See study: Oklahoma ranked among the least safe states in the U.S.

Oklahoma was named among the least safe states in the U.S. in a recent study based on metrics ranging from assaults to climate disasters per capita.

Here's why the study from WalletHub ranked Oklahoma the sixth-least safest state in the nation:

Oklahoma ranks among least safe states in the U.S.

To determine how safe each state is, WalletHub compared each state across five dimensions: personal and residential safety, financial safety, road safety, workplace safety and emergency preparedness.

These dimensions were evaluated using 52 metrics then graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 being the highest level of safety.

WalletHub gave Oklahoma a total score of 39.92. Here's how the Sooner State ranked among the five dimensions:

• Personal and residential safety: 36
• Financial safety: 34
• Road safety: 38
• Workplace safety: 35
• Emergency preparedness: 44

Oklahoma also ranked 49th in the share of uninsured population, and 47th in the percentage of adults with rainy day funds.

What are the safest states in the U.S.?

Lucy Edwards Hochstein, professor emerita in the department of criminal justice at Radford University in Virgina, said every state and city have safe and unsafe areas for the risks people face each day. When considering as place to live, Hochstein said it's important to weight the types of risks as they might impact one's family.

"Although we all face multiple risks every day, it’s important to discover what kinds of risks you can tolerate and to what degree," Hochstein said. "One family might be more concerned with dangerous workplaces yet another about weather threats or crime."

WalletHub called these states the safest in the U.S.:

1. Vermont
2. New Hampshire
3. Maine
4. Massachusetts
5. Utah
6. Hawaii
7. Connecticut
8. Minnesota
9. Rhode Island
10. Wyoming

What are the least safe states in the U.S.?

James O'Keefe, associate professor of criminal justice and homeland security at St. John's University in New York, said local and state policymakers can do a lot to reduce crime in their communities, including investing in local economic development and education.

"It is much better to spend the resources developing and educating young people then it is to arrest and incarcerate them after the fact," O'Keefe said. "Build healthy and thriving communities and excellent schools, not jails."

Including Oklahoma, WalletHub named these states the least safe in the U.S.:

1. Louisiana
2. Mississippi
3. Texas
4. Arkansas
5. Florida
6. Oklahoma
7. Alabama
8. Colorado
9. Georgia
10. South Carolina

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: See study: Oklahoma ranked among the least safe states in the U.S.