Ah, Maine, the land of lobsters, lighthouses and L.L. Bean.
The Pine Tree State is home to roughly 1.4 million people and its population saw the biggest percentage increase of the New England states in 2020-21 and 2021-22, the Maine Monitor reported.
And Maine has earned another distinction, in to addition jagged coastlines and fabulous seafood. It has also been declared the safest state in the union, according to U.S. News and World Report.
Switch on the TV, look at your phone, or pick up a newspaper and you're bound to see some crime-related story. Crime is a top issue with many people, particularly when elections roll around.
Working the Numbers
The violent crime rate in America rose by 4.6% between 2019 and 2020, reaching the highest level since 2010, U.S News reported, citing FBI data, though it was well below historic highs of the 1990s.
And property crime has continued to decline, down 8.1% between 2019 and 2020.
As part of its 2023 Best State Rankings, U.S. News said it factored in both the violent crime rate and property crime rate in each state to determine the best states for public safety in America.
Overall, the New England fared well in the study, with all the region's six states making it to the top ten.
Maine, which has an overall state ranking of 28, saw the lowest rate of violent crime in the FBI’s data, at 109 per 100,000 in 2020, while Alaska posted the highest at 838 per 100,000.
Massachusetts saw the lowest rate of property crime in the U.S. with 1,053 per 100,000, while Louisiana reported the highest at 2,884 per 100,000.
New Jersey Rates High
New Hampshire came in second on the safe state list. The Granite State saw 146 violent crimes per 100,000 residents and 1,099 property crimes per 100,000 residents.
Next on the list was New Jersey, home of Bruce Springsteen and Atlantic City. The Garden State saw a violent crime rate of 195 per 100,000 residents and a property crime rate of 1,158 per 100,000 residents.
Vermont, Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream home state, ranked fourth with a violent crime rate of 173 per 100,000 residents and a property crime rate of 1,217 per 100,000 residents.
And rounding off the top five was the Gem State itself, Idaho. In addition to all those potatoes, Idaho has fishing, scenic mountains and, of course, gemstones.
The state also has a violent crime rate of 243 per 100,000 residents and a property crime rate of 1,112 per 100,000 residents.
The other top 10 states were Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Virginia, Connecticut and Wyoming
On the other side of the numbers, New Mexico had the lowest public safety rating, according to U.S. News, coming in behind Louisiana, Alaska and Arkansas.
