The 10 Safest States In The US For 2026

The 10 Safest States To Live In America For 2026

1. New Hampshire

Population: 1,409,032
Violent Crime Per Capita: 110 (Second safest)
Property Crime Per Capita: 918 (Second safest)

And where’s the safest state in America? Is it much of a surprise to hear that it’s New Hampshire?

It’s official: just about the entire New England area north of New York State is safe. In the last reporting year, there were only 14 murders for the whole year, which is astoundingly low. The leading state, California, saw nearly 100 times that number.

People in New Hampshire live in small towns and rural areas but are quite educated, and most have great jobs. The schools are highly rated, too. These factors also play a part in making New Hampshire a safe place.

Mostly, you only have to worry about idiots who text and drive in the snow. Seems like the biggest crime here is NOT being an annoying Patriots fan.

If you live in New Hampshire, you’ve certainly got it made.

2. Maine

Population: 1,405,012
Violent Crime Per Capita: 100 (First safest)
Property Crime Per Capita: 1,142 (Fifth safest)

Even if you’ve never been to Maine, you’re probably not surprised it’s our second safest state to live in America. Maine is the place to be if you want to avoid murder, rape, and other violent crimes. The colder weather may chill people out.

In Maine, there were less than .001 violent crimes per capita in the last reporting year. To put that crime rate into perspective, there were .008 violent crimes per person in Alaska.

Of great importance to Mainers’ strong sense of community with the motto, “What happens to you, happens to me.” Good and bad. They’re all in it together, which really helps keep crime to a minimum.

3. Rhode Island

Population: 1,112,308
Violent Crime Per Capita: 153 (Fourth safest)
Property Crime Per Capita: 1,032 (Third safest)

Making our way through the northeast, we come to Rhode Island.

Sure, it’s a small state, and the number of property crimes is higher than the other states on this list, but overall, you could find much more dangerous places to live.

Rhode Island only saw 1,012 robberies over the year, about 1.5 a day. Does that make you jealous of where you live?

Many of Rhode Island’s safest cities report no more than two murders a year, and 80% of Rhode Island’s cities reported no murders. And robberies are limited to just a tiny part of the state for the most part.

4. Wyoming

Population: 587,618
Violent Crime Per Capita: 203 (Fifth safest)
Property Crime Per Capita: 1,231 (Eighth safest)

Our next stop on our safe tour of America brings us to Wyoming.

Sure, there are only about a half million people in the Cowboy State, and people are spaced out much more than in places like Florida and California. But look at New Mexico. There’s some wide open spaces there, too, and that’s the most dangerous place in the nation.

Only 798 people were the victim of an aggravated assault in Wyoming. This means there’s an excellent chance you can walk around at night here without having to watch your back. In fact, you might have a better chance of being trampled by a bison than beaten by a mugger.

In Wyoming, people don’t steal. It’s a Wyoming thing. Unless you want to take some leftovers from a neighborhood trash can. Most Wyomingans would be cool with that.

5. Connecticut

Population: 3,675,069
Violent Crime Per Capita: 135 (Third safest)
Property Crime Per Capita: 1,366 (12th safest)

Right next door to Rhode Island is the safe city of Connecticut.

Most Americans might think of Connecticut as a wealthy place, and for the most part, they’d be right. Does a relatively affluent group of people commit less crime? Apparently so.

There were only 4,311 reported robberies in Connecticut for the entire last reporting year, which is well below the national average. Additionally, Connecticut saw 8,638 reported car thefts that same year, too.

That’s crazy low.

6. Idaho

Population: 2,001,619
Violent Crime Per Capita: 230 (14th safest)
Property Crime Per Capita: 736 (First safest)

Is it a surprise that Idaho is the fifth safest state to live in the US of A?

Probably not.

Idaho might get a knock for being a relatively boring place, but talk to the people that live there — when it’s quiet, it’s safe. Idaho saw only about 3 murders a month, on average, which is far less than the national average. Additionally, there were only 2,326 burglaries in the last reporting year, which might sound like a lot, but only averages to about 125 a week for the entire state.

In lots of parts of Idaho, people don’t even bother to lock their doors at all. Not too long ago, Boise was named as the 9th safest city in the entire world. If your cow shows up missing in Idaho, it’s probably just at the neighbors house.

That sure puts things into perspective.

7. Mississippi

Population: 2,943,045
Violent Crime Per Capita: 210 (Sixth safest)
Property Crime Per Capita: 1,363 (11th safest)

8. Kentucky

Population: 4,588,372
Violent Crime Per Capita: 213 (Seventh safest)
Property Crime Per Capita: 1,349 (Tenth safest)

This stop on our safe tour of America brings us to Kentucky. I’m sure many people in the South might be like, “That’s crazy,” but when you look at the data, it’s hard to argue against.

You’d have to drive to Iowa or Pennsylvania to get to a safer place outside Kentucky. Kentuckians are a pretty lucky group of people, seeing as how they rank tenth for the number of robberies, car thefts, and identity thefts each year.

Only 10,377 cars were stolen in the state, and only 8,881 robberies occurred here in the last reporting year. While it’s sad that this is a low number, for America, it is.

9. West Virginia

Population: 1,769,979
Violent Crime Per Capita: 248 (17th safest)
Property Crime Per Capita: 1,161 (Seventh safest)

10. Iowa

Population: 3,241,488
Violent Crime Per Capita: 243 (15th safest)
Property Crime Per Capita: 1,296 (Ninth safest)