Not a good look: Stats give South Carolina a dangerous rep

A new aggregation of economic, crime and transportation data shows that South Carolina is kind of a dangerous place to live.

The personal finance website Wallethub used 37 collections of publicly available data to create a safety index for states based on ranks for personal, financial, transportation, workplace and emergency safety.

And South Carolina did not do well.

The Palmetto State overall was ranked 47th, pulled down by particularly bad scores for personal and residential safety (49th out of 50) and road safety (47th). The state did a little better for financial safety, although still in the lower half of states at 28th. It did best in workplace safety, where it ranked 21st. In some particular subcategories provided by Wallethub, here is how South Carolina ranked:

▪ 46th – Murders & Non-Negligent Manslaughters per Capita

▪ 44th – Assaults per Capita

▪ 38th – Total Loss Amounts from Climate Disasters per Capita

▪ 44th – Fatal Occupational Injuries per 100,000 Full-Time Workers

▪ 50th – Fatalities per 100 Million Vehicle Miles of Travel

▪ 18th – Law-Enforcement Employees per Capita

▪ 16th – Bullying Incidence Rate

▪ 37th – Sex Offenders per Capita

▪ 37th – Share of Population Lacking Health Insurance

This interactive map shows at a glance how states compare with each other. The full state-by-state table follows.

Scroll to the bottom for a complete description of which measurements Wallethub used in its analysis and how much weight was given to each.

Safest states in America

Methodology

In order to determine the safest states in which to live, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states across five key dimensions: 1) Personal & Residential Safety, 2) Financial Safety, 3) Road Safety, 4) Workplace Safety, and 5) Emergency Preparedness.

They evaluated those dimensions using 37 metrics, listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of safety.

They then calculated the total score for each state based on its weighted average across all metrics and used the resulting scores to construct a final ranking.

Personal & Residential Safety - Total Points: 40

Murders & Non-Negligent Manslaughters per Capita: Double Weight (~5.33 Points)

Forcible Rapes per Capita: Double Weight (~5.33 Points)

Assaults per Capita: Double Weight (~5.33 Points)

Thefts per Capita: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)

Sex Offenders per Capita: Double Weight (~5.33 Points)

Drug Abuses per Capita: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)

Law-Enforcement Employees per Capita: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)

Active Firefighters per Capita: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)

Suicide Rate: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)

Bullying Incidence Rate: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)

Share of Elder-Abuse, Gross-Neglect and Exploitation Complaints: Full Weight (~2.67 Points)

Financial Safety - Total Points: 15

Share of Population Lacking Health-Insurance Coverage: Full Weight (~0.94 Points)

Unemployment Rate: Double Weight (~1.88 Points)

Underemployment Rate: Full Weight (~0.94 Points)

Foreclosure Rate: Full Weight (~0.94 Points)

Median Credit Score: Full Weight (~0.94 Points)

Debt per Income: Full Weight (~0.94 Points)

Poverty Rate: Full Weight (~0.94 Points)

Share of Adults with Rainy-Day Funds: Full Weight (~0.94 Points)

Fraud & Other Complaints per Capita: Full Weight (~0.94 Points) (Note: “Other” includes both financial and nonfinancial complaints.)

Identity-Theft Complaints per Capita: Full Weight (~0.94 Points)

Share of Unbanked Households: Full Weight (~0.94 Points)

Job Security: Full Weight (~0.94 Points) (Note: This metric was calculated as follows: (Total Workers in 2016 – Total Workers in 2015) / Total Workers in 2015)

New Unemployment Claims per Total Civilian Labor Force: Full Weight (~0.94 Points) (Note: “New Unemployment Claims” refers to the number of people making an initial claim for unemployment insurance benefits.)

Employment Growth (2016 vs. 2015): Full Weight (~0.94 Points) (Note: This metric was adjusted for the working-age population growth.)

Personal Bankruptcy Filings per Capita: Full Weight (~0.94 Points)

Road Safety - Total Points: 15

Fatalities per 100 Million Vehicle Miles of Travel: Full Weight (~3.00 Points)

DUIs per Capita: Full Weight (~3.00 Points)

Pedestrian & Pedalcyclist Fatality Rate per Capita: Full Weight (~3.00 Points)

Road Quality: Full Weight (~3.00 Points)

Driving Laws Rating: Full Weight (~3.00 Points) (Note: This metric is based on the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety’s Roadmap Report of State Highway Safety Law. In order to achieve the highest rating, according to the organization, “States must have 11 to 15 laws including both primary enforcement seat belt laws, or 9 or more laws including both primary enforcement seat belt laws and an all-rider helmet law.”)

Workplace Safety - Total Points: 15

Fatal Occupational Injuries per 100,000 Full-Time Workers: Double Weight (~6.00 Points)

Injuries & Illnesses per 10,000 Full-Time Workers: Full Weight (~3.00 Points)

Median Days Lost Due to Occupational Injuries & Illnesses: Full Weight (~3.00 Points)

Presence of Occupational Safety & Health Act Plans: Full Weight (~3.00 Points) (Note: According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “Under the [Occupational Safety and Health] Act, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace. OSHA's mission is to assure safe and healthful workplaces by setting and enforcing standards, and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.”)

Emergency Preparedness - Total Points: 15

Number of Climate Disasters Causing $1 Billion+ in Damages in Past Decades: Full Weight (~7.50 Points) (Note: “Past Decades” refers to the period between 1980 and 2017.)

Total Loss Amount from Climate Disasters Causing $1 Billion+ in Damages in Past Decades per Capita: Full Weight (~7.50 Points) (Note: “Past Decades” refers to the period between 1980 and 2017.)

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, TransUnion, Parents for Megan’s Law, U.S. Fire Administration, Administration for Community Living - AGing Integrated Database, United Health Foundation, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, U.S. Department of Labor - Employment and Training Administration, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, The Road Information Program, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, U.S. Department of Labor - Occupational Safety and Health Administration, National Centers for Environmental Information, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, FINRA Investor Education Foundation and CoreLogic.

This story was originally published June 6, 2017 at 11:37 AM with the headline "Not a good look: Stats give South Carolina a dangerous rep."