NJ is one of the safest states — thanks to cops, study says

Do we live in a safe state?

Personal finance website WalletHub released its “2022’s Safest States in America,” comparing all 50 states across 53 key metrics grouped into five safety categories, including personal and residential, financial, road, and workplace, as well as emergency preparedness.

In the tri-state area, New Jersey is the safest state to live in, but overall, it is the 15th safest state in the nation, according to WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez.

New Jersey ranked in the top five in the personal and residential safety category, Gonzalez said. That includes everything people typically associate the category with, including terrorist attacks, homicides, thefts, and assaults, she said.

The state also has the most law-enforcement employees per 100,000 residents, 557, which is 2.8 times more than in Washington, the fewest at 197.

New Jersey also did well in the road safety category. Gonzalez said it has a lower rate when it comes to traffic and discipline, the road quality is better than in other places, and it does have as many uninsured drivers or DUIs per capita.

The Garden State needs some help when it comes to workplace safety.

“When we’re looking at injuries and illnesses per full-time workers or occupational injuries, that’s where it did not do as well,” Gonzalez said.

The state also ranked 30th, below average, in the financial safety category. With a recession looming, the numbers involving foreclosure rates, debt, poverty rates, and the share of adults with savings and rainy day funds could use some improvement as well.

New Jersey is safer than its neighbors. New York ranked 22 on the list and Pennsylvania came in as the 29th safest state in the U.S.

Vermont is the safest state to live in, followed by Maine, New Hampshire, Utah, and Hawaii.

Louisiana is the least safe state. Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, and Alabama round out the bottom five.

View the WalletHub report here.

Jen Ursillo is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at jennifer.ursillo@townsquaremedia.com

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