The 10 Safest States In The US For 2026

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.

Cities in New Hampshire

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.

Cities in Maine

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 1012 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.

Cities in Rhode Island

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.

Cities in Wyoming

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 4311 reported robberies in Connecticut for the entire last reporting year, which is well below the national average. Additionally, Connecticut saw 8638 reported car thefts that same year, too.

That’s crazy low.

Cities in Connecticut

Is it a surprise that Idaho is the sixth 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 2326 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.

Cities in Idaho

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 10377 cars were stolen in the state, and only 8881 robberies occurred here in the last reporting year. While it’s sad that this is a low number, for America, it is.

Cities in Kentucky

Mississippi is the eighth safest state in America for 2026, which surprises people who only know its reputation. The violent crime numbers carry it, with the state posting the sixth lowest rate of murder, assault, and robbery nationwide. Property crime sits a little higher at 11th, but it is still well in hand.

Statewide there were 217 murders and 6923 burglaries in the last reporting year, modest totals for a state this spread out. Rural living trades nightlife for a low chance of trouble. A quiet drive along the Natchez Trace Parkway is about as eventful as it gets.

Cities in Mississippi

Iowa makes the list as the ninth safest state for 2026, the kind of quiet result nobody argues with. It ranks ninth nationally for property crime, so burglaries and stolen cars are rare, and there were only 69 murders across the whole state in the last reporting year. That is a remarkably low count for three million people.

Violent crime lands at 15th, low enough that Iowans rarely think about it. Short commutes and small towns do a lot of the work. The ancient mounds at Effigy Mounds make for a free, easy day along the Mississippi River.

Cities in Iowa

West Virginia is the tenth safest state for 2026, and it earns it on property crime. The Mountain State ranks seventh in the country for burglary, theft, and break-ins, the stuff that touches most people day to day. Only 1390 cars were stolen statewide in the last reporting year.

Violent crime sits higher at 17th, but with just 94 murders across the state, the odds of trouble stay low. Small towns and not much through traffic keep it that way. Spend a free afternoon hiking New River Gorge and you will see why people stay put.

Cities in West Virginia