Lately, we've reported about a slew of disturbing crimes, including a triple killing on an early June weekend that saw plenty of other violence, plus a series of sex assaults at DU.
Against this backdrop comes Wallethub's list of the safest states in the country — and Colorado's ranking is pretty dispiriting.
How much so? A similar survey by Law Street Media named Colorado the 27th safest state circa 2015 — definitely not great. And in the new analysis, the state does even worse.
Continue to count down the photo-illustrated safety rankings of all fifty states (plus the District of Columbia), featuring Wallethub data and methodology. To see the original post, with much more information, click here.
Number 1: Vermont
Total Score: 66.78
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 1
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 10
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 5
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 16
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 4
Number 2: Massachusetts
Total Score: 63.86
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 7
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 7
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 1
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 23
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 9
Number 3: New Hampshire
Total Score: 62.57
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 10
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 4
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 9
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 7
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 6
Number 4: Rhode Island
Total Score: 61.30
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 4
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 36
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 4
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 1
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 16
Number 5: Maine
Total Score: 61.22
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 8
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 27
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 15
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 12
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 2
Number 6: Connecticut
Total Score: 60.70
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 3
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 18
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 6
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 15
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 18
Number 7: Minnesota
Total Score: 60.54
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 11
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 2
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 3
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 3
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 30
Number 8: Virginia
Total Score: 56.58
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 12
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 16
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 8
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 2
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 32
Number 9: Utah
Total Score: 55.79
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 32
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 9
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 13
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 19
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 5
Number 10: Iowa
Total Score: 55.68
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 6
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 6
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 11
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 41
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 36
Number 11: Wisconsin
Total Score: 55.54
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 21
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 8
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 14
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 18
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 19
Number 12: New York
Total Score: 54.15
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 5
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 19
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 10
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 35
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 41
Number 13: Ohio
Total Score: 54.03
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 19
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 23
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 12
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 8
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 31
Number 14: Pennsylvania
Total Score: 53.53
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 9
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 15
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 31
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 36
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 27
Number 15: New Jersey
Total Score: 53.40
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 2
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 28
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 17
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 21
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 46
Number 16: West Virginia
Total Score: 52.58
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 15
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 39
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 28
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 39
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 15
Number 17: Illinois
Total Score: 52.29
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 20
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 22
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 2
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 33
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 39
Number 18: Maryland
Total Score: 52.15
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 25
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 26
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 23
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 10
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 26
Number 19: California
Total Score: 51.38
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 23
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 35
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 33
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 40
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 11
Number 20: North Dakota
Total Score: 51.30
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 16
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 1
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 47
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 51
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 7
Number 21: Washington
Total Score: 51.25
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 27
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 31
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 18
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 24
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 20
Number 22: Indiana
Total Score: 50.37
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 22
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 37
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 16
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 27
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 35
Number 23: North Carolina
Total Score: 49.90
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 14
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 41
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 41
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 5
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 38
Number 24: Idaho
Total Score: 49.26
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 18
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 25
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 26
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 42
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 22
Number 25: Michigan
Total Score: 48.66
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 44
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 17
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 19
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 29
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 10
Continue to keep counting down the states (including Colorado) in order of safety.
Number 26: Nebraska
Total Score: 48.60
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 26
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 3
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 24
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 38
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 44
Number 27: Hawaii
Total Score: 48.20
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 24
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 24
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 37
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 45
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 1
Number 28: Montana
Total Score: 48.15
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 30
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 20
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 40
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 34
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 21
Number 29: Arizona
Total Score: 47.53
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 39
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 14
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 45
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 6
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 23
Number 30: District of Columbia
Total Score: 47.40
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 50
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 47
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 7
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 4
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 8
Number 31: Delaware
Total Score: 47.35
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 45
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 34
‘Road Safety’ Rank:30
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 13
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 13
Number 32: Georgia
Total Score: 47.00
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 33
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 44
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 21
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 14
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 37
Number 33: Oregon
Total Score: 46.84
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 35
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 45
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 20
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 31
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 24
Number 34: Kentucky
Total Score: 46.56
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 13
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 42
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 38
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 37
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 40
Number 35: Colorado
Total Score: 45.69
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 31
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 11
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 34
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 22
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 42
Number 36: Wyoming
Total Score: 44.73
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 17
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 13
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 49
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 47
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 25
Number 37: South Dakota
Total Score: 44.11
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 29
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 5
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 46
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 50
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 28
Number 38: Florida
Total Score: 43.51
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 46
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 43
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 42
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 9
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 17
Number 39: Texas
Total Score: 42.99
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 38
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 30
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 36
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 17
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 45
Number 40: Alabama
Total Score: 42.48
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 37
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 40
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 27
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 11
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 48
Number 41: Kansas
Total Score: 42.02
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 28
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 12
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 29
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 30
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 50
Number 42: Missouri
Total Score: 41.70
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 41
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 21
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 22
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 20
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 49
Number 43: Nevada
Total Score: 41.33
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 42
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 50
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 43
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 25
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 14
Number 44: Arkansas
Total Score: 41.27
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 51
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 38
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 25
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 32
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 33
Number 45: Louisiana
Total Score: 40.01
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 40
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 46
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 39
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 43
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 34
Number 46: South Carolina
Total Score: 39.98
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 48
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 48
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 44
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 26
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 29
Number 47: Tennessee
Total Score: 37.98
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 43
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 33
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 35
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 28
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 47
Number 48: New Mexico
Total Score: 36.94
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 47
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 51
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 51
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 44
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 12
Number 49: Alaska
Total Score: 36.12
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 49
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 29
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 48
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 46
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 3
Number 50: Oklahoma
Total Score: 35.29
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 34
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 32
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 32
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 48
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 51
Number 51: Mississippi
Total Score: 34.00
‘Home & Community Safety’ Rank: 36
‘Financial Safety’ Rank: 49
‘Road Safety’ Rank: 50
‘Workplace Safety’ Rank: 49
‘Safety from Natural Disasters’ Rank: 43
Methodology:
In order to identify the safest states in which to live, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across five key dimensions: 1) Home & Community Safety, 2) Financial Safety, 3) Road Safety, 4) Workplace Safety, and 5) Safety from Natural Disasters.
We first identified 25 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was given a value between 0 and 100, wherein 100 represents the highest level of safety and 0 the lowest.
Finally, we calculated the overall score for each state using the weighted average across all metrics and ranked the states accordingly.
Home & Community Safety — Total Points: 40
Number of Murders & Non-Negligent Manslaughters per Capita: Double Weight (~5.33 Points)
Number of Forcible Rapes per Capita: Double Weight (~5.33 Points)
Number of Assaults per Capita: Double Weight (~5.33 Points)
Number of Thefts per Capita: Double Weight (~5.33 Points)
Number of Sex Offenders per Capita: Double Weight (~5.33 Points)
Number of Drug Abuses per Capita: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)
Total Law-Enforcement Employees per Capita: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)
Number of Active Firefighters per Capita: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)
Suicide Rate: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)
Bullying-Incidents Rate: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)
Financial Safety — Total Points: 15
Percentage of Population Lacking Health-Insurance Coverage: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
Unemployment Rate: Double Weight (~3.75 Points)
Foreclosure Rate: Full Weight(~1.88 Points)
Credit Score: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
Debt per Income: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
Poverty Rate: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
Percentage of People with Rainy-Day Funds: Full Weight (~1.88 Points)
Road Safety — Total Points: 15
Number of Fatalities per 100 Million Vehicle Miles of Travel: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Number of DUIs per Capita: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Pedestrian Fatality Rate per Capita: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
Note: This metric also includes pedacyclists.
Workplace Safety — Total Points: 15
Fatal Occupational Injury Rate per 100,000 Full-Time Workers: Double Weight (~7.50 Points)
Injury & Illness Rate per 10,000 Full-Time Workers: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)
Median Days Lost Due to Occupational Injuries & Illnesses: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)
Safety from Natural Disasters — Total Points: 15
Number of Climate Disasters Causing $1 Billion+ in Damages in Past Decades: Full Weight (~7.50 Points)
Estimated Property Losses from Natural Disasters per Capita: Full Weight (~7.50 Points)
Sources: Data used to create these rankings were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Parents for Megan’s Law, U.S. Fire Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Centers for Environmental Information, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Verisk Analytics, stopbullying.gov, Kaiser Family Foundation, FINRA Investor Education Foundation, TransUnion and CoreLogic.
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