In the modern world, with all the violent headlines you see in news media, safety has become an ever more important concern when choosing where to live and settle down. WalletHub recently conducted a study to determine which states can be deemed the safest and least safe in which to live.
The study took all 50 states and measured them across 37 domains. From the domains, five main categories were created. The categories are Personal and Residential Safety, Financial Safety, Road Safety, Workplace Safety, and Emergency Preparedness. Let’s take a look at the results and see how Texas stacked up.
According to the study, Vermont was rated as the safest state overall. Vermont received high marks in Personal and Financial Safety which resulted in a high score. Rounding out the top 5 were Maine (#2), Massachusetts (#3), Minnesota (#4), and New Hampshire (#5). New Hampshire also received the number 1 ranking in the Financial Safety category.
Photo: Flickr/Maximo Santana
At the bottom of the list, was Mississippi, which also ranked dead last in Emergency Preparedness and 49th in workplace safety. Rounding out the bottom five were Louisiana (#49), Oklahoma (#48), South Carolina (#47), and Missouri (#46). South Carolina also received the next-to-last ranking in the Personal and Residential Safety category. Louisiana also made the bottom of the list in the Financial Safety category.
Photo: Flickr/The U.S. Army
How did Texas rank among the other 49 states? Overall, Texas did not fair so hot. The Lone Star State fell in at #41 in the overall rankings. It ranked 30th and 33rd in the Personal and Residential Safety and Financial Safety categories. Due to threats of hurricanes, flash flooding, wildfires, and extreme drought, Texas also found itself being ranked 47th in the Emergency Preparedness category.
So how should you weigh the varying risk factors when choosing a place to live? According to John D. Cohen, a criminal justice professor at Rutgers University, checking the crime rates posted on most public web pages in areas you are thinking of living. Cohen also recommended listing all of the factors that could negatively impact your quality of life.
