Here is rest of the top 10 along with a listing of how the rest of the states ranked.
#(7) Maine
Has the second lowest violent crime rate in the US, has one of the strongest booster seat laws in the country.
#(8) Pennsylvania
Has excellent emergency care for kids, the highest number of state troopers allowed by law, has the fewest registered sex offenders per capita of any state, makes it illegal to leave a child under the age of six alone for even a few minutes.
#(9) New Hampshire
Has a special unit that addresses child abuse, has strengthened punishment for crimes against children.
#(10) California
Has the fewest injuries that require medical treatment for kids under the age of 5, one of four states that require fences around swimming pools, all bicycle riders under the age of 18 must wear a helmet, was one of the first states to require the use of helmets when riding scooters, in-lining skating or skateboarding.
Did your state make the top ten? If not, want to know how you ranked? Here’s how the rest of the states did:
#(11) Vermont
#(12) Maryland
#(13) North Dakota
#(14) Indiana
#(15) West Virginia
#(16) Oregon
#(17) Hawaii
#(18) Delaware
#(19) Virginia
#(20) Wisconsin
#(21) Colorado
#(22) North Carolina
#(23) Washington
#(24) Ohio
#(25) Iowa
#(26) Missouri
#(27) Nebraska
#(28) Florida
#(29) Georgia
#(30) Idaho
#(31) Montana
#(32) Kansas
#(33) Oklahoma
#(34) Tennessee
#(35) Minnesota
#(36) Kentucky
#(37) Wyoming
#(38) Michigan
#(39) Texas
#(40) Nevada
#(41) South Carolina
#(42) Utah
#(43) New Mexico
#(44) South Dakota
#(45) Louisiana
#(46) Arkansas
#(47) Alabama
#(48) Arizona
#(49) Alaska
#(50) Mississippi
I was surprised by some of the findings. Some states that I thought had a lower violent crime rate actually had higher rates, for instance ,Tennessee and Florida were among the worse. Alaska, Utah and Montana were among the states with the highest sex offenders per capita. Surprisingly, Utah has no booster seat requirements! 46 states don’t require fences around swimming pools and 30 don’t require kids to wear helmets while riding their bikes.
For the study, 55 criteria was examined including crime rates, child-injury rates, booster seat requirements and protection from sex offenders. It took a full six months to complete the research and to come up with the top ten.
See also:
Safest States To Raise Kids, Part Two