California ranks among least safe states in America: study

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SUGGESTED: Los Angeles County's Head Deputy District Attorney Maria Ramirez is endorsing Nathan Hochman to unseat DA George Gascón in the upcoming election. In a new political ad, Ramirez says crime's "gotten worse" under Gascón, and that Hochman will better hold criminals accountable.

LOS ANGELES - A new study by WalletHub ranked the safest states in America, with four of the top five being in the Northeast.

The Golden State didn’t exactly have a favorable result and ranked in the bottom 15. Coincidentally, another study also ranked it as one of the worst states to live in.

WalletHub’s study looked at various factors such as law enforcement employees and assaults per capita. In addition, researchers also examined components like traffic fatalities, unemployment rates, the share of the uninsured population, and the percentage of adults with rainy-day funds.

"The safest states in America protect their residents from harm in a multitude of different ways, from keeping crime rates low and maintaining safe roadways to having strong economies and job markets that prevent people from falling into dangerous financial situations," said Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst.

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In Los Angeles, there are staffing concerns with the LA Police Department, although applications are up by 53%.

LAPD staffing concerns

Overall, department hiring is down by 8%.

Also, due to a rash of home burglaries in the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles’ Westside, some residents have told FOX 11 they no longer feel safe in their neighborhoods.

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However, California didn't rank as the least safe state and came in at No. 37.

See more on the study below.

Source: WalletHub

WalletHub ranked the safest states in America as:

1. Vermont

2. New Hampshire

3. Maine

4. Massachusetts

5. Utah

6. Hawaii

7. Connecticut