According to a 2023 World Population Review report, Hawaii ranks as one of the safest states in the US in terms of violent crime. The state had just 2.7 homicides per 100,000 residents. Only 12 states posted a better rate, with New Hampshire finishing with one murder per 100,000 people, the lowest rate in the country. For comparison, Louisiana led the nation at 12.4, notably higher than Missouri’s mark of 9.8, the second highest murder rate in America.
However, World Population Review took a number of additional steps to more broadly determine the safest and most dangerous states in the country, looking at 53 total data points. Areas of emphasis beyond the homicide rate included emergency preparedness, workplace safety, number of law enforcement professionals per capita, number of uninsured people in the state, and much more.
In terms of most dangerous states overall, Louisiana retained its top spot. In addition to the nation’s worst murder rate, the state ranked No. 47 for financial safety and No. 49 for emergency preparedness. Crime and accidents in the state are exacerbated and complicated by the fact that the state often boasts an above average unemployment rate. Louisiana also features some of the most dangerous roads in the nation, with a high fatality rate per 100 million miles driven. The state’s dangers extends to school age children, with Louisiana ranking No. 3 in terms of bullying incidents.
Hawaii, meanwhile, retained its rank as the No. 13 safest state in America, beating out New York and Connecticut and coming in just behind Wyoming and Massachusetts. Hawaii is one of the safest states in America in terms of gun violence, with 4.5 deaths per 100,000. By comparison, Wyoming has a firearms death rate of 17.5 and Louisiana has a rate of 21.2. Hawaii’s rate is less than half the rate of several safer states, including Oregon, Utah, and Vermont. Despite ranking as the safest overall state in the union, New Hampshire has a firearm death rate of 9.3. In terms of safety, Massachusetts leads the country with just 3.4 firearm deaths per 100,000.
Individuals interested in crime rates or the overall safety of a state they may be moving to should conduct extensive research. Financial resource WalletHub ranks New Hampshire as the No. 3 safest state in America, for example, deducting points for the state’s inferior workplace safety statistics (New Hampshire ranks No. 41 in workplace safety). This means that individuals prioritizing safety at work may be less enthusiastic than families worried about financial safety, a category in which New Hampshire ranks No. 1.
WalletHub boosted Hawaii’s safety ranking to No. 5 in the nation, with a score of 60.36. For comparison, Vermont was No. 1 with WalletHub, scoring a 68.79 and posting the nation’s best workplace safety rating. Hawaii maintains above average rankings in virtually every safety category, but truly excels in areas of emergency preparedness. Only three states performed better in this category, including Maine and New Hampshire.
WalletHub’s most dangerous states in America closely resemble those seen on the World Population Review list, with Louisiana once again placing at No. 50. The state scored a 31.64 and finished No. 46, No. 48, and No. 49 in personal and residential safety, financial safety, and emergency preparedness, respectively.
