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ATLANTA - Georgia landed among the nation’s 10 lowest-ranked states in WalletHub’s 2026 safety study, which measures risks ranging from violent crime and traffic deaths to financial insecurity and natural disasters.
The personal-finance company placed Georgia 41st overall. Its ranking goes beyond crime, comparing all 50 states across 52 indicators in five categories: personal and residential safety, financial safety, road safety, workplace safety and emergency preparedness.
How Georgia performed
Georgia’s results varied considerably depending on the measure. The state placed near the middle of the rankings for assaults, workplace fatalities and losses from climate disasters, but closer to the bottom for its uninsured population and homicide rate.
Selected Georgia rankings included:
- 49th: Share of residents without health insurance.
- 40th: Murders and nonnegligent manslaughter per capita.
- 35th: Registered sex offenders per capita.
- 34th: Job security.
- 27th: Assaults per capita.
- 27th: Climate disaster losses per capita.
- 26th: Fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 full-time workers.
- 23rd: Traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.
For these rankings, a lower number represents a better result. Georgia’s 49th-place finish for uninsured residents means it had one of the highest uninsured shares, while its traffic fatality ranking was slightly better than the midpoint.
The study’s job security measure compared the number of workers in 2025 with the number in 2024.
Financial safety was Georgia’s weakest category
Across the five broader categories, Georgia ranked:
- 47th in financial safety.
- 38th in emergency preparedness.
- 35th in road safety.
- 34th in personal and residential safety.
- 32nd in workplace safety.
Financial safety included health insurance coverage, unemployment, poverty, savings, credit scores, bankruptcy and other measures. Georgia finished below neighboring North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee overall, but above Alabama and Florida.
New England states lead the national results
The five highest-ranked states were all in New England:
- Vermont.
- Massachusetts.
- Maine.
- New Hampshire.
- Connecticut.
WalletHub highlighted Vermont’s neighborhood safety indicators, low unemployment and relatively low traffic fatality rate. Massachusetts performed well on several financial measures and had the fewest traffic deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.
Maine stood out for having the fewest assaults per capita and the fewest mass shootings during the study’s period from 2024 through September 2026.
At the other end of the overall ranking, Arkansas placed 46th, followed by Florida, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Nationally, Mississippi had the highest traffic fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled — approximately three times Massachusetts’ rate, according to the report.
What the ranking measures
WalletHub assigned different weights to the indicators rather than treating every measure equally. Personal and residential safety accounted for 40% of the overall score; each of the other four categories accounted for 15%.
The report used data from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, FBI, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and other organizations.
Although labeled a 2026 study, the ranking draws on multiple years of information. For example, its climate disaster measures cover 1980 through 2024.
The results reflect WalletHub’s selected measures and weighting system. They provide a statewide comparison rather than an assessment of the safety of an individual Georgia city or neighborhood.
The full rankings and methodology are available in WalletHub’s Safest States in America report.