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Travel safety profile · North America

Is United States Safe to Visit in 2026?

35 / 100

Exercise Awareness

Gun violence is a unique risk. Conditions vary dramatically by neighborhood and city. Reviewed 24 April 2026 How we score

Live alerts in United States Get the iOS app

What Warnely Is Tracking

Real-time incidents pulled from the Warnely pipeline. The dashboard renders a richer feed.

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Official Travel Advisories

UK FCDO

See travel advice

No advisory against travel. Notes gun violence risk.

View full advisory →

WHO Health Notes

No special precautions

No significant health risks. World-class but expensive healthcare.

View full advisory →

United States compared to your home country

United States's composite Warnely risk score is 35/100 (Moderate Risk). Here is how that compares to common home countries for English-speaking travellers. Append ?home=GB (or US, AU, CA, DE) to the URL to pin your home.

United Kingdom 22/100

United States is noticeably riskier than United Kingdom (1.6× riskier on the Warnely index).

Australia 14/100

United States is noticeably riskier than Australia (2.5× riskier on the Warnely index).

Canada 15/100

United States is noticeably riskier than Canada (2.3× riskier on the Warnely index).

Germany 20/100

United States is noticeably riskier than Germany (1.8× riskier on the Warnely index).

Lower scores are safer. Each home country's score is its own composite on the same 0-100 scale. See methodology.

Regional breakdown

United States sits at 35/100 as a country-level composite. Specific regions vary. Each card links to the regional safety page.

Northeast (NYC, Boston, DC) Generally safe

Cities very safe in tourist zones; some neighbourhoods to avoid varies by city.

Southeast (Miami, Atlanta, NOLA) Generally safe

Tourist areas safe; avoid certain neighbourhoods at night.

Midwest (Chicago, Detroit) Generally safe

Chicago: tourist Loop and North Side safe; specific South/West Side neighbourhoods to avoid. Detroit revitalised downtown safe.

South (Texas, Tennessee, Florida) Generally safe

Austin, Nashville, Miami all tourist-safe. Open-carry firearms legal in some states.

West (LA, SF, Seattle) Generally safe

Tourist areas safe; SF has visible homelessness in downtown areas.

National Parks (Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite) Generally safe

Wildlife (bears, bison, moose) are the actual dangers.

Border with Mexico Caution

Some specific border zones have cartel-related risk; major crossings (San Ysidro, El Paso) safe.

Risk Breakdown

This is the static baseline rating across six dimensions. The Warnely dashboard adds a live 30-day signal alongside.

Crime3/5

Gun violence higher than other developed nations. Urban areas have safe and unsafe neighborhoods. Tourist areas well-policed.

Natural Disasters3/5

Hurricanes (Gulf/Atlantic), tornadoes (Midwest), earthquakes (West Coast), wildfires (California).

Health2/5

World-class hospitals but extremely expensive without insurance. Always get travel health insurance.

Terrorism2/5

Mass shooting incidents are a risk. Enhanced security at major events and tourist sites.

Civil Unrest2/5

Political protests can be large. Generally peaceful but occasionally escalate.

Infrastructure1/5

Excellent highways. Major cities have transit. Domestic flights extensive. Car rental essential outside cities.

Quick Facts

Plug type	A/B
Voltage	120V/60Hz
Time zone	UTC-5 to -10
Driving side	Right
Tap water	Safe

Visa & Entry

Type	Electronic Travel Authorisation
Length	90 days
Cost	$21 (ESTA)
Apply	Official portal →

ESTA required for Visa Waiver Program countries (UK, EU, Australia, NZ, etc.) – 90 days, valid 2 years. Other nationalities need B1/B2 visa.

Verify on IATA Travel Centre →

Summary: ESTA required for Visa Waiver Program countries. Others need B-1/B-2 visa.

Passport: Valid for duration of stay.

Customs: 200 cigarettes, 1L alcohol, $800 goods.

Prohibited: Kinder Surprise eggs. Cuban cigars restricted. Agricultural products regulated. Firearms laws vary by state.

Practical Tips

Travel health insurance is essential – hospital bills can be catastrophic
Tipping 18-20% is expected at sit-down restaurants
Download rideshare apps – public transit limited outside major cities
State laws vary hugely – especially for cannabis, firearms, and speed limits
National parks require advance booking for popular campgrounds and permits

Common Scams & Practical Risks

Times Square costume characters: Photo solicitations turn into aggressive demands for $20+. Decline upfront.
Vegas timeshare seminars: "Free show tickets" require attending a 2-hour high-pressure timeshare pitch.
Fake parking tickets: Some scams place fake "tickets" with payment QR codes. Pay city directly through official channels.
ATM card skimming: Use bank-branch ATMs; check for skimmers on outdoor machines.

Solo & Women’s Safety

Solo Travellers

The US is excellent for solo travel. National parks, road trips, and vibrant cities. Public transit good in NYC, Chicago, SF, DC. Car essential elsewhere. Friendly people. Very safe in tourist areas.

Women’s Safety Generally Safe

Generally safe. Standard big-city precautions. Uber/Lyft for late-night transport. Well-policed tourist areas.

LGBTQ+ Travellers

Legal status	Marriage equality
Social climate	Mixed

Marriage equality nationwide (Obergefell 2015). State-level non-discrimination patchy; Trump-era rollbacks on trans rights. Cities (NYC, LA, SF, Chicago) very accepting; some rural/Bible Belt areas hostile.

Verify current law on Equaldex →

Drug Laws

Severity	Strict
Cannabis	Recreational legal

Federal cannabis still Schedule I; many states have legalised recreational (CO, CA, WA, NY, IL, etc.) or medical. Crossing state lines or international borders with cannabis is a federal offence regardless of state law. Hard drugs strict.

Verify on UK FCDO →

Emergency Numbers

police

911

ambulance

911

fire

911

tourist

N/A

If you decide to travel to United States

A practical checklist that applies to any trip. Each item links to the part of this guide where the specifics live.

1

Check the live advisory Read the UK FCDO and US State Department pages within a week of departure. Advisories change. View current FCDO advisory →
2

Register your trip US citizens: enrol with STEP. UK citizens: register your itinerary with the nearest British embassy. Both enable consular contact in an emergency.
3

Save the local emergency numbers Police: 911. Ambulance: 911. Pin them in your phone's emergency-contacts screen so they're reachable from a locked phone.
4

Insurance with medical evacuation Travel insurance with a medical-evacuation limit of £10m or more. Cheap policies usually exclude or cap medevac, the single most expensive thing that goes wrong abroad. See the medevac entry in the glossary for what to check.
5

Confirm vaccinations and prescriptions Visit a travel clinic 4-6 weeks before departure for any routine vaccinations and country-specific recommendations. Check any prescription medication against the destination's import rules.
6

Set up a check-in routine before you go Agree a daily or every-other-day check-in time with a contact at home, plus a fallback channel if your primary one fails (WhatsApp goes down in countries that block it). The family communication plan covers the specifics.

Find every foreign embassy and consulate in United States in the Warnely embassy directory →

Medical evacuation cost (pre-insurance)

United States sits in Band A on Warnely's medevac cost dataset. The figures below are typical pre-insurance ranges in USD, calibrated against published bands from Global Rescue, MedJet, Allianz, and insurance-industry whitepapers.

Local care competitive

Typical $5,000 to $15,000

Local hospitals at this level are internationally competitive. Most cases never need international repatriation; commercial-class medical escort home is enough if it does.

For the full methodology, the four-band table, and the downloadable CSV, see /methodology/medevac. Sanity-check your travel insurance limit against the high end of this band before booking.

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<a href="https://warnely.com/guides/is-united-states-safe"><img src="https://warnely.com/embed/united-states/badge.svg" alt="United States Warnely risk badge" width="360" height="44"></a>

Full embed options including Markdown and iframe variants: /embed/united-states.

Data version v2 · Last reviewed 24 April 2026 · Next review by 21 October 2026 · methodology · Found something out of date? Tell us.

Common questions about United States

Is United States safe for tourists in 2026?

Gun violence is a unique risk. Conditions vary dramatically by neighborhood and city. Warnely's overall safety assessment for United States is Moderate Risk (35/100), exercise awareness. Always check the latest UK FCDO and US State Department advisories before booking.

What's the crime risk in United States?

Gun violence higher than other developed nations. Urban areas have safe and unsafe neighborhoods. Tourist areas well-policed. Crime category score: 3/5 (moderate).

Are there health risks travelling to United States?

World-class hospitals but extremely expensive without insurance. Always get travel health insurance. Health category score: 2/5. Consult a travel clinic 4-6 weeks before departure for recommended vaccinations.

Is United States safe for solo female travellers?

Generally Safe. Generally safe. Standard big-city precautions. Uber/Lyft for late-night transport. Well-policed tourist areas.

When is the best time to visit United States?

Shoulder Seasons (Apr-May, Sep-Oct). Pleasant temperatures most of country; fewer crowds; cherry blossoms (DC) in late March.

What are the drug laws in United States?

Drug penalties: Strict. Cannabis: Recreational legal. Federal cannabis still Schedule I; many states have legalised recreational (CO, CA, WA, NY, IL, etc.) or medical. Crossing state lines or international borders with cannabis is a federal offence regardless of state law. Hard drugs strict.

Do I need a visa to visit United States?

Electronic Travel Authorisation. Stay length: 90 days. ESTA required for Visa Waiver Program countries (UK, EU, Australia, NZ, etc.) – 90 days, valid 2 years. Other nationalities need B1/B2 visa.

Which regions of United States are safest to visit?

Generally safer regions include Northeast (NYC, Boston, DC), Southeast (Miami, Atlanta, NOLA), Midwest (Chicago, Detroit), South (Texas, Tennessee, Florida). See the regional breakdown for current safety guidance on each area.

Is the tap water safe to drink in United States?

Tap water in United States is generally safe to drink. Most travellers should stick to bottled or filtered water for cooking, drinking and ice.

What do governments say about travel to United States?

UK FCDO: See travel advice. Read the full advisories on the relevant government sites – links are inside the Official Travel Advisories section above.