5 New England states have smallest rate of violent crime, new data shows

Five New England states among others were revealed to have the lowest rate of violent crime, according to the FBI Crime Data Explorer. On average, across the US, 398.5 crimes were committed per 100,000 people in 2020.

Maine ranks as the state with the lowest violent crime per 100,000 people, according to research conducted by criminal law experts at Vela Law or jorgevelalaw.com.

In Maine, in 2020, 108.5 violent crimes were committed per 100,000 people. This is nearly four times less than the national average.

New Hampshire comes in second with the lowest violent crime rating, with 146.3 violent crimes per 100,000 people.

Vermont ranks third in the US, with 173.4 violent crimes having been reported per 100,000 people, 225.1 less than the national average.

Connecticut places fourth among all states, having experienced 181.5 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2020.

Seventh on the list is Rhode Island with 540.7 violent crimes per 100,000 people.

Violent crime constitutes murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program says.

A spokesperson for Vela Law commented on the findings: “There is a considerable difference between the rates of recorded violent crime between the states that feature at the top and bottom of this list. The statistics show that more than 1.3 million violent crimes were committed over one year, while on average during 2020 in the US there were 398.5 crimes for every 100,000 people.”

New Jersey, Virginia, Wyoming, Idaho, and Hawaii were among other states rated with the lowest violent crimes per year.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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