Considering all the above-mentioned factors, Wallethub determined the following rankings for the most dangerous states in 2023, starting with the most dangerous.
1. Louisiana
Louisiana is the most dangerous state in the U.S., ranking 47th for financial safety and 49th for emergency preparedness. Louisiana has one of the highest unemployment rates, sitting at 8.3% as of November 2020. Louisiana also has the third-highest bullying incident rate, one of the highest rates of fatalities per 100 million miles traveled, and the highest homicide rate in the U.S. with 14.4 murders per 100,000 people.
2. Mississippi
Mississippi is the second-most dangerous state in the U.S. and ranks last for both road safety and emergency preparedness and 49th for financial safety. Mississippi has the second-highest fatalities per 100 million miles traveled, and the southern state also has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. Before COVID-19, the unemployment rate sat around 5.5% and currently sits around 6.4%.
3. Texas
Texas is the third-most dangerous state in the country. With a total score of 34.78, Texas ranked 48th for emergency preparedness and 43rd for personal and residential safety. Texas has the highest share of uninsured people, with 18.4% of the population without health insurance.
4. Arkansas
Arkansas has a total score of 37.05, making it the fourth-least safe state in the country. Arkansas ranks 48th for personal and residential safety and 48th for financial safety, but it performs slightly better in the other categories. However, Arkansas has the third-highest number of assaults per capita, the fifth-highest bullying incidence rate, and the fifth-highest murder rate in the U.S. with 8.6 murders per 100,000 people.
5. Oklahoma
Oklahoma is the fifth-least safe state. Oklahoma ranked 45th for financial safety, 47th for workplace safety, and 44th for emergency preparedness. The Sooner State also has the third-highest share of uninsured people, with 14.3% of residents not having health insurance. Oklahoma's overall crime rate is 3,277.08 per 100,000 people.
6. Montana
Montana ranks 47th for personal and residential safety and 42nd for workplace safety. Surprisingly, however, Montana holds a high financial safety ranking of 15th place.
7. Alabama
Alabama comes in at seventh for the most dangerous U.S. state in 2023. It ranks 46th for emergency preparedness, has the fifth-highest number of assaults per capita, and has the seventh-highest homicide rate of 8.3 per 100,000 people. Alabama's overall crime rate is 3,185.26 per 100,000 people.
8. Florida
As the eighth-most dangerous state, Florida ranks 47th for road safety and 43rd for both emergency preparedness and workplace safety. Florida has one of the highest shares of uninsured people at 13.2% of its population, and its unemployment is around 6.4%.
9. Missouri
Missouri ranks 40th for emergency preparedness, with about 10% of residents missing health insurance. While Missouri ranks 39th for personal and residential safety, it has the second-highest homicide rate in the country of 9.8 murders per 100,000 people.
10. Tennessee
Finishing out the top ten with an overall score of 42.60 is Tennessee. The state ranks 50th for personal and residential safety. In 2020, the state had 11.5 murders per 100,000, the eighth-highest homicide rate in the country.