No matter how you measure it, Vermont does not have a lot of violent crime when compared to other states. According to the FBI (www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2014/crime-in-the-u.s.-2014/tables/table-4) there were only 10 murders in Vermont in 2014—the least of any state. New Hampshire was 2nd with 12 murders.
Florida, in contrast, had 1,149 murders—more than 100 times the number in Vermont. California had the most with 1,699.
Florida, of course has a larger population than Vermont but not 100 times larger. Florida would need a population of more than 62 million—double the size of California—to be proportionally the same as Vermont when it comes to murder.
Accounting for population does not change the crime picture. According to the 2014 FBI Uniform Crime report as reported by deathpenaltyinfo.org, Vermont comes in 49th in murder just behind New Hampshire. In 2014, Vermont had 1.6 murders per 100,000 population. New Hampshire had 0.9. At the top of the rankings is Louisiana with 10.3 murders per 100,000 population. Mississippi came in 2nd with 8.6.
Vermont also does not lock up many of its residents. Vermont leads the nation—along with the other Northern New England states—in having the lowest incarceration rate. Louisiana, once again, leads the nation in that dubious distinguishing characteristic.