PHOTO: The mudslide behind the University of Minnesota hospital complex in Minneapolis is part of the aftermath of June's flash-flooding. Natural disasters are among the only 'negatives' in Minnesota's recent ranking as one of the safest places to live. Photo credit: August Schwerdfeger/Flickr

ST. PAUL, Minn. - When compared to the rest of the nation, Minnesota is one of the safest places to call home.



<>a href="http://wallethub.com/edu/2014s-safest-states-to-live-in/4566/" target="parent">A ranking of the "safest states" by WalletHub has Minnesota ranked third, using measures such as home and community stability and workplace and driving safety. Also taken into account was financial safety, which chief executive Odysseas Papadimitriou said has become increasingly important in recent years.



"If you do not have any savings," he said, "then you are just one emergency away from starting to default, getting late fees, interest rates skyrocketing, and getting into a vicious cycle of financial destruction."



Another category examined was natural disasters, and that was where Minnesota had its poorest showing in the report, evidenced in part by the widespread flooding that continues to affect communities across the state. Papadimitriou said natural disasters are a growing concern, nationwide.



"It's interesting," he said. "In some places you see, on a regular basis, a tornado passing through and just leveling homes in that area. and it's not something that happens once, every seven to 10 years. It's almost on an annual basis."



Papadimitriou said the safest state in which to live is Massachusetts, and at the bottom of the rankings is Nevada.



The report is online at wallethub.com.