Illinois is America’s 35th Safest State

A new study looks at crime, terrorism, and natural disasters to rank each state in terms of safety.

The study, "2018's Safest States in America," by personal finance website WalletHub, has Illinois ranking in the bottom 15 states for overall safety at #35.

So, what were WalletHub's analysts looking at to make their determinations?

Each state is safe from some dangers but falls prey to others. Safety is a basic human need. We require some form of it, such as personal and financial protection, in every part of daily life. But we’re likely to feel more secure in some states than in others.

In order to determine the safest states in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 48 key safety indicators grouped into five different categories. Our data set ranges from assaults per capita to unemployment rate to total loss amounts from climate disasters per capita.

America's 5 safest states:

1) Vermont

2) Maine

3) Minnesota

4) Utah

5) New Hampshire

Next, the 5 least-safe states in the Union:

46) Florida

47) Texas

48) Oklahoma

49) Louisiana

50) Mississippi

As I mentioned, Illinois holds the #35 spot on WalletHub's list. Here's a break-out of some of our numbers:

Safety in Illinois (1=Safest; 25=Avg.)

• 47^th – Murders & Non-Negligent Manslaughters per Capita
• 28^th – Assaults per Capita
• 22^nd – Loss Amounts from Climate Disasters per Capita
• 44^th – Job Security
• 11^th – Fatal Occupational Injuries per 100,000 Full-Time Workers
• 15^th – Fatalities per 100 Million Vehicle Miles of Travel
• 3^rd – Law-Enforcement Employees per Capita
• 20^th – Bullying Incidence Rate
• 26^th – Sex Offenders per Capita
• 20^th – Share of Uninsured Population

So, where's the safest place in the world?