The State of Safety in America 2026

Americans' perceptions of crime and personal safety have become more optimistic over the past year, but what we're worried about remains relatively unchanged. 

While 54% say crime has increased compared to last year, that percentage is actually at its lowest point in years. More stats than ever are saying crime may actually be going down, and Americans are taking notice. Fewer people say they worried about crime in 2025 compared to 2024.

Still, safety is far from a non-issue. Only about half of Americans say they feel safe in their state, and they're gearing up to protect their homes. Nearly 50% of American households now use security cameras, and one in three rely on a full-blown security system.

For the first time since we began tracking protection behaviors, firearms are no longer among the top three methods Americans use to protect their property — but their use increased as a personal protection method.

All of this adds up to an increasingly proactive and confident mindset toward safety, but Americans remain wary of new threats like artificial intelligence. 

Every year, we ask Americans how much they worry about crime and safety, in general. The country has hovered around the 50% mark for years, with nearly half of Americans regularly worrying about safety. This year, 46% of survey respondents expressed a high level of concern about their safety. The most concerned state, Pennsylvania, saw 66% expressing concern, while the least concerned state, South Dakota, saw 30% expressing concern. 

On top of asking people how much they worry about safety every day, we wanted to find out if people feel safe in their state. Nationwide, 52% of Americans feel safe in the state they call home, six percentage points higher than those who regularly worry about crime and safety.

New Hampshire is the state where the highest number of residents (71%) report feeling safe. Unsurprisingly, New Hampshirites ranked toward the bottom (32th place) for the percentage of people who increased their safety and security measures in 2025.

For the second year in a row, New Mexico has the lowest percentage of residents (28%) who report feeling safe. The state ranked 20th for the percentage of people who have increased their safety and security measures. 

Roughly half of Americans report being concerned about safety, consistent with the findings from our 2024 survey. The threat of violence continues to be more concerning than burglary and theft.

One of the most surprising findings is that more Americans believe crime has decreased in the past year compared to 2024. However, the overwhelming majority still believe that crime overall increased in 2025.

In open-ended questions, people mentioned concerns about safety at home, walking/running in their neighborhoods, and on the roads (road rage). We also saw mentions of social issues like political unrest/instability, immigration, and war.

For the second year in a row, cybercrimes topped the list of crime concerns, especially for older adults, who reported increased concern and increased experiences with cybercrime last year. Violent crimes and gun violence are the second-highest concerns, with younger adults (below 55) and women reporting the most concern.

Interestingly, the percentage of Americans who worry about these crimes dropped in 2025 compared to 2024. Property crime and package theft concerns also declined year over year.  

When it comes to social and political issues, the economy remains the biggest concern, with four in five Americans worrying about it. Political unrest/instability and gun control are the next most-concerning issues, with well over half of all respondents expressing concern.

Those who cited political unrest/instability as a top concern were asked follow-up questions to clarify their worries. The top three answers were "misinformation or disinformation influencing public behavior," "threats to democratic processes," and "political polarization." 

Concerns about immigration have decreased since 2024. Now, more people worry about artificial intelligence (54%) than immigration (52%). Religion and gender remain the least worrisome issues for Americans, with fewer than 3 in 10 people expressing concern about either topic.

More than half of Americans reported being more concerned about cybercrime in 2025 than they had been the previous year. Older adults express the highest levels of concern, which makes sense considering they also reported the highest levels of personal experience with cybercrime.

Among all respondents, 27% reported experiencing some form of cybercrime in 2025. That's down from 33% in 2024. Online scams/phishing attacks were most common, but people tend not to worry about these cybercrimes as much as they worry about personal account hacking, identity theft, data breaches, and financial fraud. 

Cyber protection is now mainstream, with nearly three-quarters of respondents relying on at least one method of protection. Two-factor authentication and antivirus software are the most widely used. 

For more information on cybercrime affecting children, check out our Kids Internet Safety Guide.

With recent events like the Los Angeles area fires, Texas floods, and ongoing extreme weather alerts across the country, it's no surprise that Americans are more worried about natural disasters than ever before. More than half of all survey respondents told us they're concerned about extreme weather and natural disasters, which is the highest level of concern we've seen.

Fortunately, higher levels of concern don't correlate to higher evacuation rates. In 2025, only 9% told us they'd been under an evacuation order, which is in line with the findings from our 2024 survey.

This disconnect between rising concern and steady evacuation rates may reflect heightened awareness, more frequent weather warnings, or increased media attention. Whatever the reason, Americans are paying closer attention to the weather — and many are feeling less safe because of it.

As concerns around violence, theft, and cybercrime grow, more Americans are taking action to protect themselves — both at home and on the go. A desire to prevent future incidents is the driving force behind this shift. In fact, preventing a security or safety breach is now the number one reason people are investing in protection, and mentions of that motivation have grown significantly since 2022.

This shift isn’t just about fear — it’s about lived experience. People who’ve already encountered crime, or who feel generally unsafe, were much more likely to have added new protection methods in 2025. That includes everything from upgrading home security systems to carrying personal protection tools.

On the property side, the use of security cameras has jumped meaningfully compared to previous years, and more people are turning to insurance, alarm systems, and other home safety tools to feel more secure. Auto and homeowner’s insurance, along with fire alarms and monitored systems, remain go-to choices for many.

When it comes to personal safety, firearms top the list for the first time in years.  Americans also tend to reach for pocket knives and pepper spray, though preferences vary by gender and household. Men lean more heavily toward firearms and knives, while women are more than two times more likely to carry pepper spray than men. Households with children turn to a wider range of options, from stun guns to safety apps to protective keychains.

All of these points indicate a clear trend: Americans aren’t just more aware of safety issues — they’re increasingly willing to take matters into their own hands to protect themselves.

More Americans are investing in home and personal security, with one in three increasing their security or safety measures in 2025. Still, many Americans (23%) don't have formal protection in place. Security cameras, life insurance, and homeowners' insurance remain top go-to methods.

Security camera use continues to rise, and now nearly half of all Americans rely on security cameras to protect their property. Security system use is also on the rise. Other property protection methods, like guard animals, firearms, and security bars, have held stable in use over the last few years.

Men are more likely than women to protect their property with firearms and security systems, while women are more likely to rely on guard animals. Security cameras are more common in households with children, and people in the South tend to report the highest levels of security camera, guard animal, security system, and firearm use. 

Preventing a future security or safety breach is the number one reason people increased their security methods. Neighborhood crime, family and friend recommendations, and experiencing a safety or security breach are the next most common reasons for adding extra security.

While public concern around safety remains high, the types of crime Americans are actually experiencing paint a more focused picture. Overall, self-reported crime rates were lower in 2025 than in 2024, but some key trends stand out — especially when it comes to theft and digital threats.

Package theft continues to be the most commonly reported crime. After hitting an all-time high in 2024, package theft incidents dropped to the lowest number seen since 2020 — reflecting the findings of our 2025 Package Theft report, where the estimated number of packages stolen decreased for the first time ever. Cybercrime is the second most common type of crime, reported by roughly one in three Americans. Property crime rounds out the top three with an incidence rate of 21%.

In contrast, violent crimes and gun violence are far less frequently experienced but remain some of the most feared. That gap between concern and actual experience likely reflects the severity and unpredictability of those incidents, even if they're statistically less common.

Certain groups are consistently less likely to report experiencing crime. Adults 55 and older — who also tend to feel safer overall — are the least likely to say they've encountered any kind of crime. Households without children also report lower personal experiences with crime across the board.

Interestingly, women were as likely to have experienced violent crime and gun violence as men. The risk of experiencing violence decreased with age, but package theft, cybercrime, and property crime become more common in middle age. Property crime is less common in the Northeast, but there are no meaningful regional differences in other types of crime. 

These are the states with the highest and lowest reported experiences with crime:

Property crimes:

• Alaska, 30%
• Massachusetts, 6%
• U.S. average, 21%

Violent crimes:

• Indiana, 23%
• Kansas, 4%
• U.S. average, 12%

Package theft:

• New York, 45%
• Maine, 16%
• U.S. average, 31%

Gun violence incident:

• Pennsylvania, 22%
• (tie) South Dakota, New Hampshire, Arizona, 3%
• U.S. average, 9%

Cybercrimes:

• Wyoming, 39%
• New Mexico, 18%
• U.S. average, 27%

Nationally, our survey respondents were less likely to have experienced any type of crime in 2025 compared to 2024. Property crime, package theft, and cyber crime saw the most meaningful drops (6 percentage points each). 

Sixteen states matched national trends by reporting year-over-year declines in all types of crime:

No state saw increases across the board, but several came close. Maryland residents, for example, reported increased or stable crime in all categories except package theft, while New Yorkers, North Dakotans, and Pennsylvanians reported increased or stable crime in all categories except property crime.

Here's a quick look at how last year's self-reported crime trends shake out across the country:

• Violent crime: Down in 32 states, up in 14 states, no change in 4 states.
• Gun violence: Down in 36 states, up in 13 states, no change in 1 state.
• Property crime: Down in 42 states, up in 5 states, no change in 3 states.
• Package theft: Down in 42 states, up in 6 states, no change in 2 states.
• Cybercrime: Down in 37 states, up in 11 states, no change in 2 states. 

The State of Safety in America is SafeWise’s annual, nationally representative survey tracking how people in the U.S. perceive, experience, and respond to safety risks.

Each year, we survey at least 5,000 U.S. adults across all 50 states to understand:

• How safe people feel where they live
• What types of crime and safety threats concern them most
• What safety incidents they personally experience
• How they protect themselves, their homes, and their families

The survey has been conducted annually for seven years, allowing SafeWise to analyze long-term trends, year-over-year shifts, and emerging safety concerns.*

Learn more about the data and how we use it below.

Find out more about our State of Safety research on our methodology page.