Study: Texas ranks among most dangerous U.S. states

Texas is among the nation’s most dangerous states — and it has nothing to do with migrants or purported Venezuelan gang members, according to a study published Monday by personal finance website WalletHub.

Indeed, Texas ranked as the third-most dangerous U.S. state despite Gov. Greg Abbott’s frequent invoking of “law and order” rhetoric.

WalletHub went beyond everyday crime rates to compile its rankings. Instead, researchers ranked all 50 states by analyzing 52 metrics across five categories, including individual and residential safety, financial safety, road safety, workplace safety and emergency preparedness.

Texas has experienced a slew of natural disasters costing upwards of $1 billion in damages, and it also has the highest rate of residents without health insurance, both of which drove down its overall rating, according to the study. The state was further dinged for its high rate of driving-related deaths.

“The safest states in America protect their residents from harm in a multitude of different ways, from keeping crime rates low and maintaining safe roadways to having strong economies and job markets that prevent people from falling into dangerous financial situations,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in a statement.

“They have high levels of occupational safety and disaster preparedness too,” Lupo continued. “In addition, states are made safer by efforts that individual residents take, such as forming a neighborhood watch or working in firefighting and EMT jobs at high rates.”

Vermont took home the title as the nation’s safest state, followed by New Hampshire and Maine, which took the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively.

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This article appears in Oct 16-29, 2024.