Homebuyers: Here’s the safest place to buy a house

Safest states in the U.S.

Safety’s an important factor for homebuyers — particularly ones with families and children. So where in the U.S. is the safest to buy a house? According to a new analysis, it’s Vermont.

Safest states in the U.S.

WalletHub recently ranked all 50 states in terms of safety, taking into account 48 indicators like natural disasters, crime, road fatalities and more. Vermont came out on top with a total safety score of 66.02. The state ranked highly in personal and residential safety, financial safety and road safety.

Fellow Northeastern state Maine took No. 2, with high ratings in personal and residential safety and emergency preparedness.

Minnesota, Utah, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Washington rounded out the top 10. Connecticut came in at No. 1 for personal and residential safety.

Massachusetts has the safest roads, while Louisiana has the most law enforcement personnel per capita. Bullying is lowest in Florida, and adults in North Dakota have the highest share of rainy day funds.

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Least safe states to buy a house

The country’s least safe states hail largely from the south, with Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Florida claiming the bottom five spots on the list.

South Carolina has the most road fatalities, while Idaho is the worst place for bullying. Unemployment is highest in Alaska, and the highest share of uninsured residents can be seen in Texas.

Louisiana, North Dakota and Mississippi claim the highest total losses from climate disasters.

Millennials on the move: the best and worst states to live in

According to Jane Fedorowlcz, professor of accounting and information systems at Bentley University, it’s important that homebuyers remember that “risk assessment is relative.”

“There is no risk-free place to live - every place exhibits risks of some nature,” Fedorowlcz said. “There are more incidents of some crimes when the weather is nice than when the weather is extremely cold. Other crimes are more likely in hot weather. Hot weather can increase pollution. Workplaces can be more dangerous because of weather extremes or pollution. Risk assessment is relative, involves tradeoffs and depends on one’s personal risk appetite.”

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