MILWAUKEE, WI — Wisconsin landed in the middle of the pack in a new national ranking of the safest states, trailing three other Midwest states, according to a new report from WalletHub.
The personal finance company ranked Wisconsin 21st overall in its 2026 Safest States in America study, released Monday. That made Wisconsin the fourth-safest state in the Midwest, behind Minnesota, Indiana and Iowa.
To build the rankings, WalletHub compared all 50 states across 52 metrics in five categories: personal and residential safety, financial safety, road safety, workplace safety and emergency preparedness. The metrics range from assaults per capita and per-capita losses from climate disasters to unemployment rates.
Wisconsin's strongest category was financial safety, where it ranked ninth in the nation. The state ranked 18th for road safety and 20th for emergency preparedness.
The state was weaker in other areas. Wisconsin ranked 26th for personal and residential safety and 29th for workplace safety.
Here's how every Midwest state ranked (1 = safest):
Minnesota was the top-ranked Midwest state at No. 7, boosted by the nation's second-best workplace safety ranking. Neighboring Illinois came in at 38th, and Missouri was the lowest-ranked Midwest state at 44th.
Nationally, Vermont topped the list as the safest state in America, followed by Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Connecticut. Mississippi ranked last.
"Vermont is the safest state, and nearly 76% of parents in Vermont believe they live in safe neighborhoods, the third-highest percentage in the country," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said.
According to Lupo, the safest states protect residents in many ways, from keeping crime low and roads safe to maintaining strong job markets that keep people out of dangerous financial situations.
Daniel E. Goldberg, an associate professor at Temple University, said people choosing where to live should weigh a range of risks, from flood zones and tornado-prone areas to proximity to factories that handle toxic materials and local crime rates.
"Once you have your information, figure out if the risk is worth the reward," Goldberg said. "Remember, some of those risks may not impact you until years later."
Read the full WalletHub report here.
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