Maine Ranked 4th Safest State in the U.S., Says New National Report

There are a ton of great reasons why Maine is an ideal state to live in.

It’s beautiful, wonderfully remote, the locals are friendly, the food is exquisite, the outdoor recreation is second to none, and perhaps the best factor of all: it's extremely safe. At least, that’s according to a new report.

WalletHub.com, a personal finance website, recently published its annual report on the safest states in America. Maine didn’t just pass with flying colors—our glorious state ranked as the 4th safest in the country.

Maine’s total score was 64.69 out of a possible 100. The scoring system was based on five major categories: personal & residential safety, financial safety, road safety, workplace safety, and emergency preparedness. These were further broken down into 52 sub-categories to make the report as detailed and comprehensive as possible. (You can read more about the methodology here.)

Maine performed well in most areas. The state ranked 2nd in emergency preparedness and 5th in personal & residential safety, which included a #1 ranking for the fewest assaults per capita. That’s definitely a category where being at the bottom is a good thing.

Maine also ranked in the top 10 for financial safety (8th) and road safety (8th). Its lowest ranking was in workplace safety (25th)—still in the top half, so not exactly what you'd call poor.

All this points to one clear conclusion: Maine is extremely safe. And let’s be honest, it shows. As mentioned earlier, this is a great state to live in. There’s a reason why so many young families are moving here, and why so many people choose it for retirement. The state is quiet, and quiet is a wonderful thing.

Could Maine do even more to improve safety? Sure, there’s always room for improvement. But I hope people realize how good they have it here, especially compared to other parts of the country.

And that sentiment really applies to all of New England. Just look at the regional safety rankings:

1. Vermont
2. Massachusetts
3. New Hampshire 
6. Connecticut
9. Rhode Island 

There you have it. The entire region is in the top 10. Just like our geography, New England always comes out on top.

According to WalletHub, the most dangerous state in America is Louisiana. I mean, getting lost in a swamp does seem like it would suck.

You can see the entire list here.