Violent crime still remains a major problem in many states throughout the U.S. But which are the most violent states in the country?
The following interactive heat map illustrates where crime happens in 50 states and a federal district in the U.S.A. The map coverage highlights violent crimes across the entire country to assist users answer one of the most frequently asked questions, which state has the highest crime rate?
Data was sourced from Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics (2012), extracted on 20 August 2014. Violent crime rate is calculated per 100,000 population to provide a balanced comparison.
In the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting, violent crimes consist of four offenses, which comprise murder and non-negligent manslaughter, robbery, rape and aggravated assault. Violent crimes include offenses which involve force or threat of force.
The heat map shows violent crime density — that is, which state with the most crimes or least crime rate? As you can find in District of Columbia, their crime ranking was one of the highest in the U.S, whereas Maine was the state with least crime rate.
Top 10 States with the Lowest Violent Crime Rate
The table below presents a ranking list of top 10 States with the lowest violent crime rate. As a comparison, population data is provided from 2013 census estimate. Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire ranked top 3 in this list. In particular, Maine has very low violent crime rate. For illustration, although Maine’s population is close to Hawaii, its crime rate is almost halve of Hawaii’s rate.
| Rank | State Name | Population, 2013 est | Violent Crime Rate, per 100K |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine | 1,328,302 | 122.7 |
| 2 | Vermont | 626,630 | 142.6 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | 1,323,459 | 187.9 |
| 4 | Virginia | 8,260,405 | 190.1 |
| 5 | Wyoming | 582,658 | 201.4 |
| 6 | Utah | 2,900,872 | 205.8 |
| 7 | Idaho | 1,612,136 | 207.9 |
| 8 | Kentucky | 4,395,295 | 222.6 |
| 9 | Minnesota | 5,420,380 | 230.9 |
| 10 | Hawaii | 1,404,054 | 239.2 |
Top 10 States with the Highest Violent Crime Rate
District of Columbia, Tennessee and Nevada ranked top 3 States with highest violent crime rate. Data shows that District of Columbia had a particularly high rate. Comparing it to Vermont (not shown in this table), which had similar population size in 2013, District of Columbia had almost 9 times higher violent crime rate.
| Rank | State Name | Population, 2013 est | Violent Crime Rate, per 100K |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 646,449 | 1243.7 |
| 2 | Tennessee | 6,495,978 | 643.6 |
| 3 | Nevada | 2,790,136 | 607.6 |
| 4 | Alaska | 735,132 | 603.2 |
| 5 | New Mexico | 2,085,287 | 559.1 |
| 6 | South Carolina | 4,774,839 | 558.8 |
| 7 | Delaware | 925,749 | 547.4 |
| 8 | Louisiana | 4,625,470 | 496.9 |
| 9 | Florida | 19,552,860 | 487.1 |
| 10 | Maryland | 5,928,814 | 476.8 |
