New Hampshire was rated the best state in the United States in the category of public safety, according to a new study released Tuesday.
Findings from the U.S. News and World Report revealed that the New England state outranked all 49 other states in the metric of public safety, which takes into account violent and property crime rates, as well as incarceration rates.
Maine was directly behind New Hampshire as the second-most safe state, followed by Idaho.
The public safety rankings were part of the overall Best States 2025 report that looked at a number of issues, including the economy, infrastructure, natural environment, opportunity, and fiscal stability of government.
The best state, based on all of the issues, was Utah, followed by New Hampshire.
The public safety top trio of New Hampshire, Maine, and Idaho are among the least populated states in the U.S. and have similar demographics. Idaho has 2 million residents, whereas New Hampshire and Maine both have a population of about 1.4 million.
Ninety-three percent of New Hampshire residents identified as white, compared to 94% in Maine and 93% in Idaho, which is higher than the national average of 75% white, according to Census data.
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Maine and New Hampshire also stand out for their high percentages of senior citizens, with 23% and 21% of their populations over the age of 65, respectively, compared to the national average of just under 18%.
The public safety category for the U.S. News and World Report rankings takes into account crime in those states as well as corrections outcomes, which include incarceration rate, juvenile incarceration, and “racial equality in jailing.”
Louisiana ranked last in public safety at No. 50 based on the corrections and crime rate metrics.