Is MS among the most or least safe states in the US? Here’s what a new ranking shows and why

Mississippi is the second most dangerous state in the country to live in, according to a recent WalletHub ranking.

The personal finance platform used recent data from multiple sources, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the U.S. Department of Labor, to compare states’ overall safety.

“The safest states in America protect their residents from harm in a multitude of different ways, from keeping crime rates low and maintaining safe roadways to having strong economies and job markets that prevent people from falling into dangerous financial situation, Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst, said in the study, published Oct. 6.

So what makes Mississippi one of the least safe states in the U.S.? Here’s what researchers found.

Why is MS among least safe states in U.S.?

Here’s how Mississippi ranked in each of the safety categories WalletHub analyzed:

• Personal & residential safety rank: 20
• Financial safety rank: 47
• Road safety rank: 50
• Workplace safety rank: 49
• Emergency preparedness rank: 50

Mississippi also had the most fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel, tied with Wyoming for having the fifth-highest share of uninsured population and tied with New Mexico for second-highest share of adults without rainy-day funds, according to WalletHub.

Which states are the least safe in the U.S.?

These are the 10 least safe states in the country, according to WalletHub:

1. Louisiana

2. Mississippi

3. Texas

4. Florida

5. Arkansas

6. Oklahoma

7. Colorado

8. Alabama

9. Georgia

10. Missouri

Which states are the safest in the U.S.?

These are the top five safest states in the country, according to WalletHub:

1. Vermont

2. Massachusetts

3. New Hampshire

4. Maine

5. Utah

How did personal finance platform rank states’ safety?

WalletHub ranked the 50 states across five key dimensions using 52 relevant metrics which were graded on a 100-point scale, researchers said.

The five key dimensions used are the following:

• Personal & Residential Safety
• Financial Safety
• Road Safety
• Workplace Safety
• Emergency Preparedness

Natalie Demaree

mcclatchy-newsroom

479-616-0125

Natalie Demaree is a service journalism reporter covering Mississippi for McClatchy Media. She holds a master’s in journalism from Columbia Journalism School and a bachelor’s in journalism and political science with a specialization in African and African American Studies from the University of Arkansas.