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JERSEY CITY, NJ – OCTOBER 6: The Harvest Supermoon rises behind the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn skyline in New York City as the sun sets on October 6, 2025 as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
NEW YORK – New York and New Jersey can take a little comfort in the latest state safety rankings in WalletHub’s 2025 “Safest States to Live In.” The two states secured a spot in the top half, placing in the top 20 of all states.
What we know:
WalletHub’s methodology spans 52 safety indicators grouped into five categories:
- Personal & Residential Safety
- Financial Safety
- Road Safety
- Workplace Safety
- Emergency Preparedness
For each state, metrics such as assaults per capita, thefts, job safety and disaster-related losses are factored into a composite score.
Dig deeper:
Vermont leads the list as the safest state for 2025, followed by Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Meanwhile, WalletHub places New York just ahead of states like Idaho (18th) in the top twenty.
New York and New Jersey’s performance in each safety category helps explain its mid-ranking. While they score well in areas like emergency preparedness and personal safety, they face challenges in road safety and financial metrics, where some states outperform them.
Top safest states in America
- Vermont
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Maine
- Utah
- Connecticut
- Hawaii
- Minnesota
- Rhode Island
- Wyoming
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Maryland
- Virginia
- Washington
- New Jersey
- New York
- Idaho
- Wisconsin
- Kentucky
The Source: This story is based on WalletHub’s “Safest States to Live In (2025)” report.