Report: WA drops in safest state rankings due to high crime, dearth of cops

(The Center Square) – Washington state ranks No. 18 in WalletHub’s “Safest States in America” report, down six places from last year’s report.

The personal finance company’s rankings are based on several categories, from property crime to financial safety to emergency preparedness and unemployment.

The Evergreen State ranks high in workplace safety and emergency preparedness, coming in at Nos. 11 and 7, respectively.

Low rankings in personal and residential safety, road safety, and unemployment tanked Washington's overall standings. 

WalletHub looked at public safety data that includes mass shootings, rape, assault, theft, sex offenses, overdose deaths, law enforcement numbers, suicide rates and hate crimes, among other categories.

“Washington is 50th [last] in deaths per capita and 50th in law enforcement employees per capita,” WalletHub writer and analyst Chip Lupa told The Center Square. “Washington is also 44th in EMTs and paramedics per capita.”

The state’s lack of police officers and a high crime rate have become issues in this year’s gubernatorial contest between state Attorney General Bob Ferguson and former King County Sheriff Dave Reichert.

“Washington was 40th in percentage of uninsured drivers,” Lupo noted. “You’re 47th in road quality, 24th in vehicle fatalities, and 33rd in DUI’s per capita, so 30th overall in road safety.”

According to AutoInsurance.com, Washington has the second highest car theft in the nation, behind Colorado.

While Washington scores well in emergency preparedness, it doesn’t fare well in terms of workplace illness.

“There’s little risk for things like hurricanes, and there’s not as much financial loss from that,” Lupo said, noting Washington is considered earthquake territory.

The Nisqually earthquake of Feb. 28, 2001, measured 6.8 on the Richter magnitude scale and caused at least $2 billion in damage, but experts say the region is overdue for a much larger quake that would be exponentially more destructive.

“Washington was 41st for injuries and illnesses per 10,000 full-time workers, so a lot of people are taking time off,” Lupa said, pointing out that states with higher percentages of unionized workers tend to have higher rates of reported illness and injury on the job.

Washington’s workforce is 16.5% unionized, based on 2023 statistics. That is the third highest union worker rate in the country. 

Unemployment rates were also considered in the WalletHub survey and Washington did not score well compared to the rest of the country. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington ranked 45th in the nation for the month of August with an unemployment rate of 4.8%.

According to the WalletHub study, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and Utah are the five safest states in the country.

The five less safe states in the nation are Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas and Florida.