The Safest States in America (2026)
New Hampshire is the safest state in America in 2026 with a safety score of 93.5/100, followed by Maine (89.6), Connecticut (84.2), Rhode Island (83.8), and Vermont (83.3). Scores combine violent and property crime rates from FBI UCR data per 100,000 residents. New Mexico ranks last at 7.7.
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
What Are the 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 →| 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 with a safety score of 93.5/100, followed by Maine (89.6) and Connecticut (84.2). Rankings combine violent crime rate (weighted 60%) and property crime rate (weighted 40%) per 100,000 residents using FBI Uniform Crime Reporting data. New Hampshire has a violent crime rate of 110 per 100K — far below the national average. States with low crime across both categories earn the highest safety scores. Low crime tends to correlate with higher incomes, lower unemployment, and stronger community cohesion.
Which states have the highest crime rates?
The states with the highest crime rates in 2026 are New Mexico (7.7/100), Alaska (16.7), and Arkansas (28.9). New Mexico has a violent crime rate of 717 per 100,000 residents and a property crime rate of 3427 per 100K. These rates are significantly above the national average. It's important to note that crime rates vary dramatically within every state — many cities in high-crime states are perfectly safe, while even low-crime states have pockets of higher crime. State-level data gives the big picture, but local data (available on our city pages) gives a more accurate view for specific locations.
How is the safety score calculated?
The safety score uses FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) data to combine two metrics: violent crime rate (assault, robbery, murder, rape) weighted at 60% and property crime rate (burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft) weighted at 40%, both measured per 100,000 residents. Each metric is normalized to a 0-100 scale and inverted so that lower crime rates produce higher scores. Safety accounts for 12% of the overall composite ranking. The 60/40 weighting reflects that violent crime has a more significant impact on residents' well-being and perception of safety, while property crime remains an important daily-life concern. All data is from the most recent FBI UCR release.
Does population size affect state crime rankings?
No, because crime rates are measured per 100,000 residents, which normalizes for population differences. A state with 40 million people is measured on the same scale as a state with 600,000. Some large states actually have low crime rates, while some small states have high ones. What matters more than population size is a combination of economic factors (unemployment, income inequality), education levels (high school graduation rates), demographics, policing approaches, and sentencing policies. Among the top 10 safest states, the average unemployment rate is significantly lower than the national average, reinforcing the connection between economic stability and public safety.
What is the difference between violent crime and property crime in these rankings?
Violent crime includes murder, assault, robbery, and rape — offenses involving force or threat of force against a person. Property crime covers burglary, larceny/theft, and motor vehicle theft — offenses involving the taking of money or property without force. These two categories don't always track together. Some states with very low violent crime have above-average property crime rates, particularly car theft and package theft. Our safety score weights both (60% violent, 40% property) because both affect residents' daily lives and sense of security. A state with extremely low violent crime but high property crime won't rank as well as one that maintains low rates across both categories. You can see both rates broken out in the rankings table above.
How the Safety Score Is Calculated
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.