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BySteven John/June 25, 2021 11:51 am UTC
There are, for better or for worse, a lot of different ways to define danger. There is danger of death or injury, of sickness or robbery, of disaster, of animal attack, of domestic violence, and on the list goes. Just as the many potential sources of danger are varied, so, too, is the likelihood of your experiencing them based on where you are. And that, at least, is a bit of silver lining: For example, while you might be the most likely to be killed in an automobile accident in Alabama, at least your chances of encountering a serial killer are lower than you face in California. And while Oklahomans are at the greatest risk of suffering from domestic violence, they are at less risk than their Texan neighbors to the south of being killed by an animal.
Small comforts perhaps, but you can always pack up and move. And for the record, according to the Pew Research Center, there have been "dramatic declines in U.S. violent and property crime rates since the early 1990s, when crime spiked across much of the nation." So as bad as some of the stats below may seem, things have gotten better in recent years, not worse.
Here are 12 categories of danger and the states that have the dubious distinction of topping the charts for each when it comes to the likelihood you will suffer from said dangers while within their borders.
Louisiana has the highest homicide rate in the nation

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Some statistics bounce back and forth from state to state like a football, such as where you can find the most new job opportunities, the worst traffic, the best sports teams, and so on. Other stats hold fast, and when it comes to Louisiana, there is one grim figure the PelicanState just can't seem to shake: It leads the nation in per capita homicides, and it has done so for decades.
According to The New York Times: "For 31 straight years, Louisiana has reported the nation's highest murder rate." Data sourced from NOLA.com and the FBI shows that the state averages about 10 murders per 100,000 people in a typical year, with the figures driven up by the ghastly annual per capita murder rate in New Orleans, which has been as high as 41.7 homicides per 100,000 residents in recent years. That's about 1 in 2,400 people, for a more tangible perspective. Even as murders across America have plummeted year after year, and as some states and cities have become much safer (take the murder rate in New York City, which was around 29 killings per 100,000 people in 1990 and down to around 4 per 100,000 in 2015, according to World Atlas), Louisiana just can't buck the trend.
Alabama is the most dangerous state for motorists

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According to data compiled by Edwards Kirby: "Alabama ranked first as the most dangerous state for drivers ... While high rates of DUIs and serious motor vehicle injuries certainly contributed to Alabama's ranking, perhaps the most crucial factor was the number of young Alabamians on the road." Both speed and alcohol (and other substances) are leading factors of teen driving deaths in Alabama, according to AL.com, and these are also factors for traffic accidents and deaths amid the population as a whole.
Alabama is also quite a dangerous place for people in proximity to cars. It ranks #2 in terms of the most dangerous state for pedestrians, trailing only Florida when it comes to the danger of death or injury a pedestrian faces, according to AL.com. In 2019, the most recent year for which complete data is available, Alabama saw 120 pedestrians killed by motor vehicles. The average number of pedestrian deaths is just over 116 per year when statistics from 2016 to 2019 are analyzed. And pedestrians of color are at a much higher likelihood than those of Caucasian descent to end up injured or killed by a motorist in Alabama.
Washington, D.C. has the worst property crime rate in America

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Washington, D.C. may not be a state yet, but if its 692,700 or so residents have their way, it will be soon enough. Regardless of technical status, D.C. already holds one title that the district-cum-state will surely hope to relinquish some day: Washington is far and away the nation's leader when it comes to the danger residents face for property crime. According to data aggregated by Statista, the 2019 property crime rate in D.C. was 4,367.1 per 100,000 residents, which boils down to one in every 229 people in D.C. likely to be the victim of property crime in a given year.
And bear in mind that "property crime" is an expansive term. According to the National Institute of Justice: "Property crimes include burglary and theft as well as vandalism and arson." So the category includes everything from a relatively minor smash-and-grab home invasion burglary to the potential total destruction of a property. According to data sourced from the FBI, in 2017 nationwide, "Larceny-theft accounted for 71.7 percent of all property crimes. Burglary accounted for 18.2 percent, and motor vehicle theft for 10.0 percent. Property crimes [overall] in 2017 resulted in losses estimated at $15.3 billion."
Alaska has the highest per capita annual cases of rape

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Alaska is far and away the most dangerous state for per capita instances of forcible rape — as in there are around double the per capita annual instances of rape there than in the state with the next highest number, according to Statista. In 2019, there were 148.7 rapes reported in Alaska per 100,000 residents, or one for every 672.4 people. In Arkansas, the state with the next highest per capita rate, there were 77.2 rapes per 100,000 people, or one for every 1,295 people, which is a figure almost 50 percent lower than in AK.
The state with the lowest per capita reported cases of rape in 2019 was New Jersey, with 17.2 per 100,000 residents, or just one per more than 5,813 people. The national average that year was 42.6 cases per 100,000 Americans. These statistics do not account for incidents of statutory rape, nor, of course, do they account for rape cases not reported to the authorities, so the actual numbers in Alaska and all states are surely higher. In fact, according to RAINN:"Only 310 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults are reported to police."
Natural disasters wreak the most devastation on Texans

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When you hear of a natural disaster, your thoughts might go first to a hurricane ravaging Florida, a wildfire or earthquake laying waste to California, or to a tornado outbreak tearing across swaths of midwestern states. But, in fact, it is Texans who are at the greatest danger of dealing with natural disaster damage in any given year. And understandably so, given that Texas' immense and varied geography means it can experience hurricanes and the storm surges and flooding that come with them, wildfires, tornadoes, and even, as we saw recently, the devastating results of a winter storm. From mid-February through early March 2021, Texas was in the grip of an icy storm that caused dozens of deaths, knocked out the power to millions, and caused severe damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure across much of the state, according to The Texas Tribune.
And according to Value Penguin, in any given year, Texan homeowners can expect to incur disaster damage costing them $1,478 on average. The national average for disaster damage expenses is just $104. That, of course, means that many residents of many states pay out significantly less than that in natural disaster-related repairs and recovery, if they even incur any such costs at all.
West Virginia has the highest annual per capita deaths when all causes are combined

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If you want to have a long life, you may not want to live in West Virginia, according to the statistics. In terms of the overall mortality rate, West Virginia is the deadliest state in America. There are 945.4 deaths per 100,000 West Virginians in any given year, meaning that one out of every 106 West Virginians is likely to be living their last year on Earth at any given time, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the top five leading causes of death in West Virginia are, in order, heart disease, cancer, accidents, chronic lower respiratory diseases (meaning bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma, for example), and stroke. The state also ranks high on the list for annual homicide rates, suicide rates, firearm deaths, and drug overdose deaths, and it is well above the national average for infant mortality rates.
Alaska has the highest overall violent crime rate

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As if the chilling forcible rape statistics were not enough, Alaska also leads the United States when it comes to all violent crime on a per capita basis.Onein 113 people in the state can expect to be the victim of a violent crime each year, according to MoneyWise. While the homicide rate is lower than that of Louisiana, at about 6.4 out of 100,000 residents murdered in a given year, overall, violent crime is rampant in the state.
Violent crime can include anything from an unlawful killing to a mugging, a rape, or a physical attack with no motive other than injury. Indeed, according to SafeWise: "Aggravated assault was the most common violent crime in Alaska statewide ... it accounted for 68% of the state's violent crime." Given the high incidence of violent crime in the state, it's no surprise that a reported 34% of Alaskans "worry about their safety on a daily basis." That said, the actual statistics aside, according to data from SafeWise (via GlobeNewswire): "58 percent of people living in the United States report feeling worried about their safety every single day."
Texas is also the state with the highest annual deaths from animal attacks

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As if the natural disasters weren't enough, Texas is also the state that leads the nation in deaths caused by animals, with the deadly culprits ranging from snakes to alligators to spiders to bears. According to data compiled by the CDC and reported on byTheWashington Post,from 1999 to 2013, an average of around 24 people were killed by an animal in Texas. This is, however, not a per capita rate but simply raw numbers, so you may be at more actual danger of death via animal in other states.
That said, the immensity of Texas and the variety of its regions, which range from forest to desert to coast and more, does mean a huge roster of potentially deadly animals. Still, the animal that is deadliest to humans in Texas is somewhat unexpected: It is the deer, which is a danger to motorists, according to Lonestar 99.5. The second most dangerous animal inTexas in terms of human mortality are bees, wasps, and hornets when these stinging insects are taken as a whole. Beyond deer and bees, the more headline-grabbing animals may be dangerous, but in many states, you are more likely to be accidentally killed by a dog than by a mountain lion, shark, or venomous spider.
West Virginia leads the nation in accidental opioid overdose deaths

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As the horrific and deadly opioid epidemic swept over the United States in the past couple of decades, it was inevitable that some state would end up with the sad distinction of being the worst for overdose deaths. That title currently belongs to West Virginia, where, as of 2018, the most recent year for which complete data is available, there were 42.4 "opioid-involved" overdose deaths per 100,000 persons, according to data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. That's one person in West Virginia out of every 2,358 dying as a result of an opioid drug overdose in any given year.
And the numbers in West Virginia are much higher than in the state with the next highest number of opioid overdose deaths per year, which is West Virginia's neighbor Maryland, with 33.7 such deaths per 100,000 people each year.
California has produced more serial killers than any other state

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While in per capita historical terms, California may not have the highest number of serial killers (that stat again belongs to Alaska), it is the state that has produced far and away the largest number of known serial killers, repeat murderers who have killed far and away the highest number of victims. More than 120 known serial killers did their grisly deeds in California, leaving behind 1,628 victims and counting, according to Serial Killer Shop.
America as a whole has a serious serial killer problem, as it turns out. All told, the United States has experienced more than 2,700 known serial killers to date. The country with the next highest known number of serial killers is England, where there have been a mere 145 documented serial killers. Even when the difference in overall population is accounted for, that's a stunning discrepancy, with some 18 times more of these murderers stateside.
Oklahoma experiences the highest rate of domestic violence

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Oklahoma is home to the worst numbers in the nation when it comes to violence occurring in the home. According to data from World Population Review, almost half of all women living in Oklahoma will experience domestic violence in their lifetimes — the actual statistic is 49.1% of women suffering it. Perhaps surprisingly, men are also at very high risk for experiencing domestic violence in Oklahoma, with about 40.7% of male residents affected by it at some point.
The report from World Population Review describes such violence as "intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner rape, or intimate partner stalking" and also states that Oklahoma ranks third in the United States when it comes to the number of women who are killed by men in "single-victim, single-offender" murders. Around the nation as a whole, according to data cited by the Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Serial Assault: "Each year approximately 1.5 million are raped and/or physically assaulted by their current or former husbands, partners, or boyfriends."
California has the worst air quality in America, shaving years off life expectancy

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Poor air quality may not be as vivid or scintillating of a topic as natural disasters, deadly animals, or murders, but it's one of the most dangerous things a human being can face. And in the United States of America, it's California where people deal with the worst air quality in the country. An article published by Molekule reads in part: "California consistently ranks as the most polluted state in the country. ...Its most significant sources of air pollution come from automobile traffic, as well as industrial pollution. The local topography in the state, especially in farming regions, along with its warm weather, lends itself to trapping pollution within valley walls, increasing the levels of ozone. Wildfire smoke also contributes to poor air quality, and the threat of these extreme air quality events are on the rise."
For some perspective on just how dangerous poor air quality is, note this shocking statistic from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, which itself was sourcing World Health Organization data: "Air pollution accounts for 1 in 8 deaths worldwide." How does air pollution kill? By making all sorts of other conditions so much worse. The NIH report goes on to state: "Air pollution can now be linked to a larger number of conditions, including cardiovascular diseases and cancer, in addition to acute respiratory infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases." Simply put, Californians are in danger with every breath they take.
FAQs
What is the deadliest decade in the US? ›
And there's no era more scarred by murder than The 1980s: the Deadliest Decade.
Is US or Mexico more dangerous? ›STAT | Mexico | United States |
---|---|---|
Crime levels | 57.18 Ranked 28th. 2% more than United States | 55.84 Ranked 30th. |
Annual cannabis use | 1.2% Ranked 1st. | 13.7% Ranked 1st. 11 times more than Mexico |
Opiates use | 0.1% Ranked 9th. | 0.57% Ranked 3rd. 6 times more than Mexico |
Murder rate | 15 | 5 |
The same trend can be seen if you look at deaths per vehicle miles traveled. In 1990, the average French person was twice as likely to die as an American for every mile traveled, but today the average French person is 40% safer than the average American.
What is the deadliest state? ›Louisiana was named the least safe state in America for the second year in a row.
What decade has the most serial killers? ›Criminal justice expert Peter Vronksy, whose new book American Serial Killers: The Epidemic Years looks to answer just that question, says that more than 80 percent of known American serial killers operated between 1970 and 1999.
Which country is safe living? ›Nations With a Reputation for Safety
Respondents to a global survey associated European countries – as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand – with high levels of safety. Safety is one of nine attributes used to develop a quality of life subranking that factors into the 2022 Best Countries rankings from U.S. News.
According to the surveys, the overall crime rate in the United States is lower than in Britain and about the same as in Canada. The polls also show that, among citizens in the three countries, Britons appear to have the least confidence in their police, while Canadians have the most.
Is Chicago safer than Mexico city? ›...
Safety comparisons Mexico City vs Chicago, IL.
City | Crime Index |
---|---|
New York, NY, United States | 48.84 |
Mexico City, Mexico | 68.43 |
Prague, Czech Republic | 24.56 |
Chicago, IL, United States | 65.92 |
...
Cities with Most Murders 2022.
Rank | 1 |
---|---|
City | St. Louis |
State | Missouri |
Murder Rate | 69.40 |
Population | 298,034 |
Where is the lowest crime rate in the US? ›
Average crime statistics in the U.S.
Property crime in U.S. cities decreased 33 percent between 2010 and 2020. The state with the most crime in 2020 was New Mexico (per capita) The state with the least crime in 2020 was New Hampshire (per capita)
What country has the lowest crime rate in the world? Qatar has the lowest crime rate in the world, followed by the UAE, according to Numbeo statistics. According to the Global Peace Index, Iceland is the safest country in the world for the 14th year in a row.
Is USA a safe country? ›If you look at some of the fears, from gun violence and police brutality to environmental dangers (like snowstorms, hurricanes and earthquakes) it can seem a little bit apocalyptic. But, in general, the USA is a safe country to visit.
What countries are safer than USA? ›...
Profiles of the World's 10 Safest Countries
- Iceland. ...
- New Zealand. ...
- Ireland. ...
- Denmark. ...
- Austria. ...
- Portugal. ...
- Slovenia. ...
- Czech Republic.
- Iceland. Ranked as the world's safest countries to travel to, Iceland is a top tier destination for a stress-free trip. ...
- Switzerland. ...
- Denmark. ...
- New Zealand. ...
- Canada. ...
- Spain. ...
- Portugal. ...
- Ireland.
- Mississippi. Mississippi's total score is 32.00, making it the most dangerous state in the United States. ...
- Louisiana. ...
- Florida. ...
- Arkansas. ...
- Texas. ...
- Oklahoma. ...
- Missouri. ...
- Alabama.
1. Dennis Rader, AKA the BTK Killer. Dennis Rader was a serial killer in Kansas who murdered 10 people over the span of three decades, dubbing himself BTK because he bound, tortured, and killed his victims.
Who is the biggest serial killer ever? ›- Jack the Ripper. ...
- Jeffrey Dahmer. ...
- Harold Shipman. ...
- John Wayne Gacy. ...
- H.H. Holmes. ...
- Pedro Lopez. ...
- Ted Bundy.
H.H. Holmes, byname of Herman Mudgett, (born May 16, 1861?, Gilmanton, New Hampshire, U.S.—died May 7, 1896, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), American swindler and confidence trickster who is widely considered the country's first known serial killer.
Which country is safest for girls? ›- Norway.
- Slovenia.
- Switzerland.
- Spain.
- Portugal.
- Canada.
- The Netherlands.
- Poland.
How Safe Is Japan? ›
How safe is Japan? Japan is generally safe and is rated among the safest countries in the world. Reports of crime such as theft are very low and travellers are often stunned by the fact that locals leave belongings unaccompanied in cafes and bars (though we certainly don't recommend it!).
What is the 1 best country to live in? ›The overall ranking of Best Countries measure global performance on a variety of metrics. Switzerland is the best country in the world for 2022.
Is USA or Europe safer? ›...
The safest countries for international students: Overview.
Personal safety rank in Europe | Country | SPI score |
---|---|---|
31 | Latvia | 74.60 |
— | United States (USA) | 72.67 |
32 | Albania | 72.29 |
Britons live (on average) two years longer than Americans. Better social welfare. UK suicide rate (per capita) is half that of the USA. UK rate of death by medical negligence (per capita) is much less than half the USA.
Is UK friendly with USA? ›The United States has no closer ally than the United Kingdom, and British foreign policy emphasizes close coordination with the United States. Bilateral cooperation reflects the common language, ideals, and democratic practices of the two nations.
Is Chicago safe at night? ›Is Chicago safe at night? Most parts of Chicago are relatively safe at night. However, it is not recommended that you go to any of the more dangerous neighborhoods in Chicago at night, especially if you are alone. If you must go to these places, do so in the daytime and with other people.
Is Mexico or Brazil safer? ›In terms of absolute number of murders in a year, Brazil has the most murders of any country by total number (62,318) followed by India (29,000), the USA (25,000) and Mexico (24,576). However, when the populations are taken into account, this translates to a higher murder rate.
Why does Chicago have so many Mexicans? ›Between 1943 and 1945, over 15,000 braceros, “guest workers” under contract with the U.S. and Mexican governments, arrived in the city to work. Many of these stayed after their contracts ended or returned to Chicago in the years after the war. By the late 1940s, Mexican settlements outside the city grew as well.
Which is the deadliest city in america? ›- Detroit, MI.
- Memphis, TN.
- Birmingham, AL.
- Baltimore, MD.
- St. Louis, MO.
- Kansas City, MO.
- Cleveland, OH.
- Little Rock, AR.
2022 rank | Metro area | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 1,348,509 |
2 | Anchorage, AK | 305,257 |
3 | Albuquerque, NM | 923,729 |
4 | Lubbock, TX | 324,679 |
What US city has highest crime? ›
...
Most Violent Cities in America 2022.
Rank | 1 |
---|---|
City | St. Louis |
State | Missouri |
Violent Crime Rate | 2,082 |
2022 Population | 298,034 |
Overall Rank* | City | Total Score |
---|---|---|
1 | Columbia, MD | 85.99 |
2 | Nashua, NH | 84.44 |
3 | Laredo, TX | 83.96 |
4 | Portland, ME | 83.49 |
In respect of Japan's apparent success in preventing and controlling crime, Japan is famed as a “low-crime nation”.
Is Australia safer than America? ›Overall, total crime is much greater in the United States than in Australia, but the rates for rape and assault in the two countries are approximately equal.
What is the safest city in America 2022? ›First up on our list of the Safest Cities in the US is Frisco, Texas. We begin our list by looking at Frisco, Texas. This city is just north of Dallas and is home to over 200,000 people.
When was the most violent time in US history? ›After World War II, crime rates increased in the United States, peaking from the 1970s to the early-1990s. Violent crime nearly quadrupled between 1960 and its peak in 1991.
What was the worst decade in modern history? ›The Great Depression was a social and economic disaster that brought misery to millions worldwide, making the 1930s one of the worst decades in history. Even in the 1920s, many countries around the world, particularly Britain, were still recovering from the recession caused by World War I.
What are the bloodiest event in United States? ›The Vietnam War: 58,220
A total of 58,220 servicemen gave their lives in the Vietnam War. The worst and bloodiest fighting spanned 1967 to 1969, when more than 40,000 American soldiers were killed in the months and years surrounding the Tet Offensive.
Reported violent crime rate in the United States
The rate of reported violent crime has fallen since a high of 758.20 reported crimes in 1991 to a low of 361.6 reported violent crimes in 2014.
The heaviest loss of life for a single day occurred on July 1, 1916, during the Battle of the Somme, when the British Army suffered 57,470 casualties.
What country has the lowest crime rate? ›
- Iceland — 1.107.
- New Zealand — 1.269.
- Ireland — 1.288.
- Denmark — 1.296.
- Austria — 1.300.
- Portugal — 1.301.
- Slovenia — 1.316.
- Czech Republic — 1.318.
But both Hitler and Stalin were outdone by Mao Zedong. From 1958 to 1962, his Great Leap Forward policy led to the deaths of up to 45 million people—easily making it the biggest episode of mass murder ever recorded.
What was the worst time to be alive? ›Ask medieval historian Michael McCormick what year was the worst to be alive, and he's got an answer: "536." Not 1349, when the Black Death wiped out half of Europe. Not 1918, when the flu killed 50 million to 100 million people, mostly young adults.
What is the best decade to be alive? ›- 1 1980s. The 80s is like a wild and free teenager, brimming with life, and full of crazy styles and new ideas. ...
- 2 1990s. Starting in 1992, the Cold War had ended, The USSR no longer exists, the U.S. economy boost. ...
- 3 2000s. Decent time. ...
- 4 1970s. ...
- 5 1960s. ...
- 6 2010s. ...
- 7 1950s. ...
- 8 1920s.
In essence, everywhere that anyone turned the zeitgeist was utterly apocalyptic in the late 530s and early 540s. With that being said, for all the reasons I mentioned, and all the ones I didn't, the period from 535 to 544 was arguably the darkest decade of the Dark Ages, if not of all time.
Which war killed the most Americans? ›The American Civil War is the conflict with the largest number of American military fatalities in history. In fact, the Civil War's death toll is comparable to all other major wars combined, the deadliest of which were the World Wars, which have a combined death toll of more than 520,000 American fatalities.
What is the single deadliest day in American history? ›The deadliest single day battle in American history, if all engaged armies are considered, is the Battle of Antietam with 5,389 killed, including both United States and Confederate soldiers (total casualties for both sides was 22,717 dead, wounded, or missing Union and Confederate soldiers September 17, 1862).
What was the most violent time in history? ›The most violent time in world history are the years 1939-1945 as this was the time of World War II. The exact number of deaths that happened as a direct result of this conflict cannot be known, but the best estimates put the number around 75 million people.
Does most crime happen at night? ›...
Violent Crimes Most Likely to Occur At Night.
Offense | At Night Percentage | During the Day Percentage |
---|---|---|
Property Crime | 48% | 52% |
Simple Assault | 47% | 53% |
Drug Violation | 43% | 57% |
Larceny/Theft | 40% | 60% |