The safest states to live in are clustered in New England and along the northeastern coast, with Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut appearing at or near the top of nearly every safety measure. Maine holds the lowest violent crime rate in the country, Idaho leads on property crime prevention, Hawaii records the fewest firearm deaths per capita, Massachusetts has the lowest traffic fatality rate, and Delaware has received the fewest federal disaster declarations since 2004. Which state is “safest” for you depends on which of those risks matters most.
Lowest Violent Crime Rates
Maine recorded about 100 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024, roughly a quarter of the national rate of 370.8 per 100,000.1USAFacts. Which States Have the Highest and Lowest Crime Rates?2Bureau of Justice Statistics. Crime Known to Law Enforcement, 2024 Its murder rate sits at roughly 2 per 100,000. New Hampshire comes in just behind at 110 per 100,000.3USAFacts. What Is the Crime Rate in New Hampshire
The rest of the top five:
- Connecticut, about 136 per 100,000
- Rhode Island, about 154 per 100,000
- Wyoming, about 203 per 100,000
All five sit well below the national figure. Low population density explains part of Maine’s and Wyoming’s performance, but Connecticut and Rhode Island are among the most densely populated states in the country, so density alone isn’t the story. Aggravated assault and robbery stay particularly low across this group.
Lowest Property Crime Rates
Property crime, which covers burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft, is the category most likely to affect you directly in everyday life. Idaho leads the nation at 736 offenses per 100,000 residents in 2024, less than half the national average of 1,760.4USAFacts. What Is the Crime Rate in Idaho?
The top five:
- Idaho, 736 per 100,000
- New Hampshire, 918
- Rhode Island, 1,032
- Massachusetts, 1,112
- Maine, 1,1421USAFacts. Which States Have the Highest and Lowest Crime Rates?
New Hampshire is the only state besides itself to rank in the top five on both violent and property crime, which makes it unusually consistent. The practical payoff shows up in home insurance premiums, which tend to run lower in counties where theft and burglary stay suppressed.
Lowest Firearm Death Rates
Crime statistics don’t capture firearm suicides, accidents, or legal interventions, so the CDC’s age-adjusted firearm mortality rate is a separate measure worth looking at. Hawaii has the lowest rate in the country at 3.7 deaths per 100,000 residents, followed by Massachusetts at 3.8 and New Jersey at 4.0. New York (4.4), Rhode Island (4.6), and Connecticut (5.8) also rank among the lowest.5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Firearm Mortality – Stats of the States
The pattern skews toward northeastern and coastal states, several of which already appear on the low-crime lists. Rural states with high gun ownership sometimes post low firearm homicide numbers but elevated firearm suicide numbers, which pushes their total mortality higher. If you want a single figure, the total rate tells you more than homicides alone.
Lowest Traffic Fatality Rates
Car crashes kill far more Americans each year than homicides. The 2023 national toll reached roughly 40,900 deaths, and the per-capita risk varied by a factor of five across states.6Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Fatality Facts 2023 – State by State
The safest states for driving:
- Massachusetts, 4.9 deaths per 100,000
- New York, 5.7
- Hawaii, 6.5
- New Jersey, 6.5
- Minnesota, 7.1
Mississippi, at the other extreme, recorded 24.9 deaths per 100,000, roughly five times Massachusetts. Urban driving tends to produce more frequent but lower-speed crashes, while rural highways with higher speed limits and longer emergency response times push fatalities up. Seat belt enforcement, road maintenance, and drunk-driving enforcement all matter too.
Lowest Natural Disaster Exposure
A single hurricane, wildfire, or flood can wipe out years of savings. Since 2004, Delaware has received the fewest federal disaster declarations of any state at 13. Michigan follows with 14, then Maryland (18), Wisconsin (19), and Rhode Island (20). Ohio and Indiana tie at 21, with Pennsylvania, Wyoming, and Connecticut rounding out the top ten.
Michigan’s position reflects the moderating effect of the Great Lakes on inland storms and its distance from hurricane coastlines and earthquake fault lines. Ohio and Wisconsin benefit from similar geographic insulation. For homeowners, lower disaster risk means more predictable insurance markets, lower deductibles, and a smaller chance of catastrophic uninsured losses.
States That Rank Well Across Every Measure
A few names repeat across nearly every safety list. Massachusetts ranks in the top five for low violent crime, low property crime, low firearm deaths, and low traffic fatalities. New Hampshire and Rhode Island both appear on multiple lists. Hawaii scores well on firearm safety and traffic safety.
The non-crime lists diverge, though. Midwestern states like Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa do well on traffic safety and disaster exposure but don’t consistently crack the top five for violent crime. Idaho leads on property crime but doesn’t appear on the firearm or traffic lists. If you’re weighing a move, decide first which risk matters most to your household, then look at how your candidates perform on that specific measure rather than averaging ranks.
What Statewide Rankings Don’t Show
Crime rates vary enormously inside a single state. A low-crime state can have dangerous pockets in specific cities, and a high-crime state can have safe suburbs where violent incidents are almost unheard of. The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer gives you county-level and city-level numbers that statewide averages hide.7Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI Crime Data Explorer
Cost of living shapes the calculation too. Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Hawaii are among the most expensive states in the country, and the financial strain of high housing costs can undermine the stability that makes a place feel safe. New Hampshire and Maine offer a more affordable version of New England’s safety profile, though housing prices in both states have climbed sharply in recent years.
Emergency services access is the last piece statewide data obscures. Rural areas in otherwise safe states may have volunteer fire departments and ambulance response times measured in tens of minutes. For families with young children or elderly members, proximity to a hospital can matter as much as the local crime rate. The safest state on paper isn’t much help if the nearest trauma center is an hour away.