New rankings report names Maine the safest state, Northeast the safest region in the country

Maine is the safest state in the country and the Northeast is considered one of the safest regions in the U.S., according to the latest rankings.

U.S. News & World Report determined that the lowest rates of violent and property crime were found in states such as Connecticut (ranked 9th safest), Massachusetts (7th), Rhode Island (6th), Vermont (4th), New Jersey (3rd), New Hampshire (2nd) and in the top-ranked Pine Tree state.

FBI data from 2020 showed that Maine had the lowest rate of violent crime in the country at 109 per 100,000. The violent crime rate looks at offenses such as murders and nonnegligent manslaughters, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults.

Massachusetts, meanwhile, had the lowest rate of property crime in the nation at 1,053 per 100,000 residents. The property crime rate covers offenses such as burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.

Rounding out the rankings were Wyoming in 10th, Virginia in 8th and Idaho in 5th.

A separate study from WalletHub last fall found that multiple cities in New England were considered to be the top 10 safest in the country.

That included Nashua, New Hampshire (ranked 2nd), Portland, Maine (4th), Warwick, Rhode Island (5th), Burlington, Vermont (8th) and Lewiston, Maine (10th).