Rhode Island Among the Safest in US

13 Oct, 2025

By Eli Sachs

Rhode Island ranks among the safest states in the nation, with 2024 crime statistics showing significant improvements across most categories and rates well below national averages.​

In 2024, Rhode Island recorded 154 violent crimes and 1,032 property crimes per 100,000 people. The state's violent crime rate was 57.2% lower than the U.S. average of 359 crimes per 100,000, while its property crime rate was 41.3% lower than the national average of 1,760 per 100,000. Rhode Island ranked 47th among states for violent crime and 48th for property crime, indicating it has among the lowest rates in the country.​

Aggravated assault comprised 65% of all violent crimes in Rhode Island in 2024, followed by rapes at 19.2%, robberies at 14.5%, and murders at just 1.3%. For property crimes, larceny-theft accounted for 79.5% of incidents, while motor vehicle thefts represented 11.7% and burglaries 8.8%.​

Between 2023 and 2024, Rhode Island's overall crime rate decreased by 7.5%. The violent crime rate fell 8.3%, outpacing the national average decrease of 5.4%, while property crime dropped 7.4%, slightly less than the 9% national average decline. Most individual crime categories showed improvement: murders decreased 19.2%, rapes fell 19.6%, burglaries dropped 22.7%, and motor vehicle thefts declined 13.4%. Robbery was the only category to increase, rising 1.4%.​

Rhode Island's violent crime rate of 154 per 100,000 was 78.8% lower than Alaska's rate of 724, the highest in the nation, and 54% higher than Maine's rate of 100, the lowest. For property crime, Rhode Island's rate was 62.5% lower than New Mexico's leading rate of 2,751 per 100,000 and 40.2% higher than Idaho's lowest rate of 736.​

The data comes from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, which tracks four violent offenses and three property offenses that have been monitored since 1929.​

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