America's Safest States: See Where VA Ranks In New Analysis

VIRGINIA — A new analysis of safety across the United States ranks Virginia as the 15th safest state in the nation.

Personal finance company WalletHub evaluated statistics on crime rates, serious vehicle crashes, the number of active firefighters and police officers, and more for their 2024 "Safest States in America" study. The analysis also includes data on health and safety infrastructure, the poverty rate by state, and climate disasters.

Overall, the analysis included 52 safety indicators, grouped into five categories: Personal and Residential Safety, Financial Safety, Road Safety, Workplace Safety, and Emergency Preparedness. Each state was given a score out of 100.

Here's how WalletHub ranked Virginia on those five key categories: (1=Safest; 25=Avg.):

• Overall rank for Virginia: 15
• Overall score: 54.19
• Personal and Residential Safety: 30
• Financial Safety: 11
• Road Safety: 24
• Workplace Safety: 3
• Emergency Preparedness: 31

Virginia was among states that scored highest in workplace safety, which helped boost its ranking. The state also ranked in the top five for the lowest number of bullying incidents.

WalletHub analyst Chris Lupo said that while state agencies and organizations are responsible for keeping communities and roadways safe, individual residents also make a difference by stepping up in their local neighborhoods.

"The safest states in America protect their residents from harm in a multitude of different ways, from keeping crime rates low and maintaining safe roadways to having strong economies and job markets that prevent people from falling into dangerous financial situations," Lupo said. "They have high levels of occupational safety and disaster preparedness, too. In addition, states are made safer by efforts that individual residents take, such as forming a neighborhood watch or working in firefighting and EMT jobs at high rates.”

These are the 10 safest states in the U.S., according to WalletHub:

1. Vermont
2. New Hampshire
3. Maine
4. Massachusetts
5. Utah
6. Hawaii
7. Connecticut
8. Minnesota
9. Rhode Island
10. Wyoming

Check out the entire study here.