10 Safest States In The U.S.: Institute For Economics And Peace

While the nation as a whole might be in financial disarray, some states have found surprising success in lowering government spending by reducing crime, according to a new report by the Institute for Economics and Peace.

When taken together, costs like incarceration, medical, judicial and policing leave the average single American tax payer paying roughly $1,425 per year, the report finds. And that's before taking into account the productivity lost from pulling potential workers out of the U.S. economy and sticking them in prison.

But costs range across states by significant amounts. Of the 10 most peaceful states, for example, seven also ranked in the top 10 for lowest cost of crime per person, with safest-state Maine spending just $656 per person. Compare that with Louisiana, which spends $2,458 per person.

The safest states in the U.S. not only scored well on the original five indicators, either. They also performed well in areas like education, one factor highly-correlated with safety, with the safest states tending to have high graduation rates and larger numbers of diplomas per person. Household income also correlates with the peacefulness of a state, with three of the five safest states found to be in the top 10 for household income.

According to the report, the U.S. as a whole has become 8 percent safer since 1995, and the country could save much more money if it became even less violent. If California could decrease violence by 25 percent, for example, the state could save the state $16 billion, the report contends. Even Vermont, a relatively small and safe state, could save $253 million if it reduced violence by that same amount.

The index on which the report is based has five primary indicators: (1) number of homicides per 100,000 people, (2) number of violent crimes per 100,000 people, (3) number of people in jail per 100,000 people, (4) number of police officers per 100,000 people and (5) general availability of small arms.

Below is the list of the 10 most peaceful states in the United States according to the Institute for Economics and Peace.

1 of 10

10. Washington

1 of 11

First Slide

Previous Slide

@

United States Peace Index: 1.87 Percentage Change Since 1991:10.9 percent more safe Total Cost Of Crime Per Person: $1,130

10 Fast Food Inventions That Completely Blew Our Minds

9 Horrible Slogans That Don't Feel Quite Right

Obamacare Haters

The Most Successful People To Have Used Drugs

13 States With The Highest Student Loan Debt Delinquency

9 Incriminating Things Wall Street Workers Have Said Via Email

United States Peace Index: 1.87
Percentage Change Since 1991:10.9 percent more safe
Total Cost Of Crime Per Person: $1,130

comments(859)

Total comments: 859 | Post a Comment

1 of 11

Rate This Slide

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

Not surprising Surprising

• 
  1
• 
  2
• 
  3
• 
  4
• 
  5
• 
  6
• 
  7
• 
  8
• 
  9
• 
  10

Current Top 5 Slides

loading...

Choose your Top 5 Slides

UserName

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Top User Slides

← Prev|Next →

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Users who voted on this slide

← Prev|Next →

loading...

Comments

[dadw5boys]

12:47 PM on 05/11/2011

Where is the list of the Most Deadly States in the USA ?

Is mine number one or number two ?

[Cindy Parks Oneil]

08:09 PM on 04/25/2011

Rose, Grow up and act like a true Christian if it is what you proclaim to be. Judge not the speck in your neighbor's eye when there's a big 'ole log stuck in yours. As I recall, the constitution requires a separation of Church and State. It is a fact our "so called Muslim" President said this," The humility of Jesus washing the disciples' feet. His slow march up that hill, and the pain and the scorn and the shame of the cross. And we're reminded that in that moment, he took on the sins of the world -- past, present and future -- and he extended to us that unfathomable gift of grace and salvation through his death and resurrection.
"In the words of the book Isaiah: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."
"This magnificent grace, this expansive grace, this 'Amazing Grace' calls me to reflect. And it calls me to pray. It calls me to ask God for forgiveness for the times that I've not shown grace to others, those times that I've fallen short. It calls me to praise God for the gift of our son -- his Son and our Savior." So apparently he is a Christian Muslim. AMEN!

[lifepanels]

05:21 PM on 05/07/2011

Rose? Rose who?

[sarsipius1979]

11:51 AM on 04/25/2011

According to every Stephen King book I have ever read Maine is in no way safe at all...

[Dania Strong]

07:24 AM on 05/16/2011

Everyone is packing in Maine so you learn early that tresspassing=being used for target practice.

[nnyl]

11:40 PM on 04/22/2011

Since moving to MN, I've come to the conclusion that crime rates are lower because it is too cold a good chunk of the year. After a January house fire, our insurance company put us up in an apartment while the house was being rebuilt. When it started to warm up late March we saw drug deals in the street and heard gunfire. None of that was around in the open when it was frigid.

[freds head]

08:33 PM on 04/22/2011

Well another correlation to demographics. Wonder what they look like for the most violent states? hmmm

[TBrennan]

02:00 PM on 04/22/2011

I think there is a correlation between blue states and being safe. Utah is a notable exception. But I think it might be fair to say that blue states are more mellow. Medical marijuana? Not in Utah anyway.

[wilray]

01:42 PM on 04/22/2011

I don't think Alaska made the list because the Palins dragged them down.

[demorick2]

11:59 AM on 04/22/2011

Too many tro//s here any more...I may just cancel my membership and join another site...Thanks, AH, for selling out, it used to be fun in here...

[Rahm11219]

10:16 AM on 04/22/2011

More confirmation that all those elitest, liberal New Englanders have it the best.

[alteredstory]

10:25 AM on 04/22/2011

Must be because they took the best states! That's the only explanation, because it CAN'T be their godless policies...

[seeksthetruth]

11:35 AM on 04/22/2011

And, just what are their godless policies?

[mikeyaz17]

03:49 PM on 04/22/2011

you should be thanking god for those godless policies.. those are the policies that enable you to have a god

[GaiasChild]

01:35 AM on 04/22/2011

looks like it helps to have some really cold weather and/or smaller populations? washington, like oregon, is a kind of sitting duck for the cascadia fault offshore though and for volcanic risk. guess this is all about social safety?

[Justin Ferguson]

04:37 AM on 04/22/2011

Interesting observation(s). There is known correlations between temperature and violence, I'd have to dig around for the source but I recall years ago an article in a Phoenix paper right as summer was setting in about how statistically speaking, violent crime tended to increase with temperature. The smaller populations thing seems fairly self-evident.

I didn't actually read the article this time, but for the 10 most dangerous they described the metrics used to determine peacefulness, and no so called acts of god were not included from what I recall.

[Jenny M Derfler]

01:59 PM on 05/04/2011

I wouldn't be too sure about that!! Look at Michigan: Super cold but violent!! Still, I would much rather like 2 live in a very cold state w/ less crime than a violent state where it's 100 degrees year-round!! Way too uncomfortable 4 me!! I'll trade snow 4 sun anyday, but I'm weird like that!!

[wilray]

07:22 PM on 04/21/2011

What these statistics don't show is that, oddly, in Seattle of late most of the crime has been committed by the cops. Our police department is facing a federal investigation.

[Justin Ferguson]

04:31 AM on 04/22/2011

While nothing you've said is untrue, as both a current resident of seattle, and someone who has lived at a diverse selection of places throughout the country, I feel compelled to say "Seattle is not a Phoenix." (aka it's not that bad relative to many spots in the country)

[wilray]

05:01 AM on 04/22/2011

Sometimes a little hyperbole is helpful.

[Janet Bratter]

04:54 PM on 04/21/2011

Proof that a steady diet of lobster and cold, fresh ocean air produces a more peaceful populace...Still, it's hard to beat the gumbo, the mud-bug, the steamy/sultry heat, the flying roaches, the crazy/great music scene and the Mighty Mississippi River as it flows through "my darlin' New Orleans".

[camanokat]

08:20 AM on 04/22/2011

Ack! Flying roaches is a deal-breaker with me. I could never live in a place that hosts them!

[FalstaffsMind]

03:20 PM on 04/21/2011

Apparently the lack of people is peacful.

[David Roman]

03:08 PM on 04/21/2011

I can't argue with some of the New England states with the exception of Massachusetts. I grew up there and I would not agree with that. Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island I can't argue with.

[Justin Ferguson]

04:34 AM on 04/22/2011

Exactly, from Boston originally, spent a fair amount of my childhood in Brockton...All I can say is maybe they mean out west?

[Jenny M Derfler]

02:10 PM on 05/04/2011

I was just thinking that!! I went to college in the Boston area not 2 long ago and all I heard was that Dorchester, Jamaica Plains, and the rest of the neighborhoods in Boston were bad and ghetto!!! I think they do mean Western Mass. I did meet alot of people at my college who were from there, but there weren't as many as there were from the Boston area. Which means there aren't a lot of people from Western Mass.

[KarasudaJay]

02:40 PM on 04/21/2011

Like the last "study" claiming to show the least peaceful states, it's obviously a case of rationalization. Pick the states you want to win, then find the statistical formula to make them win.