With every new headline about a mass shooting, terrorist attack, hate crime or natural disaster, many of us fear for our safety and that of our loved ones. In 2020, though, by far the biggest safety concern on Americans’ minds is the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed around 100,000 Americans and infected nearly 1.7 million as of late-May. To put that in perspective, last year 38,000 people died in car crashes and there were around 15,200 gun-related deaths (non-suicide). Though tragedy can strike in any state, especially during this pandemic, some states are more vulnerable to danger than others.
In order to determine the safest states in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 53 key safety indicators grouped into five different categories. Our data set ranges from the state’s coronavirus support to assaults per capita and the unemployment rate. Read on for our findings, expert insight from a panel of researchers and a full description of our methodology.