• WalletHub released a report of the safest states in the US.
• It ranked states based on 52 safety indicators, including work safety and emergency preparedness.
• Louisiana came in last, followed by Mississippi and Texas.

Not all states are equal when it comes to safety.

And while FBI data from 2023 and 2024 indicates declining crime rates nationwide, what it means to be safe these days is not limited to reduced homicides, assaults, and robberies.

Some states feel safer than others due to stronger financial security or how well-prepared they are for natural disasters.

WalletHub released a report in October 2024 ranking the safest states in the US based on 52 factors in five key areas: personal and residential safety, financial safety, road safety, workplace safety, and emergency preparedness.

Each state was given an overall score out of 100 based on its average rating across the five categories, and all the states were then ranked based on these scores. From this list, Business Insider identified the 10 states with the lowest scores to determine the most unsafe states in the US.

The data used in the report was sourced from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, TransUnion, and US Fire Administration, among other sources.

Here are the 10 most unsafe states in the US, according to WalletHub.

10. South Carolina

The Southern state ranked 42nd in personal and residential safety and 46th for road safety in WalletHub's report.

For financial safety and emergency preparedness, it ranked 32nd and 33rd, respectively. The state also has the most fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel.

Despite its poor rankings in most categories, the state did well in workplace safety, ranking 18th out of all states.

According to a September 2024 report by the South Carolina Fraternal Order of Police, the state also saw a 5.8% decrease in violent crime between 2022 and 2023.

9. Georgia

The Peach State is the ninth most unsafe state in the US, according to WalletHub's report.

Georgia ranked 36th on the emergency preparedness scale, third lowest in financial safety, and 19th worst in road safety. It also has the third-highest share of the uninsured population.

However, the state fares better in personal residential and workplace safety, ranking 33rd and 25th, respectively.

8. Colorado

Colorado has maintained its ranking from 2023, retaining the eighth position.

The Centennial State scored poorly in two categories: personal residential safety, where it ranked 44th, and workplace safety, where it was 43rd overall.

According to the Council of Criminal Justice, Colorado Springs had a 56% increase in homicides — the largest jump among other cities in the US — between 2023 and 2024.

However, Colorado excelled in financial safety, ranking 16th, and is near the middle of the pack for emergency preparedness, in the 28th spot.

7. Alabama

Alabama, which ranked sixth in 2023, moved up a spot in 2024.

The state ranks ninth lowest in financial safety among all 50 states and eighth lowest on the emergency preparedness scale. It also ranked 37th overall for workplace safety and 32nd for personal residential safety.

While homicides declined across Alabama in 2024, Birmingham, the second-most populated city, saw a surge in shootings, surpassing 2023's total and nearing an all-time record of 148, last seen in 1933, per AL.com.

In terms of road safety, the state performed slightly better, ranking 26th overall.

6. Oklahoma

Oklahoma moved from seventh in 2023 to the sixth-most unsafe state in the US in 2024.

This is partly due to its weak performance in emergency preparedness, where it ranked 44th, and in road safety, where it ranked 38th.

The state also has the second-highest share of the uninsured population and the fourth-lowest percentage of adults with rainy-day funds alongside Arkansas.

In a separate WalletHub report, the Sooner State was also ranked one of the worst states for women in 2024.

5. Florida

Florida maintained its ranking from 2023.

The Sunshine State ranked the fourth worst state for emergency preparedness and was also in the bottom 10 in the financial (44th), road (41st), and workplace safety (43rd) categories. It performed better in personal residential safety, ranking 35th overall.

NBC 6 reported in September that Miami — among the most popular tourist destinations in Florida — had the highest rate of property crime: 8,557 incidents per 100,000 residents, based on FBI data from 2022.

4. Arkansas

Arkansas ranked the sixth lowest in personal residential and road safety. It was also the fifth-worst state in the US for workplace safety and ranked 36th in financial safety.

The state also has the fourth-most assaults per capita — alongside Tennessee, Alaska, and New Mexico — and the fourth-lowest percentage of adults with rainy-day funds.

3. Texas

WalletHub ranked Texas as the third least safe state to live in the US because of its low road safety and emergency preparedness.

The state has grappled with roadway fatalities in both rural and urban areas. Dallas, for example, experienced 207 traffic fatalities in 2024, an increase from the 205 deaths that were recorded in 2023, according to an analysis of Texas Department of Transportation data by NBC 5 Investigates.

The Lone Star State also has the highest share of the uninsured population.

However, it fared better in workplace safety, ranking 32nd.

2. Mississippi

Mississippi retained its spot as the second most unsafe state in the US.

It's the worst state for road safety and emergency preparedness, ranking 50th in each category. It's also the second worst for workplace safety.

Compared to other states, Mississippi, which has experienced extreme droughts, rising sea levels, and dangerous heat levels in recent years, has the fourth-highest total loss amount from climate disasters per capita. Yet it has a high share of uninsured people and the second-lowest percentage of adults with rainy day funds.

It also has the second most fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel and the third most fatal occupational injuries per total workers.

1. Louisiana

For two years in a row, Louisiana has been the least safe state in the US, according to WalletHub.

The Pelican State continues to be at the bottom of the safety index, partly because it is the second-least safe regarding road safety and on the emergency preparedness scale. It is also the 11th worst in personal residential and workplace safety.

Positioned 33rd, it fared relatively better in road safety rankings.

Although it has the highest number of law enforcement employees per capita — a position it shares with Wyoming and New Jersey — Louisiana has the fifth-most assaults per capita.

Along with Mississippi and the Dakotas, the state ranked 47th for having one of the highest total per capita losses from climate disasters.

A critical moment prompted a high school basketball player in Oklahoma to put aside competition. When Randy Vitales, 16, went into cardiac arrest in the opening minutes of a basketball game Jan. 9, Magnus Miller rushed to his aid.

According to Oklahoma City news station KOCO-5, Dover High School was competing against Life Christian Academy in Orlando, Oklahoma, when Vitales collapsed about three minutes into the game. Dover coaches determined Vitales did not have a pulse, according to King Fisher Press.

Miller reportedly had undergone lifeguard training and used an automated external defibrillator to help Vitales. The high school student also took the lead in performing CPR.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Once Vitales' heartbeat was restored, CPR was administered until medical personnel made it to the gymnasium.

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The Guthrie Fire Department credited Miller for his actions, telling KOCO-5 the student-athlete "without a shadow of a doubt" saved his opponent's life.

Miller said there was no hesitation once he became aware of the situation. 

"I didn’t have any second thoughts about it," the 18-year-old told the news outlet. "I just jumped in and took control."

Miller admitted that being described as a lifesaver was somewhat unsettling.

"It’s weird hearing someone say you saved their life," Miller said. "But it wasn’t really me. It was God just being there for me and him. Obviously, I didn’t go there to play basketball that day."

Dover Public Schools previously confirmed Vitales was transported to an Oklahoma City hospital and eventually placed in the intensive care unit (ICU). Once Vitales was admitted, doctors said an abnormal heartbeat caused the cardiac arrest.

"Randy is undergoing several tests and will be moved to ICU," a statement released Jan. 9 said. "Doctors did say that the quick response by our coaches and the training they received is probably what saved his life. Counselors and some area pastors were at the school when our teams returned to talk and pray with our students."

The Oklahoman reported Vitales was breathing without the assistance of a ventilator as of Jan. 11.

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FIRST ON FOX: The state of Oklahoma is suing to hold the Biden administration accountable for unleashing "massive chaos" on the public school system in the state through four years of open border policies.

The suit, launched by the Oklahoma State Department of Education and Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, targets President Biden’s Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. It demands the Biden administration refund Oklahoma for the approximately $470 million it had to spend on educating thousands of illegal immigrant children over the last four years.

Walters, who filed the suit in the Western District Court of Oklahoma today, told Fox News Digital that public schools are "overrun with illegal immigrants" who are stretching the system’s resources thin and limiting opportunities for the children of taxpaying citizens.

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According to data gathered by the Oklahoma State Department of Education, the state spends approximately $11,000 per student annually, and the number of unaccompanied migrant children placed in the state is nearly 3,000. 

Walters said that Oklahoma schools are struggling to provide adequate resources for immigrant children, such as certified teachers for students with limited English proficiency, transportation and individualized education plans, and that these challenges have a long-term impact on school budgets and the quality of education for all students in the state.

"It truly is chaos in the school system. And who's suffering here? It's the students," said Walters. "Joe Biden and Kamala Harris did this intentionally, and we've got students caught in the crossfire here. We have got to protect them, and we've got to get our states back on track in educating our kids."

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Though President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office next week, he said that Oklahoma taxpayers are still being saddled with the costs of the Biden administration’s failed border policies.

He pointed to an NBC interview with outgoing ICE Director P.J. Lechleitner, who said the Biden administration "absolutely" should have acted sooner to shut down the border. 

Walters said, "They knew it was happening, and they didn't do anything about it."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

"Last week we had Joe Biden's top ICE director admit that they allowed this to happen, that they allowed the law to be broken … and frankly, they're crystal clear these orders came from the top, they came from Joe Biden and the border czar Kamala Harris," he said. "We cannot just allow them to skate off into the sunset and say, ‘President Trump, here you go, states, sorry, we just caused this massive chaos across your schools, across your state, into your communities.’ Those individuals have to be held accountable for the chaos they brought to our kids and our families. And that's what this lawsuit will do."

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Walters called on other states to join Oklahoma’s suit against the Biden administration, saying that "every state has to get a grasp of what illegal immigration has done to their school system, has done to their states."

"This is the future we're talking about; we're trying to get education back on track," he said.  

"This is how you change this trajectory. This is how you get the Trump administration the support that they need by holding the current administration accountable, getting this data, getting this information," he went on, concluding: "In Oklahoma, we're not going to tolerate Kamala Harris and Joe Biden allowing our schools to be overrun with illegal immigrants and with this lawsuit, we will hold them accountable to the taxpayers of the state of Oklahoma."

EXCLUSIVE: Oklahoma’s 2025 school-year curriculum will look markedly different after major adjustments are made to eschew "woke garbage" while making sure students learn all aspects of complex figures like Thomas Jefferson and Donald Trump, and issues like the BLM and Capitol riots.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters said Wednesday his state is "taking the lead" on a "direct rejection" of politicizing influences on the curriculum like teachers' unions and activist educators.

"What we are not going to allow is these radical teachers' unions to push lies in the classroom. That's not how we're going to teach."

Walters said school curricula are set every six years, and that he plans to hold schools accountable by withholding accreditation from any institutions that don’t follow suit.

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He suggested the new rules are an extension of Oklahoma’s previous push to return the Bible to the classroom as an "important historical document" that shaped America’s founding – in that it is important to similarly give students a fuller perspective on landmark events and figures throughout the rest of U.S. history.

"We are driving out this woke indoctrination and woke nonsense that has been injected into the classroom by undermining Republican presidents and American exceptionalism," he said.

"So our kids are going to know America is a great country. They're not going to be taught to hate this country. They're going to be taught to love this country and a patriotism to come from the principles that our country was founded in our history."

Giving the example of former President Ronald Reagan in the last generation’s education, and how some curricula focused more on shortcomings during Iran-Contra and Col. Oliver North's hearings, Walters said he will not tolerate educators "maligning" President-elect Trump in the same way.

"You're not going to come in and teach President Trump wanted an insurrection on Jan. 6 [2021]. We're not going to allow it. We will be crystal clear on what President Trump's victories were in the White House," he said.

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Similarly, the new curriculum will take a broader look at Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter and the repercussions of coronavirus lockdowns.

He cited a recent clip he saw of a student stating that the only thing they knew about Thomas Jefferson was that he was a slaveholder, and did not know he was a president or the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.

"And so we will drive these lies out of the classrooms and get back to an understanding of American greatness throughout our history," he said, noting that Oklahoma will teach "the good with the bad."

Walters was asked how the curriculum would teach COVID-19 lockdown history, given how states like Pennsylvania, New York and Hawaii were confident their zero-tolerance edicts were the right response, just as much as Florida believed its less restrictive response was right.

"I don't care to appease the left or make them happy. We're going to teach facts. We're going to stick to accurate history here. And they can be offended by that," Walters said.

"It is not debatable. Rights were taken from individuals during COVID. That's not debatable. It's also not debatable that lockdowns hurt kids. Lockdowns hurt families and businesses," he said, adding that current curriculum often glosses over that argument and offers only a more proverbially-northeastern view of the COVID years.

"We are ultimately going to let [students] come to their own conclusions," Walters said of the curriculum writ-large.

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U.S. history is strewn with successes and failures on all sides, he said, adding that the most responsible way to prepare the next generation to lead the country is to instill in them the widest view of its history and law possible.

"The left wants to browbeat kids into believing to hate their country, while conservatives, we just want history taught, and show that America is the greatest country in the history of the world."

"It will show you what policies work, what policies don't work. A kid should come to their own conclusions. That’s why every state has to look at their [civics curriculum] standards."

Fox News Digital also reached out to union leader Randi Weingarten via the AFT for comment on the general tenor of partially blaming teachers unions for purportedly slanted curricula.

Oklahoma will consider a new measure to make the role of school district superintendent an elected position in response to a spate of controversial situations involving scholastic leaders, Fox News Digital has learned.

There have been allegations and news reports about several issues: the refusal to remove "pornographic books" from school libraries, the dismissal of a teacher for failure to comply with a COVID-19 face mask mandate, and media coverage of "nothing [being] done" in response to reports a school football coach was bragging about sexual conquests with parents.

In 2021, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt called firings of mask-averse teachers "preposterous" and said their talents are needed more than ever.

"This is about a school district not following state law — this isn’t a debate about masks," he said, after the Oklahoma City district reportedly fired multiple educators, adding the state previously banned such firings.

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In February, Oklahoma State Superintendent of Schools Ryan Walters — who is an elected official himself — threatened to lower the accreditation of Edmond, Oklahoma, schools if it didn’t remove the books "The Glass Castle" and "Kite Runner" from its high school libraries.

Walters called the inaction "subversion of accountability," though Edmond’s superintendent said the state lacked authority to remove the books based on a 1997 district policy.

In another case, in Edmond, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz from neighboring Texas, among others, blasted videos showing a portion of a school fundraiser wherein students were licking each other's toes. 

In a public statement, school officials appeared to celebrate the event:

"This afternoon, Deer Creek High School announced a grand total of $152,830.38 raised for Not Your Average Joe Coffee, an organization created to 'inspire our community by including students and adults with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities," school staff wrote. 

"All participants in the assembly were students who signed up for the game(s) they played ahead of time. No Deer Creek faculty or staff participated in any of the games during this Clash of Classes assembly," a portion of the latter part of the statement read.

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Walters called the fundraiser "filth," and Cruz said it was "child abuse."

In another district on the Arkansas line, now-former Muldrow Superintendent Leon Ashlock resigned after driving drunk and crashing a school vehicle on Creek Turnpike. Two 100-proof bottles of cinnamon schnapps were found in its console, according to KOCO.

Walters told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that a case involving a school’s response to an athletic director’s criminal exploits with a student also drew his attention.

"Even in a conservative state like Oklahoma, where voters have overwhelmingly made clear they want the radical progressive policies of the left out of public schools, we continually see superintendents defying their will, ignoring their concerns, and refusing to take action necessary to improve education outcomes while protecting Oklahoma children," Walters said.

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"This has to end."

"And, the best way to do that is by requiring superintendents to be elected by the voters."

Walters called the legislation a common-sense solution to efforts to improve education for Sooner State children.

Walters previously made headlines when he led his state in becoming the first to appropriate funding toward supplying a Bible to each school. The official said the move blunts "woke curricula" and provides students a "historical document" that the founders used to form their government.

Fred Harris, a self-described populist Democrat from Oklahoma who served eight years in the U.S. Senate before an unsuccessful campaign for president in 1976, has died. He was 94.

Harris’ wife, Margaret Elliston, confirmed his death to the Associated Press in a text message on Saturday, writing: "Fred Harris passed peacefully early this morning of natural causes. He was 94. He was a wonderful and beloved man. His memory is a blessing."

Harris, who was living in New Mexico, died in a hospital in Albuquerque, Elliston told The New York Times.

Harris first served for eight years in the Oklahoma State Senate after winning election in 1956. He then launched his career in national politics in 1964 when he won a Senate race to fill the vacancy left by Sen. Robert S. Kerr, who died in January 1963.

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"I’ve always called myself a populist or progressive," Harris said in a 1998 interview. "I’m against concentrated power. I don’t like the power of money in politics. I think we ought to have programs for the middle class and working class."

As a U.S. senator, Harris was a member of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, the so-called Kerner Commission, appointed by then-President Lyndon Johnson to investigate the urban riots of the late 1960s.

The commission released its report in 1968, declaring, "our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white — separate and unequal."

Thirty years later, Harris co-wrote a report that concluded the commission’s "prophecy has come to pass," stating that "the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer and minorities are suffering disproportionately."

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In 1976, Harris ran a failed bid to earn the Democratic presidential nomination, bowing out of the race after poor showings in early contests. The more moderate Jimmy Carter went on to win the presidency.

Harris moved to New Mexico that year and became a political science professor at the University of New Mexico. He wrote and edited more than a dozen books, mostly on politics and Congress. In 1999, he broadened his writings with a mystery set in Depression-era Oklahoma.

Harris was born Nov. 13, 1930, in a two-room farmhouse near Walters, in southwestern Oklahoma. The home had no electricity, indoor toilet or running water. He worked on the farm starting at age 5, driving a horse in circles to supply a hay bailer with power – earning 10 cents a day.

He later worked part-time as a janitor and printer’s assistant to help pay for his education at the University of Oklahoma, where he earned a law degree in 1954. He practiced law in Lawton before beginning his career in politics.

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Harris married his high school sweetheart, LaDonna Vita Crawford, in 1949, and had three children, Kathryn, Byron and Laura. After the couple divorced, Harris married Margaret Elliston in 1983. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Oklahoma's Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt says his state is creating a plan to deport criminal illegal immigrants who are in custody in state prisons, in a boost to President-elect Trump’s proposal to conduct a mass deportation operation next year.

Stitt announced that he is directing the state’s commissioner of public safety to lead the effort to expel inmates in Oklahoma prisons who are in the country illegally, by creating a plan to deal with them. That plan will be delivered by January, and the state says it will consult with the Trump transition team and incoming administration to implement it.

Stitt downplayed the complexity of the effort, saying it was "common sense and restoring Oklahoma to the rule of law," while speaking to Fox News Digital.

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"So these are people that are here illegally, that have committed crimes, and we want to make sure that they're not burdensome to the taxpayers of the state of Oklahoma," he said.

The state says there are more than 500 criminal illegal immigrants in Oklahoma’s correctional facilities, and it costs taxpayers $36,000 a day to house them. 

Trump has promised to launch the operation next year, sparking opposition from some Democrats in "sanctuary" jurisdictions and elsewhere. His incoming border czar, Tom Homan, has said the priority will be public safety and national security threats, but no one is off the table.

Stitt said he is surprised by the opposition from some Democrats, given the focus is on removing criminals from the country.

"What's amazing to me is you have some Democrat governors that are now talking about not supporting President Trump, and I don't think they learned anything from the election, that the American people want safe communities, and we want to have strong borders," he said.

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"When you think about someone that's here illegally, that's breaking the law, that's pushing fentanyl, or they have been convicted of rape or burglary, and they're not U.S. citizens, and they're here illegally. I don't know who could argue with me on ‘We want to make sure that those people are out of our country and not allowed to return,’" he said.

Oklahoma isn’t a border state, but Stitt says it has still been affected like every other state by the historic crisis at the southern border. He said fentanyl deaths are up 500% since he took office. He also noted the recent foiled Election Day terror plot; the suspect was living in Oklahoma.

Stitt stressed that he isn’t against immigration more broadly.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

"If you're at the University of Oklahoma on a education visa, we certainly want to be able to convert that to a workforce visa if we have an employer that needs that job, and if you want to chase the American dream, if you want to be part of paying taxes, part of our society, then we absolutely want to work that angle as well," he said.

He said there is now optimism in the U.S., and he believes there is enthusiasm about the prospect of being able to make communities safer across the U.S.

"I think the American people have spoken loud and clear with Trump's victory that they believe in safe communities. And so I think it's, I think it's just the right thing to do, and I'm excited about some of the Cabinet picks that President Trump has put in place, and it's going to be, it's going to be a fresh day for America," he said.