The 10 Riskiest U.S. States for Solo Travelers, According to a New Study
A new analysis of crime, road safety, emergency access, and transport infrastructure reveals where solo travelers face the greatest risks.
Solo travel is having a moment. More Americans are hitting the road alone for the freedom to move at their own pace, but that freedom comes with a very real question: How safe is it, really, to travel solo in the U.S.?
A new nationwide study from Silver Law Firm tried to put numbers to that by ranking all 50 states plus D.C. on solo travel safety. Using 2023 data from sources including the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and other official datasets, researchers built a “Solo Safety Score” for each state on a 0–100 scale. Higher scores indicate safer conditions for solo travelers based on crime, road safety, emergency access, and transport infrastructure.
If you’d rather start with the places that did well, you can dive into a separate guide that focuses on the states that rank safest for solo travelers.
“Solo travelers face unique vulnerabilities that groups don’t,” notes Elliot Silver, attorney at Silver Law Firm. When you’re on your own, there’s no built-in backup if your car breaks down, you have a medical issue, or you run into legal trouble. In lower-scoring states, that lack of backup can matter even more.
Below are the 10 riskiest states for solo travel, counting down to the one that scored the worst.
10. Montana – Big Skies, Sparse Support
Montana lands in 10th place on the riskiest list with a Solo Safety Score of 29.20. Its crime safety score is relatively decent (69.17), and transport infrastructure is fairly strong at 66.41, but the state’s emergency access score of just 17.93 is where things get dicey for solo travelers.
In practical terms, that means long distances between hospitals and services, especially once you leave population centers. If you’re driving alone through remote areas, a breakdown or medical issue can quickly turn into a serious situation, simply because help isn’t close by.
9. Mississippi – Roads and Response Times Drag It Down
Mississippi posts a Solo Safety Score of 28.47, with a surprisingly solid crime safety score (84.10) but much weaker marks for road safety (29.92) and emergency access (19.00). So crime isn’t the main concern here; crashes and medical access are.
For solo travelers, the combination of higher traffic fatality risk and limited emergency coverage, particularly in rural areas, means you shouldn’t be winging it. Plan your driving routes in advance, avoid pushing long overnight drives, and know where the nearest hospitals or urgent care centers are before you head into more isolated regions.
8. South Dakota – Safer Than It Feels? Not on Paper
South Dakota scores 27.67 overall. Its crime safety score (76.65) and transport infrastructure (64.61) look okay at a glance, but the road safety score of 35.52 and emergency access score of 20.77 pull the state toward the riskier end of the ranking.
This is the kind of place where wide-open highways, winter weather, and long stretches between towns can magnify small problems into big ones if you’re traveling alone. If you’re road-tripping solo through South Dakota, it’s the sort of state where you keep an eye on the gas gauge, throw an emergency kit in the trunk, and tell someone exactly where you’re going.
7. Louisiana – Crime Concerns Beyond the Party Streets
Louisiana’s Solo Safety Score comes in at 27.44, dragged down by a crime safety score of 52.73. Road safety (53.39), emergency access (39.13), and transport infrastructure (60.42) are middling—enough to keep things from being worst in the nation, but not enough to bump the state out of the risky tier.
Popular spots may feel full of people and energy, but the numbers suggest that crime risks outside more controlled, tourist-heavy zones are worth paying attention to. For solo travelers, this is a state where you stick to well-lit areas at night, trust your gut if a situation feels off, and avoid wandering into unfamiliar neighborhoods alone.
6. South Carolina – Pretty Drives, Problematic Numbers
South Carolina earns a Solo Safety Score of 24.96, with a crime safety score of 62.65, road safety score of 50.44, and emergency access score of 29.60. None of those categories completely tank the state on their own, but together, they add up to a risk profile solo travelers shouldn’t ignore.
Between higher accident risks and patchy emergency coverage once you’re away from the coast or major cities, South Carolina is the sort of place where solo visitors need to take driving seriously and avoid pushing through fatigue, bad weather, or unfamiliar back roads just to “save time.”
5. Wyoming – Low Crime, High Isolation
Wyoming is one of those states where the picture shifts dramatically depending on what you’re looking at. It scores 86.33 for crime safety, which is excellent, but its road safety score is just 16.35, and emergency access sits at 21.77, giving it a Solo Safety Score of 24.41.
The problem here isn’t people—it’s distance. Long, often empty highways, harsh winter conditions, and minimal services between towns can make solo travel risky if you’re not prepared. If you’re driving across Wyoming alone, you want a full tank, backup water and snacks, layers for cold snaps, and someone back home who knows your route and timing.
4. District of Columbia – Great Hospitals, Tough Crime Stats
The District of Columbia is a bit of an outlier in this ranking. It has a crime safety score of 0.00, which is what pulls its Solo Safety Score down to 14.82, but at the same time it posts very strong marks for road safety (94.04) and emergency access (70.00).
In other words, D.C. is a place where solo travelers are rarely far from a hospital, police presence, or other services, but crime is statistically a bigger concern than in many other parts of the country. If you’re visiting alone, this is where you stay mindful about where you book your accommodation, stick to busy, well-lit areas at night, and keep valuables out of sight.
3. Tennessee – Popular but Patchy
Tennessee clocks in with a Solo Safety Score of 13.68, held back by a crime safety score of 52.74 and road safety score of 53.84. Its emergency access score (28.60) also raises flags for anyone wandering beyond the orbit of major cities.
“Tennessee attracts millions of tourists annually, but safety resources are concentrated in popular areas,” Silver explains. If you’re branching out into rural Tennessee alone, scenic drives, hiking trips, and small-town stops, it’s worth being extra deliberate. Share your itinerary, build in clear check-in times with someone you trust, and don’t assume the level of emergency backup you’d find in Nashville or Knoxville exists everywhere else.
2. Arkansas – Thin Safety Net Outside Cities
Arkansas ranks as the second-riskiest state for solo travelers with a Solo Safety Score of 10.39. The state struggles with both crime safety (55.03) and road safety (48.38), but the biggest concern is its emergency access score of 20.61, the lowest of all states analyzed.
“In states with sparse medical infrastructure, prevention becomes your best strategy,” Silver warns. For solo travelers, that means packing a real first aid kit, mapping out hospitals and urgent care facilities before you drive into more remote areas, and avoiding unnecessary risks, especially if you’re hours from the nearest major city.
1. New Mexico – Worst Overall Score for Solo Travelers
New Mexico sits at the bottom of the list with a Solo Safety Score of 0.00, driven by some of the weakest marks in the study: a crime safety score of 39.45 and a road safety score of 43.37. High rates of vehicle accidents and property crime combine with long, sparsely serviced stretches of road to create what the data suggests is the riskiest environment for solo travelers in the U.S.
“New Mexico’s vast rural areas mean long stretches without cell service or gas stations,” Silver explains. If you’re traveling there alone, this is not a “wing it” destination. Download offline maps before you leave populated areas, keep extra water and supplies in your car, charge your phone fully before long drives, and share a detailed itinerary with someone back home.
This Doesn’t Mean “Don’t Go”—It Means “Don’t Go Unprepared”
Landing on this list doesn’t mean these states are off-limits. Plenty of people travel solo through New Mexico, Arkansas, or Tennessee and have incredible trips. What the numbers show is that in these places, you don’t have as much margin for error if something goes wrong.
If you’d rather see the places that did well, you can dive into a separate guide that focuses on the states that rank safest for solo travelers.
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