Maine Ranks as One of the Safest States to Live, but Not #1

It should come as no surprise that our Pine Tree State regularly ranks as one of the safest states in the country, but this year, we’re not at the top.

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We’ve all seen it before; every year, a new list gets published touting the safest states in America, and Maine consistently ranks at or near the top. It's the same song and dance.

While the unexpected can be fun and exciting, when it comes to our safety, this kind of consistency is greatly appreciated.

Living in Maine means enjoying the peace of mind that comes with being in one of the safest places in the country. That's one of the many perks of living in 'Vacationland.'

People from out of state love visiting Maine because it truly embodies 'the way life should be.' They call Maine 'Vacationland' for a reason, right?

All of that being said, how does one determine the ‘Safest States in America?’

Every year, the publication U.S. News releases a list highlighting the '10 Safest States in America,’ and they determine this by analyzing violent crime and property crime rates in each state.

These safety rankings contribute to broader categories like crime and corrections and the overall Best States rankings. The Best States rankings evaluate all 50 states across 71 metrics in eight categories, aiming to reflect how well states serve their residents.

Each category's importance is weighted based on three years of data from national surveys, which gathered the opinions of nearly 70,000 people.

So, if Maine isn’t at the top of the list as the safest state, where did Maine rank?

According to U.S. News, Maine is the second safest state in America. Maine has a violent crime rate of 103 per 100,000 people and a property crime rate of 1,213 per 100,000 people. Overall, it ranks 28th among the best states in the U.S.

Now that we know Maine is ranked second overall, which state is the safest in the country?

Again, according to U.S. News’s report, the only state safer than Maine is its neighbor to the west, New Hampshire. New Hampshire has a violent crime rate of 126 per 100,000 people and a property crime rate of 1,011 per 100,000 people. Overall, it ranks 2nd among the best states in the U.S.

Shoutout to Maine, New Hampshire, and New England as a whole for being so safe.