Why This US State Is Considered The Most Dangerous To Live In For 2025
The US population continues to grow, but not in every state. Some states are losing people, who've chosen to move elsewhere for a number of reasons, such as jobs, schools, or retirement. One key factor leading to negative population change is safety. It's no wonder then, that Louisiana has lost population every year in the recent past. According to WalletHub, it's the most dangerous state to live in. The study ranked every state under five categories that go beyond crime statistics: personal and residential safety, financial safety, road safety, workplace safety, and emergency preparedness.
Louisiana is a lovely state, with over 42 million Americans and nearly 400,000 overseas visitors attracted to its historic cities and homes, its centuries of diverse cultures, and oaks that are among the most amazing in the world. As the birthplace of jazz, Cajun, and zydeco, it's a mecca for music lovers. From gumbo to beignets, its cuisine is unique in America. Its bayous, swamps, and the majestic Mississippi are an outdoor person's paradise. And Mardi Gras is celebrated in New Orleans like nowhere else in the world. But the state is poor, rates of violence are high, it is highly susceptible to natural disasters, and it's one of the few states where you might find alligators on your property. When it comes to your safety, Louisiana is at the bottom of the list.
Why Louisiana ranks last in safety
Many factors go into measuring safety, but violent crime probably comes to mind first. In 2025, Louisiana was second only to tiny Delaware in the number of school shooting incidents per 100,000 residents, according to data from the World Population Review. The rate of mass shootings, murders, assaults, sexual violence, drug abuse, bullying, hate crimes, elder abuse, and suicide are also important factors when it comes to personal safety. Louisiana wasn't the worst state to live in for personal safety (Alaska was), but it still ranked only 38th out of the 50 states.
Where Louisiana really failed was in financial safety and emergency preparedness. Louisiana consistently ranks among the ten poorest states in terms of per capita income, according to Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The WalletHub survey calculated the financial safety of each state's residents by looking at poverty and unemployment rates, the rate of uninsured people, foreclosure rates, credit scores, average debt, bankruptcies, energy bills, and other financial data. Alas, Louisiana came in last.
It's no surprise that a state with low financial safety doesn't have the financial resources to invest in emergency preparedness, a category in which Louisiana ranked 49th. Emergency preparedness not only includes the number of law enforcement, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians available, but also the ability to quickly respond to major climate disasters. This plays a large role in the low ranking of Louisiana, which has seen more than its share of hurricanes and floods. There are ways to prepare your home for tropical storms and hurricanes, but if you lack the financial means to protect yourself, it's tough when the state also lacks the resources to keep you safe.