Which states have the highest and lowest crime rates?

In 2022, New Mexico recorded the highest rate of violent crimes in the country, while Washington had the highest rate of property crimes. Maine had the lowest rate of violent crimes, and Idaho had the lowest rate of property crimes. Crime rates in the U.S. have been declining for decades, and recent data confirms this trend. However, while the national rate of violent crimes decreased by 1.6% in 2022 compared to 2021, the rate of property crimes increased by 6.7%. Crime statistics vary by region due to factors such as urbanization levels, economic conditions, and the effectiveness of law enforcement.

The lowest level of violent crime

The lowest level of violent crime was recorded in Maine – 103.3 incidents per 100,000 residents, followed by New Hampshire (125.6), Connecticut (150.0), Rhode Island (172.3), and Wyoming (201.9). The highest level of violent crime was registered in New Mexico – 780.5 incidents per 100,000 residents, followed by Alaska (758.9), Arkansas (645.3), Louisiana (628.6), and Tennessee (621.6). At the same time, Washington had the highest property crime rate – 3,356.4 crimes per 100,000 residents, followed by Colorado (3,147.6), New Mexico (2,984.0), Oregon (2,935.3), and Louisiana (2,748.2). The lowest property crime rates were recorded in Idaho (926.9), New Hampshire (1,010.9), Massachusetts (1,070.1), Maine (1,213.5), and West Virginia (1,230.1).

Factors influencing the level of crime

• Population density and level of urbanization.
• Percentage of the young population.
• Population stability, including mobility and commuting.
• Transport systems and infrastructure.
• Economic factors such as average income, poverty, and jobs.
• Cultural, educational, and religious influence.
• Family dynamics, including the divorce rate and compatibility.
• Climate.
• The strength of law enforcement agencies.
• Strategies of law enforcement agencies and their focus.
• Policies of the criminal justice system (prosecution, courts, correctional facilities, probation periods).
• Public attitude towards crime.
• Habits of reporting crimes.

Although Washington, D.C. has a higher crime rate than any other state, it is more appropriate to compare its statistics with other cities. (For more information on crime rates by city, read the article "Which Cities Have the Highest or Lowest Crime Rates?")

Crime trends by region

The northeastern states have the lowest and highest crime rates. The property crime rate in this region was 27.6% lower than in the rest of the country, while the violent crime rate was 23.0% lower.

In 2022, the three states with the lowest property crime rates and the four states with the lowest violent crime rates were located in the northeastern part of the country. New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island were among the states with the lowest rates of property and violent crimes.

The highest crime rate is recorded in the West; the property crime rate in this region was 36.7% higher than in the rest of the country, while the violent crime rate was 27.1% higher.

The highest frequency of property crimes was recorded in Washington, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oregon, while New Mexico and Alaska had the highest frequency of violent crimes.

Trends in crime rates over time

In 2022, the crime rate was 58.0% lower than in 1979. Crime in the country began to systematically decline in the early 1990s and decreased annually from 2001 to 2021. Similarly, both property crime rates dropped by 61.0% since 1979 and violent crimes decreased by 30.6%.

In 2022, more than 70% of violent crimes were assaults involving force, with robberies accounting for 17.4%, rapes for 10.5%, and homicides for 1.7%. Overall, the rate of violent crimes decreased by 1.6% between 2021 and 2022, primarily due to a decline in the frequency of assaults involving force (the most common violent crime since 1982).

Theft of personal property accounted for 71.7% of property crimes included in FBI data, which is higher than the share of thefts in 1979, which was 59.8% of the total number of crimes; the remaining crimes are vehicle thefts (14.5%) and burglaries (13.8%). The frequency of property crimes increased by 6.7% in 2022, particularly due to a 10.5% rise in vehicle thefts (a trend that has been ongoing since 2019) and a 7.4% increase in burglaries since 2021.

All states in 2022 had a lower property crime rate than in 1991. The rate of such crimes decreased by more than 75% in Florida, Massachusetts, and Idaho. The smallest decrease in property crime rates was recorded in North Dakota at 26.9%. From 2021 to 2022, property crime rates decreased in 23 states and the District of Columbia. In fact, the property crime rate in Washington, D.C. saw the largest drop at 13.9%, followed by Iowa with a decrease of 11.7%.

The level of violent crime decreased between 1991 and 2022 in 40 states and the District of Columbia. It dropped by more than 70% in Connecticut, Illinois, and Florida. At the same time, the rate of violent crime more than doubled in North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota. In 1991, these three states had some of the lowest crime rates in the country. In North Dakota, the rates increased so much that the frequency of violent crime in 2022 exceeded the 1991 figures by more than four times. Between 2021 and 2022, the level of violent crime decreased in 35 states and the District of Columbia. The largest annual increase was recorded in New York (39.2%), Alabama (17.4%), and Vermont (14.4%), while the most significant decrease in the frequency of violent crime occurred in Florida (23.3%), Kentucky (20.4%), and Illinois (16.7%).

Data source

The source of crime data in the United States is the FBI. Since 1929, it has been collecting crime data from local law enforcement agencies through the Summary Reporting System (SRS). Since the 1960s, the FBI has used this data to compile crime statistics at the national, regional, and state levels. The FBI gradually phased out the Summary Reporting System in 2021 in favor of the more comprehensive National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The latest available data from the Summary Reporting System pertains to 2020, while the National Incident-Based Reporting System has data up to 2022.

Unlike the National Incident-Based Reporting System, the National Incident Reporting System collects data on specific incidents rather than aggregate crime reports. This allows for more accurate information on crimes. Law enforcement agencies are still transitioning to the new system. As of May 2023, agencies that provide reports to the National Incident Reporting System cover 77% of the U.S. population. The FBI has always used partial population data to estimate crime across the entire population, even in areas that do not report crimes. The more agencies provide data to the FBI, the more accurate the estimates become. This article uses data from the National Incident Reporting System and the Uniform Crime Reporting System to reveal the latest geographical trends in crime data and trends over time.

It should be noted that the estimates used in this article were calculated by the FBI using data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System for recent years, in order to replicate the estimation methodology previously applied to data from the Summary Reporting System. This helps to make the estimates comparable over time, despite the transition between reporting systems, although during the transition to the National Incident-Based Reporting System, relatively low reporting rates may still affect the accuracy of recent estimates. Nevertheless, despite the gaps in data from organizations reporting crimes by state, the data provided in this article can still be used for a rough assessment of crime trends over time.

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