Which states have the highest and lowest crime rates?

Between 2021 and 2022, New York’s violent crime rate rose 39.2%, while its property crime rate rose 64.3%.

Updated on Fri, February 23, 2024 by the USAFacts Team

In 2022, New Mexico recorded the nation’s highest violent crime rate, while Washington had the highest property crime rate. Maine had the lowest violent crime rate, and Idaho held the lowest property crime rate.

The US crime rate has trended downward for decades, and recent data confirms this pattern. However, while the national violent crime rate decreased by 1.6% in 2022 compared to 2021, the property crime rate rose by 6.7%. Rates vary by region due to factors including urbanization levels, economic conditions, and law enforcement effectiveness.

What are violent and property crimes?

The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program classifies violent crimes as those involving force or the threat of force. Violent crime encompasses four specific offenses: murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.

The UCR Program defines property crime as taking money or property without force or threat against the victims. Property crime includes burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. Arson is also categorized as a property crime due to its nature of property destruction, although it may involve force against victims. However, the FBI does not include arson as a property crime through its National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), so this article does not include arson under aggregated property crimes.

States with the highest and lowest crime rates

New Mexico had the highest violent crime rate of any state at 780.5 incidences per 100,000 residents, followed by Alaska (758.9), Arkansas (645.3), Louisiana (628.6), and Tennessee (621.6). The lowest-ranked states for violent crimes were Maine (103.3), New Hampshire (125.6), Connecticut (150.0), Rhode Island (172.3), and Wyoming (201.9).

That same year, Washington had the highest property crime rate at 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 in Idaho (926.9), New Hampshire (1,010.9), Massachusetts (1,070.1), Maine (1,213.5), and West Virginia (1,230.1).

Various factors influence the variations in crime rates across states and regions. The FBI identifies several key elements that affect both the amount and type of crime, including:

• Population density and urbanization levels
• Youth population percentage
• Population stability, including mobility and commuting
• Transportation systems and infrastructure
• Economic factors like median income, poverty, and jobs
• Cultural, educational, and religious influences
• Family dynamics, including divorce rates and unity
• Climate
• Law enforcement strength
• Law enforcement strategies and focus
• Criminal justice system policies (prosecution, judiciary, corrections, probation)
• Public attitudes toward crime
• Crime reporting habits

Although Washington, DC, had higher crime rates than every state, comparing its rates to other cities is more fitting. (For more information about crime rates by city, read Which cities have the highest or lowest crime rates?)

Which regions have the lowest and highest crime rates?

Northeastern states have the lowest crime rates among regions. [1] Its property crime rate was 27.6% lower than in the rest of the country; the violent crime rate was 23.0% lower.

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

Crime rates were highest in the West; the region’s property crime rate was 36.7% higher than the rest of the country, and the violent crime rate was 27.1% higher.

The highest property crime rates were in Washington, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oregon, while New Mexico and Alaska recorded the highest violent crime rates.

How have crime rates changed over time?

In 2022, crime rates were 58.0% lower than in 1979. The nation’s crime rate began consistently declining in the early 1990s and fell yearly between 2001 and 2021.

Both property and violent crime rates reflect this long-term trend of decreasing crime. Property crime was down 61.0% since 1979, and violent crime was down 30.6%.

Over 70% percent of violent crimes in 2022 were aggravated assaults, followed by robbery (17.4%), rape (10.5%), and homicide (1.7%). Overall, the violent crime rate fell 1.6% between 2021 and 2022, primarily because of lower rates of aggravated assault (the majority of violent crime since 1982).

Larceny — the theft of personal property — made up 71.7% of property crimes included in FBI data, up from 59.8% of crimes in 1979; the remaining crimes were motor vehicle theft (14.5%) and burglary (13.8%).

Property crime rates had an annual increase of 6.7% in 2022, attributable to a 10.5% rise in motor vehicle thefts (part of a trend since 2019), and a 7.4% increase in larceny since 2021.