The Safest Cities & States to Live In Around the U.S.

With so much turmoil, anxiety, and unknowns during the age of COVID-19, the silver lining within certain regions around the U.S. is knowing that you and your loved ones are safe. Therefore, I took a deeper look into which cities and states around the U.S. are considered the most and least safe according to violent crime and property crime rates reported by the FBI.

According to a Homes.com study, Vermont is ranked as the number one safest state in terms of violent crime rates based on FBI data. The study also revealed that not only are residents of Vermont actually safe, but they also feel safe, according to survey responses. Other safe states, in terms of both violent crime and property crime rates, include Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Idaho, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Virginia. 

New Jersey, one of the safest states in the country, reported by Safewise, has 25% of the safest cities in the U.S., with Bergenfield, NJ ranking within the top five safest cities in the U.S. Bergenfield has a 0% violent crime rate per 1,000 people. Hopkinton, MA was ranked as the second safest city in the U.S., with a .1% violent crime rate and 1.6% property crime rate per 1,000 people. 

Also with a 0% violent crime rate, Ridgefield, CT was ranked as the fourth safest city in the U.S. This is an interesting finding, given the Homes.com study as well as quotes from Hard Money Property have listed CT as one of the states where residents feel much less safe than they actually are. 

The states that are the least safe in terms of violent crime and property crime rates include New Mexico, Louisiana, Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, Arizona, Nevada, and Missouri. St. Louis, MO and Memphis, TN are two of the most dangerous cities in the U.S., in terms of violent crime rates. 
Nevada has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country, but the Homes.com survey revealed that Nevada residents have the third-highest perception of safety ranking within the entire U.S. In certain states, a wide gap exists between residents’ perception of their safety and how safe they actually are, according to FBI crime rates.