 16.7 | 42.1 | 724 per 100K | 2,781 per 100K | West |
| 50 | New Mexico | F | 7.7 | 33.1 | 717 per 100K | 3,427 per 100K | West |
Top 10 States for Safety
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the safest state in America in 2026?
New Hampshire is the safest state in 2026, followed by Maine and Connecticut. Rankings combine violent crime (60%) and property crime (40%) rates per 100,000 residents from FBI UCR data.
Which states have the highest crime rates?
The states with the highest crime rates in 2026 are New Mexico, Alaska, and Arkansas, based on combined violent and property crime data from FBI Uniform Crime Reporting.
How is the safety score calculated?
The safety score combines FBI UCR violent crime rate (60% weight) and property crime rate (40% weight) per 100,000 residents, both inverted so lower crime yields higher scores. Safety carries a 12% weight in the composite.