BOSTON — New England is gaining recognition as a desirable place to live, with several cities across the region earning strong marks in a new ranking of America’s safest cities.
WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 41 safety measures in its 2026 Safest Cities in America report, including traffic fatalities, assaults, unemployment, and the percentage of residents without health insurance.
Warwick, Rhode Island, ranked No. 2 in the country, making it the highest-ranked New England city on the list. Only Juneau, Alaska, ranked higher.
Massachusetts also placed multiple cities in the upper ranks. Boston ranked as Massachusetts’ safest city at No. 38 nationally, while Worcester ranked No. 63.
In New Hampshire, Manchester ranked No. 61.
WalletHub says its rankings take a broader view of safety than crime alone. The study considers threats to physical safety and property as well as financial factors such as unemployment, insurance coverage, fraud and identity theft.
Other New England cities performed especially well. Burlington, Vermont, ranked No. 4, while South Burlington ranked No. 5, giving the region three cities among the nation’s five safest.
Juneau took the top spot nationally. WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said the Alaska capital benefited in part from having the study’s lowest murder and pedestrian fatality rates, along with a relatively high median credit score.
At the opposite end of WalletHub’s rankings, New Orleans finished last at No. 182, followed by Baton Rouge at No. 181 and Baltimore at No. 180.
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