Safety score
Deaths from violence and injury (guns, crashes and overdoses), flipped so higher is safer. Homicide, suicide, drunk-driving and total injury deaths are left out, since they would count the same deaths twice. Gun deaths already include most homicides and suicides, and injury deaths include all four.
Reported for2,086areas, in 51 states — none in PR
Link to density0.44not mostly about how urban a place is
Nearby places alike0.48Moran’s I: strongly, neighbouring places tend to be similar
Typeratestandard deviations
How it has moved
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Every state, every year
One row per state and one column per year, sorted by the latest value. It shows states, not counties: nobody can scan 3,222 rows, and the pattern only shows when it all fits on one screen.
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Where it comes from
· derived from 4 measures (BRFSS, CHR)
The average of 4 measures from 2 publishers. Each measure is first put on a common scale: how many typical gaps between places (standard deviations) it sits above or below the average. Each is also flipped where needed, so higher is always better. Measures from the same publisher are averaged first, then the publishers are averaged together. Each level is scaled on its own. A county's score shows where it stands among counties, and a state's shows where it stands among states. The two are not on one scale, so do not compare them with each other. This is a summary, not a measurement.
Combining areas: it cannot be combined, so it is shown only where its publisher works it out.
What it goes with
The strongest links that have a page of their own. Unadjusted is the link before adjusting for anything, from −1 (opposite) to +1 (in step). Adjusted compares places with the same population density, income and education levels, so those differences can’t explain the link. This list leaves out the 11 pairs built from the same numbers or the same model as this measure, since they are bound to match.
| Measure | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Safety score and Years of potential life lostWhere Safety score is higher, Years of potential life lost tends to be lower: a strong link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Years of potential life lost by US county | -0.85 | -0.75 |
| Safety score and Premature mortalityWhere Safety score is higher, Premature mortality tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Premature mortality by US county | -0.80 | -0.67 |
| Safety score and Life expectancyWhere Safety score is higher, Life expectancy tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Life expectancy by US county | +0.78 | +0.64 |
| Safety score and Health scoreWhere Safety score is higher, Health score tends to be higher: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Health score by US county | +0.76 | +0.59 |
| Safety score and Child mortalityWhere Safety score is higher, Child mortality tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Child mortality by US county | -0.73 | -0.56 |
| Safety score and Threat of utility shut-offWhere Safety score is higher, Threat of utility shut-off tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Threat of utility shut-off by US county | -0.71 | -0.51 |
| Safety score and Lack of reliable transportationWhere Safety score is higher, Lack of reliable transportation tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Lack of reliable transportation by US county | -0.69 | -0.46 |
| Safety score and StrokeWhere Safety score is higher, Stroke tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Stroke by US county | -0.70 | -0.46 |
| Safety score and Independent-living disabilityWhere Safety score is higher, Independent-living disability tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Independent-living disability by US county | -0.71 | -0.45 |
| Safety score and Food insecurityWhere Safety score is higher, Food insecurity tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Food insecurity by US county | -0.67 | -0.43 |
Population makeup
How this measure varies with the racial and ethnic makeup of counties. Every group is shown, whatever its rank. These are links across counties: they describe places, not people. They say nothing about any person’s risk or behaviour based on their race. Counties with a larger share of one group also differ in much else, such as income, segregation, region and history. The adjusted figure only accounts for density, income and education.
| Share of residents | Unadjusted | Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Safety score and Share White, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share White, not Hispanic by US county | +0.14 | +0.21 |
| Safety score and Share Black, not HispanicWhere Safety score is higher, Share Black, not Hispanic tends to be lower: a moderate link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared, and inside states as well. Share Black, not Hispanic by US county | -0.46 | -0.41 |
| Safety score and Share Hispanic or Latino, any raceCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Hispanic or Latino, any race by US county | +0.17 | +0.12 |
| Safety score and Share Asian, not HispanicCould easily be chance once only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share Asian, not Hispanic by US county | +0.33 | -0.00 |
| Safety score and Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not HispanicWhere Safety score is higher, Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not Hispanic tends to be lower: a weak link that holds when only places with similar density, income and education are compared. Share American Indian or Alaska Native, not Hispanic by US county | -0.38 | -0.30 |
Highest and lowest
Of 2,086 counties reporting it. These are the two ends of a national ranking. For most measures, that ranking mostly sorts places by income and how urban they are. That is why the place pages compare each place with similar places instead.
Highest
- Arlington County, VA — 1.4
- Loudoun County, VA — 1.39
- Madison County, ID — 1.38
- Story County, IA — 1.29
- Fairfax County, VA — 1.29
Lowest
- Big Horn County, MT — -5.15
- Phillips County, AR — -4.96
- Todd County, SD — -4.82
- Oglala Lakota County, SD — -4.61
- Wilcox County, AL — -4.61
The middle area reports -0.186. The middle half of counties falls between -0.727 and 0.317 (the 25th to 75th percentile).
All measures · Explore its pairs · How the US county data works