Where you live can significantly affect your likelihood of experiencing violent crime, with reported rates varying severalfold across the United States.

This map, via Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti, ranks every U.S. state and the District of Columbia by reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents between March 2025 and February 2026.

The figures include murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault, using data from the FBI Crime Data Explorer.

Washington, D.C. and Alaska Top the Rankings

Washington, D.C. recorded the nation’s highest violent crime rate at 789 incidents per 100,000 residents.

D.C.’s rate is partly elevated because it is an entirely urban jurisdiction, unlike states that also include suburban and rural areas.

RankState/DistrictViolent crime rate per 100K people (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)

1	District of Columbia	789
2	Alaska	731
3	New Mexico	645
4	Arkansas	533
5	Tennessee	482
6	Kansas	465
7	Louisiana	461
8	Colorado	429
9	Missouri	428
10	Michigan	426
11	California	417
12	Montana	414
13	Oklahoma	408
14	New York	389
15	Arizona	379
16	Nevada	379
17	South Carolina	376
18	Maryland	353
19	Delaware	345
20	Texas	343
21	Alabama	335
22	South Dakota	322
23	North Carolina	316
24	Oregon	311
25	Washington	290
26	Indiana	289
27	Ohio	283
28	Georgia	281
29	Massachusetts	267
30	West Virginia	260
31	Florida	252
32	Illinois	250
33	Wisconsin	239
34	Iowa	239
35	North Dakota	230
36	Minnesota	224
37	Pennsylvania	222
38	Nebraska	222
39	Utah	220
40	Idaho	218
41	Vermont	212
42	Mississippi	207
43	Kentucky	207
44	Virginia	201
45	New Jersey	194
46	Hawaii	190
47	Wyoming	189
48	Rhode Island	143
49	New Hampshire	121
50	Connecticut	108
51	Maine	92

Alaska ranked second overall, with 731 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. The state’s elevated rate was largely driven by higher levels of rape and aggravated assault.

Meanwhile, New Mexico recorded 645 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, the highest rate in the contiguous United States.

South and Southwest See Higher Rates

The South and Southwest account for many of the country’s highest violent crime rates. Alongside New Mexico, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas all ranked in the upper half of the list, though the underlying factors vary widely by state.

For example, New Orleans has more murders per capita than any other city in the country, contributing to Louisiana’s rate of 461 violent crimes per 100,000 people, the seventh highest in the country.

More broadly, violent crime is shaped by a range of factors, including poverty, policing strategies, substance abuse, and population density.

Northeastern States Report the Lowest Crime Rates

The Northeast dominates the bottom of the ranking. Maine reported the nation’s lowest violent crime rate at just 92 incidents per 100,000 residents, followed by Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.

Several other Northeastern states, including New Jersey and Massachusetts, also posted relatively low rates.

Although crime rates differ substantially across states, violent crime in the U.S. has generally declined over the past several decades. This makes today’s geographic differences more notable than the long-term national trend.

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Mapped: U.S. Financial Crimes by State on Voronoi.