Story at a glance
- U.S. News and World Report recently revealed the 10 states that are safest in regards to occurrences of both violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents using data from the FBI.
- U.S. News explains the data shows that while violent crime rose 4.6% between 2019 and 2020, property crime dropped 8.1%.
- Maine takes the top spot as safest state.
(NEXSTAR) — Which states in the U.S. are safest? U.S. News and World Report recently revealed the 10 states that are safest in regards to occurrences of both violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents using data from the FBI.
As explained by the FBI, violent crimes include murder, robbery, aggravated assault and sexual assault. Property crime includes events like burglary and motor vehicle theft. U.S. News explains the data shows that while violent crime rose 4.6% between 2019 and 2020, property crime dropped 8.1%.
Currently, the 10 safest states are:
| State/rank | Violent crime rate | Property crime rate |
| 1. Maine | 109 per 100K residents | 1,156 per 100K residents |
| 2. New Hampshire | 146 per 100K residents | 1,099 per 100K residents |
| 3. New Jersey | 195 per 100K residents | 1,158 per 100K residents |
| 4. Vermont | 173 per 100K residents | 1,217 per 100K residents |
| 5. Idaho | 243 per 100K residents | 1,112 per 100K residents |
| 6. Rhode Island | 231 per 100K residents | 1,245 per 100K residents |
| 7. Massachusetts | 309 per 100K residents | 1,053 per 100K residents |
| 8. Virginia | 209 per 100K residents | 1,456 per 100K residents |
| 9. Connecticut | 182 per 100K residents | 1,565 per 100K residents |
| 10. Wyoming | 234 per 100K residents | 1,611 per 100K residents |
When it comes to highest rates of violent crime, U.S. News reports Alaska ranks the highest, with 838 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. Louisiana experienced the highest numbers of property crime, with 2,884 crimes per 100,000 residents.
Of the states named in the top 10, New Hampshire ranked the highest in U.S. News’ overall Best States rankings, coming in sixth out of 50. To formulate this list, U.S. News used data to weigh several categories, including health care, economy and natural environment.
While statewide information indicated a rise in violent crime (per FBI data), rates of most violent crimes on a city-wide level showed a slight decline in 2022. The nonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice released its report on crime trends across 35 major U.S. cities. The council’s study found murder rates dropped 4%, gun assaults declined 7% and aggravated assaults fell 3.5%.
On a city level, the 35 cities did show an increase in robberies from 2021 to 2022 (5.5%).
Among non-violent crimes, the council’s study showed a major surge in motor vehicle thefts over the same time period, with a 21% increase. Data showed vehicle thefts had already increased 59% year-over-year just the year before.