According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the rate of nonfatal violent crime victimization, which includes rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault, in the United States increased from 16.5 per 1,000 persons in 2021 to 23.5 per 1,000 in 2022. Moreover, according to another official statistic of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), there were 809,381 violent crime incidents reported in 2022. The number could be even higher as the data only covered 76% of the population due to not all law agencies participating.
Despite the United States being the leading economy in the world, it has by far the highest violent crime rate and homicide cases among the G7 countries. One of the main reasons for the staggering high violent crimes could be the prevalent consumption of firearms by civilians. The United States is one of the very few countries where gun ownership for civilians is a constitutional right. In fact, the US is the country with the highest gun ownership in 2024, with 393 million firearms under the ownership of civilians.
On top of that, regulation for firearm ownership has been absent from the country, perpetuating violent gun-related crimes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were over 48,000 gun-related deaths in the United States in 2022, or about 132 people dying every day from a firearm-related injury. Of these, more than four out of 10 deaths were homicides caused by firearms.
Due to the enormity of the United States, imposing regulatory control on firearm ownership is going to be a challenge in itself for the federal government. In fact, under the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) signed by President Bush in 2005, firearm manufacturers were given a safety cushion against lawsuits filed by cities or individuals victimized by dangerous business practices of these firearms manufacturers and retailers.
Although the US has gun-friendly laws, firearm manufacturers are not completely untouchable. In December 2023, a group of Catholic nuns sued Smith & Wesson Brands Inc (NASDAQ: SWBI), an American firearm company, for manufacturing, marketing, and selling assault-style rifles that were used in mass shootings in Colorado cinema in 2012 that killed 12 people and left 70 injured.
On the other hand, Reuters reports that in January 2024, a US appeals court revived a $10 billion lawsuit filed by the Mexico government against American firearm manufacturers, including Smith & Wesson Brands Inc (NASDAQ: SWBI) and others, seeking to hold them accountable for facilitating weapons trafficking across the US-Mexico border to drug cartels. The PLCAA couldn’t protect the gun manufacturers this time as Mexico’s claims fit well within the narrow exception of the PLCAA.
Apart from firearms-inflicted crimes, violent crime under the influence of drugs and alcohol is also prevalent in the US. In 2007, about 578 homicides out of 14,831 were related to drugs, data reported by BJS. Another BJS report highlights that there were 26,233 Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) arrests in the fiscal year 2022. While firearm ownership and illicit drug consumption are prevalent across the country, violent crime rates vary from safest to most dangerous states in the US.
According to 2019 data provided by the FBI, Maine is the safest state in America, with 115.2 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants. Below, we list the most violent states in the US.
Our Methodology
For our list of the 20 most violent US states, we utilized the latest available data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, which includes and reports data submitted as of May 1, 2023. The data on violent crime is composed of 4 offenses; homicide (murder and nonnegligent manslaughter), rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. All these crimes involve force or threat of force.
To compile the list, we used the latest data, which the FBI had collected and consolidated from 16,100 of 18,930 participating law enforcement agencies in the country. To ensure the ranking is not influenced by population counts, we have ranked the most violent states in the US in ascending order of violent crime rate per 100,000 inhabitants. Please note that we have not included the District of Colombia in our ranking as it is not a state. If it was included, it would be ranked #1.
If interested, you can also take a look at the 10 Safest Places to Live in the U.S. in 2023 and the 25 Most Dangerous Cities In The US rankings.
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20 Most Violent States in the US
20. Maryland
Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants (2022): 398.5
Maryland is a Mid-Atlantic state, defined by waterways and coastlines in the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. It is best known for blue crabs and Baltimore — the largest city in the state, and a major historic seaport. Recently, in late March 2024, Baltimore City made headlines as a ship crashed into the Baltimore Bridge, resulting in its complete collapse.
19. North Carolina
Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants (2022): 405.1
North Carolina is a Southeastern state, with a population of over 10.4 million. It is one of the poorest states in the US, with a per capita income of only $38,701. Overall, 31,876 violent crime incidents were reported in the state in 2022.
18. Alabama
Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants (2022): 409.1
Famed for its scenic Gulf Coast beaches, peanuts, and agriculture industry, Alabama is also located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Having a count of 106.1 females per 100 males, Alabama has the highest female-to-male ratio of any state in the US.
17. Kansas
Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants (2022): 414.6
Ranked 17th, Kansas is a landlocked Midwestern state, famous for being featured as Dorothy’s home in L. Frank Baum’s world-famous children’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. As of the most recent available data on Kansas’s crime situation, in 2022, there were 9,032 total violent crime incidents in the state, and 11,135 offenses were reported by the 336 law enforcement agencies that participated in the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data.
16. Montana
Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants (2022): 417.9
Montana, a western US state, is known for the Glacier National Park, and its diverse terrain that ranges from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Plains. It is the 4th largest state by area in the country.
15. Oklahoma
Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants (2022): 419.7
Oklahoma, a landlocked South Central state with a population of nearly 3.96 million people, is the 15 most dangerous state in the US. Additionally, it is also one of the poorest states and the 6th hungriest state with a food insecurity prevalence of 14.3%.
14. New York
Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants (2022): 429.3
A Northeastern US state, New York is home to the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, and the Empire State Building. The state has a population of over 20 million and had 9,714 violent crime incidents and 10,434 reported offenses in 2022.
13. Arizona
Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants (2022): 431.5
13th on the list, Arizona is a landlocked Southwestern state in the US, best known for the Grand Canyon. It is the 6th largest state by area, and houses over 7.1 million people.
12. Texas
Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants (2022): 431.9
With a population growth rate of 4.7%, Texas is one of the top 5 fastest-growing states in the US as of 2024. Additionally, according to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), the state’s labor market is experiencing record-breaking growth, with the seasonally adjusted civilian labor force seeing an increase of 12,800 people in a month, reaching 15,143,400 people, in January alone.
11. Nevada
Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants (2022): 454
Nevada, a landlocked Western state in the US, ranks 11th on the list of most violent states in the US. Like Texas, Nevada is also one of the fastest-growing states in the US. It is the 7th largest state in the country by area, housing a population of over 3.2 million people. Nicknamed the Silver State, Nevada is best known for its mining industry, hospitality industry, and casino industry.
10. Michigan
Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants (2022): 461
Entering the top 10 most dangerous states on the list, Michigan has the 10th highest rate of violent crimes in the US. With a population of over 10 million people and a land area of 56,591 square miles, Michigan is the 22nd largest state by area in the US.
9. Missouri
Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants (2022): 488
Missouri, situated in the Midwestern region of the country, recorded 23,946 violent crime incidents in 2022, while 30,081 offenses were reported by the state’s 508 law enforcement agencies that participated in National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data. Note that these agencies covered about 97% of Missouri’s population of over 6.15 million people.
8. South Carolina
Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants (2022): 491.3
8th on the list, South Carolina is best known for its subtropical beaches, marshlike sea islands, fishing, Lowcountry cuisine, and historic districts. It is home to over 5.1 million people and is one of the states with the highest electricity consumption.
7. Colorado
Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants (2022): 492.5
With a total of 24,019 violent crime incidents occurring in the year 2022, and 29,057 offenses reported by 236 law enforcement agencies that participated in National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data, Colorado is the 7th most violent state in the US. Compared to 2021, the violent crime rate per 100,000 inhabitants has gone up by 12.1.
6. California
Violent Crime Rate Per 100,000 Inhabitants (2022): 499.5
Ranked 6th, California is a western state, with a land area of 155,812.8 square miles. It is the 3rd largest US state by area. Also, California is home to the University of South California, which is one of the hardest colleges to get into in the US.