New York One of Safest States: New Report

One in three Americans cites personal safety as a significant source of stress today. Well, New Yorkers, if you're anxious about it, you can relax. According to the personal-finance website WalletHub, New York is the county's 13th safest state.

The stress data comes from the American Psychological Association. Between August 2016 and January 2017, the percentage of Americans saying personal safety is a very or somewhat significant source of stress increased from 29 percent to 34 percent—the highest percentage since the question was first asked in 2008, the APA said.

The data about New York comes from WalletHub's report 2017's Safest States in America, published recently for National Safety Month.

New York is in the top half of the country on every measurement in the study.

Safety in New York (1=Safest; 25=Avg.)

• 15th – Murders & Non-Negligent Manslaughters per Capita
• 26th – Assaults per Capita
• 24th – Total Loss Amounts from Climate Disasters per Capita
• 13th – Fatal Occupational Injuries per 100,000 Full-Time Workers
• 8th – Fatalities per 100 Million Vehicle Miles of Travel
• 4th – Law-Enforcement Employees per Capita
• 24th – Bullying Incidence Rate
• 4th – Sex Offenders per Capita
• 15th – Share of Population Lacking Health Insurance

The five safest states, according to the report, are Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New Hampshire.

The five most dangerous states: Missouri, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi.

WalletHub compared the 50 states across five key dimensions: 1) Personal & Residential Safety, 2) Financial Safety, 3) Road Safety, 4) Workplace Safety, and 5) Emergency Preparedness. The data set ranges from assaults per capita to unemployment rate to total loss amounts from climate disasters per capita.

Are you planning a move?

In addition to checking out local crime stats and internet sites like WalletHub, a professor at Fairleigh-Dickinson University in New Jersey suggests that you should also look at local schools and neighborhood real-estate turnover.

"Another factor that should be considered is the school system and how good it is because education provides a safe haven and support system for youth in the neighborhood," said Liza Chowdhury, Assistant Professor in the School of Criminal Justice, Political Science and International Affairs and one of the experts quoted in WalletHub's report. "Also, are there residents that have lived there for several years or is it a lot of transient residents? The stability of the neighborhood is also based on how well residents know each other and participate in the well-being of the community. "

The National Safety Council offers info on three topics:

• Safety on the Road
  
• Safety at Home
  
• Safety at Work