In relation to natural disasters and crime, Oklahoma is not a very safe place to live, according to a new national study.
Among the 50 states, Oklahoma is ranked No. 44 in terms of overall safety, according to WalletHub.com’s “2019’s Safest States in America.”
“With every new headline about a mass shooting, terrorist attack, hate crime or natural disaster, many of us fear for our safety and that of our loved ones,” the report states. “Just in 2018, the devastating Camp Fire killed 86 people, and hurricanes Florence and Michael took the lives of dozens each. And Louisiana led the U.S. in the homicide rate, averaging 12.4 per 100,000 people. Each state is safe from some dangers but falls prey to others.
“Safety is a basic human need. We require some form of it, such as personal and financial protection, in every part of daily life. But we’re likely to feel more secure in some states than in others.’
Oklahoma was rated:
- No. 31 in personal and residential safety
- No. 33 in financial safety
- No. 33 road safety
- No. 47 in workplace safety
- No. 43 in emergency preparedness.
Oklahoma is next to last (No. 49) in the category of “lowest percentage of adults with rainy-day funds.” West Virginia is No. 50.
Oklahoma is tied with Florida at No. 47 with the “highest share of uninsured population.” Alaska is No. 49 and Texas is No. 50. Massachusetts has the “lowest share of uninsured population.”
WalletHub looked at data from assaults per capita to unemployment rate to total loss amounts from climate disasters per capita.
The rating for Oklahoma were (1 is the safest, 25 is average):
- 37th – Murders and non-negligent anslaughters per capita
- 39th – Assaults per capita
- 38th – Loss amounts from climate disasters per capita
- 20th – Job security
- 40th – Fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 full-time workers
- 34th – Fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel
- 21st – Law-enforcement employees per capita
- 47th – Share of uninsured population
Massachusetts has the “fewest fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel” while South Carolina has the most.
New Jersey has the “most law-enforcement employees per capita” while the State of Washington has the fewest.
Maine has the “fewest assaults per capita” while New Mexico and Alaska are tied for the most.
Hawaii, Iowa, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Vermont and Idaho are all tied for the lowest unemployment rate while Alaska has the highest unemployment rate.
Michigan has the “lowest total loss amount from climate disasters per capita” while Mississippi, North Dakota and Louisiana are all tied for the “highest total amount from climate disasters per capita.”
New Hampshire, New Jersey and Rhode Island are tied for the “fewest fatal occupational injuries per total workers” while North Dakota and Alaska have the “most fatal occupational injuries per total workers.”
When choosing a place to live, how much should safety weigh in consideration?
“Unfortunately, most people remain wildly inaccurate in assessing the risks posed by social factors, like crime,” said Professor Casey T. Harris of The University of Arkansas. “For example, nationwide surveys conducted year after year show that most people believe crime has increased over the past several years or decades (sometimes dramatically) for the country broadly and their own local communities specifically.
“Yet, by nearly every measure, the national crime rate has dropped tremendously since the early-to-mid 1990s and, likewise, most communities today are safer in terms of overall risk per capita than they were in the past.”
Harris blames part of that on the over-dramatization of television and movies. He said some news outlets gravitate toward sensational crime events.
“My own experience teaching students reveals this too: even the most enthusiastic fist-year criminology students often have to overcome preconceived assumptions about how common crime is and where it is more or less likely to take place,” Harris said.
“Overall then, perhaps the best way for people to understand how crime stacks up against other threats (weather, pollution, etc.) is to first understand what crime actually looks like in real life – what types of crime are most common, how common it is today versus the past, where it is most likely to take place, who is most likely to be victimized by it, and why particular types of crime take place.”
What should states, cities and counties do to reduce crime?
“Having worked with state and local policymakers on crime reduction, I always advise that they recognize crime control isn’t ‘one size fits all,’” Harris said. “If research on policing, sentencing, drug policy, or incarceration teaches us anything, its that local contexts matter.
“Learning important lessons about what works in other places certainly can help eliminate bad options or put together a list of good policies to think about, but the larger social, political, and economic fabric of a community matters too.”
For a look at the complete report, visit: