A new analysis of COVID-19 data, along with other metrics, finds that New Hampshire is the third-safest state in the U.S. to spend Thanksgiving, and New England the safest region in the country by far.
Using a data set that includes the COVID positive test, hospitalization and death rates — along with other measures of public safety like crime rates and DUIs — the Wallethub analysis finds the top three safest states to spend your Thanksgiving are in New England: Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire.
New Hampshire scored its high ranking despite not having a statewide mask mandate, another metric used in the rankings.
The other three New England states also rank high on the list: Massachusetts (#7), Connecticut (#13) and Rhode Island (#17).
The highest-risk states to spend this Thanksgiving are Montana (#48), New Mexico (#49) and South Dakota (#50).
New Hampshire’s key data points include:
- #8 – COVID-19 Positive Tests in the Past Week per Capita
- #3 – COVID-19 Hospitalization Rate This Week
- #17 – Share of Multigenerational Households
- #11 – Share of Offline Homes
- #2 – Crime Rate
New England is an iconic travel destination for the holiday season, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made that problematic. Vermont has closed its borders to “non-essential travel,” and all the New England states have some restrictions on travel from out of state.
Interestingly, New Hampshire has the least-restrictive travel rules.
Travel and tourism are a $5.5 billion industry in New Hampshire, the second largest in the state. Granite State destinations populate lists of top Thanksgiving destinations, including the city of Portsmouth, and Hart’s Turkey Farm in Meredith.
As of November 16, New Hampshire had a seven-day positivity rate of 3.5 percent, just one-third of the national 10 percent seven-day positivity rate.
New Hampshire ranks #11 among states with the lowest COVID-19 death rates, and more than 80 percent of the fatalities are in long-term care facilities.
