These are the safest states in the US — and California is definitely not one of them

California may look like paradise — but new data says otherwise.

In a new ranking of US states rated from safest to most dangerous, the Golden State ranked well below average at No. 39.

Compiled by the data wizards at WalletHub, the list took five factors into consideration — personal & residential safety, financial safety, road safety, workplace safety, and emergency preparedness.

Singling out personal and residential safety, California plummets straight to the bottom, occuping the No. 48 slot — ahead of only three other west coast states: Oregon, Nevada, Alaska.

The list also ranked California as the worst state for the financial security of the unemployed.

“The safest states in America protect their residents from harm in a multitude of different ways, from keeping crime rates low and maintaining safe roadways to having strong economies and job markets that prevent people from falling into dangerous financial situations, said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo.

“They have high levels of occupational safety and disaster preparedness, too. In addition, states are made safer by efforts that individual residents take, such as forming a neighborhood watch or working in firefighting and EMT jobs at high rates,” he explained.

Other west coast states faired better than California on the overall ranking — with Washington coming in at No. 13 and Oregon ranking No. 24. Arizona ranked No. 14 on the list, while Arizona came in at No. 31. The best performing state west of the Rockies was Utah, at No. 6.

A separate SmartAsset study from earlier this year found that California is home to some of the most dangerous cities in the country.

That report revealed that Oakland has the country’s second-highest crime rate at at 19.3 incidents per 1,000 residents. San Francisco and Stockton tied for the highest traffic fatality rate in the study at 18.5 deaths per 100,000 residents.

Way across the country, New England dominated WalletHub’s list of safest states — making up the top five. Vermont came in at number one, followed by Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.

According to the survey, 76% of Vermont parents believe they live in safe neighborhoods. The state also has the 15th-fewest by number one aggravated assaults, sixth-fewest murders and non-negligent manslaughters, and 21st-fewest thefts per capita in the country.

Massachusetts, the country’s second safest state, boasts the eighth-fewest thefts, and fourth-fewest murders and manslaughters per capita.

The study used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, TransUnion, U.S. Fire Administration, Administration for Community Living – AGing Integrated Database and more.

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