Safest States in America 2026: Crime Rates Ranked

The 10 safest states in 2026

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.

New Hampshire is the safest state in America, with a safety score of 93.5/100 and a violent crime rate of just 110 per 100K. The national average is 350. Close behind: Maine (100) and Connecticut (136).

The safest states tend to be smaller, more rural, and wealthier — but that's not the whole story. Some populous states manage low crime rates despite size, and some small states have high crime. It comes down to economics, education, and community cohesion more than raw population numbers.

#1: New Hampshire

New Hampshire is the safest state in America with a safety score of 93.5/100. The violent crime rate is 110 per 100,000 residents — 69% below the national average of 350. Property crime runs 918 per 100K (national average: 2044). Low crime here isn't luck — the state has a 2.8% unemployment rate, a median income of $97,880, and a graduation rate of 88%. Economic stability and education both correlate with lower crime.

New Hampshire also ranks well overall (#1, 87.8/100), proving that safety tends to come bundled with other quality-of-life advantages. Cost of living index: 105. Median home: $483,000.

#2: Maine

Maine scores 89.6/100 for safety with a violent crime rate of 100 per 100K and property crime at 1232 per 100K. Both figures sit well below national averages. The state combines low crime with a median income of $68,810 and 3.2% unemployment, reinforcing the link between economic health and public safety.

Maine also ranks well overall (#5, 77.3/100), proving that safety tends to come bundled with other quality-of-life advantages. Cost of living index: 97. Median home: $381,000.

#3: Connecticut

Connecticut scores 84.2/100 for safety with a violent crime rate of 136 per 100K and property crime at 1405 per 100K. Both figures sit well below national averages. The state combines low crime with a median income of $93,228 and 4.2% unemployment, reinforcing the link between economic health and public safety.

Connecticut also ranks well overall (#10, 73.5/100), proving that safety tends to come bundled with other quality-of-life advantages. Cost of living index: 104. Median home: $415,000.

#4: Rhode Island

Rhode Island comes in at #4 with a safety score of 83.8/100. Violent crime: 154 per 100K. Property crime: 1332 per 100K. The state's 1,095,962 residents benefit from a combination of low unemployment (4.3%) and a median income of $81,800.

Rhode Island also ranks well overall (#14, 69.8/100), proving that safety tends to come bundled with other quality-of-life advantages. Cost of living index: 101. Median home: $487,000.

#5: Vermont

Vermont comes in at #5 with a safety score of 83.3/100. Violent crime: 208 per 100K. Property crime: 1072 per 100K. The state's 647,464 residents benefit from a combination of low unemployment (2.7%) and a median income of $74,919.

Vermont also ranks well overall (#3, 79.6/100), proving that safety tends to come bundled with other quality-of-life advantages. Cost of living index: 97. Median home: $388,000.

#6: New Jersey

New Jersey comes in at #6 with a safety score of 83.0/100. Violent crime: 195 per 100K. Property crime: 1162 per 100K. The state's 9,290,841 residents benefit from a combination of low unemployment (4.8%) and a median income of $97,126.

New Jersey also ranks well overall (#19, 65.9/100), proving that safety tends to come bundled with other quality-of-life advantages. Cost of living index: 109. Median home: $521,000.

#7: Idaho

Idaho comes in at #7 with a safety score of 80.5/100. Violent crime: 214 per 100K. Property crime: 1233 per 100K. The state's 1,964,726 residents benefit from a combination of low unemployment (3.2%) and a median income of $68,930.

Idaho also ranks well overall (#13, 70.7/100), proving that safety tends to come bundled with other quality-of-life advantages. Cost of living index: 91. Median home: $485,000.

#8: Wyoming

At #8, Wyoming posts a safety score of 79.8/100 with a violent crime rate of 203 per 100K and property crime at 1336. A West state with 584,057 residents, it maintains a 3.5% unemployment rate.

Wyoming also ranks well overall (#16, 69.4/100), proving that safety tends to come bundled with other quality-of-life advantages. Cost of living index: 91. Median home: $484,000.

#9: Virginia

At #9, Virginia posts a safety score of 78.5/100 with a violent crime rate of 201 per 100K and property crime at 1439. A South state with 8,642,274 residents, it maintains a 2.9% unemployment rate.

Virginia also ranks well overall (#9, 74.9/100), proving that safety tends to come bundled with other quality-of-life advantages. Cost of living index: 101. Median home: $444,000.

#10: Kentucky

At #10, Kentucky posts a safety score of 73.7/100 with a violent crime rate of 218 per 100K and property crime at 1667. A South state with 4,526,154 residents, it maintains a 4.5% unemployment rate.

Interestingly, Kentucky ranks #45 overall (38.4/100) — safety is its standout category, while outdoor access (9.9) is the weakest spot. Cost of living index: 90. Median home: $263,000.

Violent crime vs. property crime

These two types of crime don't always track together. Some states with low violent crime have above-average property crime — car theft, burglary, and shoplifting that affect daily life even if they're less physically dangerous. The national average for property crime is 2044 per 100K.

Among the top 10 safest states (by violent crime), the average property crime rate is 1280 per 100K. Our safety score weights both metrics, so a state with very low violent crime but high property crime won't rank as well as one that's low across the board.

What actually makes a state safe

The data consistently shows three factors that predict low crime: economic opportunity (low unemployment, adequate wages), education (high graduation rates), and community cohesion (social associations per capita). The correlation between unemployment and violent crime is well-documented — among the top 10 safest states, average unemployment is 3.6%, versus 3.8% nationally.

Policing strategies, sentencing policies, and drug laws also play roles, but economic fundamentals matter more at the state level. States can't arrest their way to safety if the underlying conditions breed crime.

States with the highest crime rates

At the other end: New Mexico has the highest violent crime rate at 717 per 100K, followed by Alaska (724) and Arkansas (579). These rates are 105%, 107%, and 65% above the national average, respectively.

Crime rates vary dramatically within every state. Plenty of cities in high-crime states are perfectly safe, and low-crime states have their own troubled areas. State-level data gives you the big picture, but if you're evaluating a specific city, check its local data on our city pages.