Study: How Safe is the State of New York?

We hear about robberies and violent crime in the news, and it can leave one wondering just how safe their town may be? But if you also factor in everything from hate crimes, to the safety of the roads, to even natural disasters, it starts to paint a bigger picture.

A new study weighed many of these factors from state to state, and those saying that New York isn't the safest place may be somewhat surprised at the findings.

Safety Study 

WalletHub measured its safety findings using five key dimensions:

1) Personal & Residential Safety

2) Financial Safety

3) Road Safety

4) Workplace Safety

5) Emergency Preparedness. New York was 4th in the nation when it came to law enforcement employees per capita, thus helping the state's overall score.

Safest States in the U.S.

Overall, Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire were the top three safest states to live in. Massachusetts was 6th, Connecticut 7th, and New Jersey 15th.

New York's Ranking 

According to WalletHub's study, New York was 22nd overall for safety. We ranked 4th in road safety, though fell a little in other categories such as financial security or workplace safety.

Louisiana ranked dead last in the country, with Mississippi and Arkansas rounding out the least safe states.

Other Studies May Disagree

Another recent study disputes the quality of New York's roads. Local governments across New York State spent $2 billion on road maintenance, repairs and upgrades in 2020, according to a report by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

The Study

MoneyGeek analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Census Bureau to learn more about the nation's urban road infrastructure, According to the metrics, New Hampshire has the best road conditions in the country, as they were last in the Road Roughness Index.

New York's Road Conditions 

According to MoneyGeek, New York was 5th for road roughness. And again, the higher the ranking, the worse the percentage of the roads in your state, so this isn't good news. Massachusetts was 7th, New Jersey 10th, Pennsylvania 13th, Connecticut 27th, and Vermont 37th.