The 8 States with the Lowest Crime Rates in America

Whether you’re exploring America by road trip or looking to make a move across the country, your top priority is safety. The United States has massive variations when it comes to violent crime safety, so we’ve compiled a list of the safest states for you and your family to uncover. According to Statista, these are the 8 states with the lowest violent crime rates in America.

7. Kentucky

Kentucky takes the seventh-place spot for the lowest violent crime rates in America. This state boasts a minuscule rate of 214.1 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, making it a very safe state to live and visit. Kentucky doesn’t rank quite as highly for non-violent crimes, however. In fact, the state has the 20th lowest rate of non-violent crimes in America. While it’s not one of the lowest, it’s still better than the United States average.

6. New Jersey

We’re headed to the East Coast for the sixth-place winner for low violent crime rates. New Jersey takes the spot, with a violent crime rate of only 202.9 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. The state is almost tied with the fifth-place winner, who has only 201.9 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. New Jersey also boasts low non-violent crime rates, taking the fifth-place spot overall for lowest rates in America.

5. Wyoming

We’ll be leaving the East Coast and heading west for the state with the fifth-lowest rate of violent crime. Wyoming is the winner, boasting a violent crime rate of only 201.9 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. Wyoming is the least populous state in America, so it’s easy to calculate the exact violent crime occurrences with a population of only 550,000 residents. While Wyoming ranks well in violent crime, it ranks a bit lower in non-violent crime. It takes sixteenth place overall for non-violent crime occurrences.

4. Rhode Island

The itsy-bitsy state of Rhode Island also has an itsy-bitsy violent crime rate! This state takes the fourth place spot for violent crime, with a rate of 172.3 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. The state has slightly more than a million residents, so it’s easy to do the math on violent crime occurrence! Rhode Island also scores very well for non-violent crime. It takes the seventh-place spot for the lowest non-violent crime rate in America.

3. Connecticut

The state with the third-lowest violent crime rate in the country is yet another New England state: Connecticut. In 2022, there were 150 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. However, Connecticut doesn’t rank quite as well for non-violent crimes. While the state is still far above average when it comes to non-violent crime rate, Connecticut takes the 14th spot for the lowest non-violent crime rate in America.

2. New Hampshire

The second-place state for violent crime rate is New Hampshire. New Hampshire’s violent crime rate is 125.6 crimes per every 100,000 residents, which means there aren’t many crimes happening in the state. There are only 1.4 million residents! New Hampshire also ranks well for non-violent crimes. The state takes the second-place spot for non-violent crimes among all the states in the US.

1. Maine

Finally, Maine is the big winner for the state with the lowest violent crime rate. Only 103.3 violent crimes happen per 100,000 residents, making this an astonishingly safe place to visit and reside. Not only is Maine safe — but it’s beautiful! The state is home to a stunning coastline, gorgeous national parks, and charming small towns bursting with a New England feel.

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