Colorado ranks among least safe states, again: Data report

DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado has once again been ranked as one of the least safe states in the nation, according to a recent WalletHub data report.

The personal finance website conducted the study using data for each state, focusing on data points that indicate how safe an area is, such as the frequency of violent events like shootings, how many drivers are insured, hate crime incidents and bullying, unemployment rates, how many first responders and law enforcement are available and others data points.

The Safest States in America in 2025, according to the study, are Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Utah. The least safe states were found to be Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Florida and Arkansas.

This year, Colorado ranked at No. 44, or 7th least safe in the U.S. The state also ranked 7th worst in the same study last year, and earlier this year, the state ranked among the least safe when it comes to public education.

Researchers looked at five main categories; personal and residential safety, financial safety, road safety, workplace safety and emergency preparedness, and graded each of 52 metrics on a 100-point scale to determine rankings.

Here are some notable rankings:

• No. 24 – Murders & Non-Negligent Manslaughters per Capita
• No. 42 – Assaults per Capita
• No. 34 – Loss Amounts from Climate Disasters per Capita
• No. 46 – Job Security
• No. 29 – Fatalities per 100 Million Vehicle Miles of Travel
• No. 16 – Law-Enforcement Employees per Capita
• No. 25 – Bullying Incidence Rate
• No. 31 – Sex Offenders per Capita
• No. 28 – Share of Uninsured Population

WalletHub shared data behind the rankings with FOX31.

“Colorado ranks 44th overall for safety in 2025, which indicates that while it performs well in some financial areas, it faces serious challenges in both physical and personal safety,” writer and analyst Chip Lupo said in a statement to FOX31.

Lupo said the state’s crime and violence weighed heavily on its overall score, particularly in these areas:

• Forcible rapes: No. 46 with 58.31 per capita
• Assaults: No. 42 with 350.52 per capita
• Theft: No. 49 with 26.56 per capita
• Suicide rate: No. 43

Most of the data points around traffic, such as DUIs per capita and fatalities on the road, yielded average results except when it comes to uninsured drivers, the study found that 19.7% are uninsured, earning the state a No. 43 rank in that metric.

“Road safety is another area of concern, with a high rate of uninsured drivers (43rd) and middling road conditions (36th). While Colorado performs decently in workplace safety, ranking 12th for fatal occupational injuries, its overall safety picture remains mixed, reflecting a state with strong financial foundations but significant challenges in crime prevention, mental health, and road safety,” Lupo said.

The Centennial State fared best in categories that had to do with finances, with one of the lowest poverty rates, a high median credit score and low share of unbanked households. Lupo said this shows that residents are financially responsible.

“However, slow job growth (48th) and weak job security (46th) are signs of underlying economic instability that could threaten the state’s financial safety over time,” Lupo said.

• Poverty rate: No. 5 at 9.4%
• Median credit score: No. 10 at 738
• Share of adults with rainy-day funds: No. 11 at 49%
• Share of unbanked households: No. 3 with 1.1%

Most surrounding states fared better than Colorado, with Utah at No. 5, Wyoming at No. 10, Nebraska at No. 32 and Kansas at No. 33.