Which states have the highest and lowest crime rates?
Crime rates in the US hit record lows in 2024, while Hawaii saw the nation’s largest surge: violent crime was up 16.4%, and property crime was up 16.6%.
In 2024, Alaska recorded the nation’s highest violent crime rate and New Mexico 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 been trending downward for decades, including in 2024. While crime rates constantly fluctuate, overall violent crime and property crime rates are both at their lowest points since 1976, the earliest year of available data.
State-by-state, though, crime rates vary because of factors like urbanization levels, economic conditions, and law enforcement effectiveness.
What are violent and property crimes?
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program classifies violent crimes as those involving force or the threat of force. They are categorized into four specific offenses: murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.
The UCR defines property crime as a crime during which someone takes money or property without using force or threats. Property crimes includes burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft.
Arson is also considered a property crime, and total offenses are reported, but the numbers are too small to calculate reliable rates—so the FBI does not publish arson rates.
States with the highest and lowest crime rates
Alaska had the highest violent crime rate of any state in 2024, at 724.1 incidents per 100,000 residents, followed by New Mexico (717.1), Tennessee (592.3), Arkansas (579.4) and Louisiana (519.8).
The states with the least violent crimes were Maine (100.1), New Hampshire (110.1), Connecticut (136.0), Rhode Island (153.6), and Wyoming (203.4). The US average was 359.1 per 100,000 people.
Alaska and New Mexico had the highest violent crime rates in 2024.
Reported violent crimes per 100,000 people by state, 2024
New Mexico had the highest property crime rate among states that year, at 2,751.1 crimes per 100,000 residents, followed by Colorado (2,592.8), Washington state (2,466.5), Oregon (2,388.0), and Louisiana (2,296.4). The states with the fewest property crimes were Idaho (736.3), New Hampshire (918.0), Rhode Island (1,032.4), Massachusetts (1,112.1), and Maine (1,142.1). The US average was 1,760.1 per 100,000 people.
New Mexico and Colorado had 2024’s highest property crime rates.
Reported property crimes per 100,000 people by state, 2024
A range of factors influence variations in crime rates across states and regions. The FBI identifies elements that affect both the amount and type of crime, including:
- Population density and urbanization
- Age — the 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 characteristics
- Family dynamics, including divorce rates and unity
- The climate
- Law enforcement strength
- Law enforcement strategies and focus
- Criminal justice system policies (prosecution, judiciary, corrections, probation)
- Public attitudes toward crime
- Crime reporting habits
What are the crime rates in your area?
Reported violent and property crime rates by state, 2024
Washington, DC, had higher crime rates in both categories than any state, but comparing its rates to other cities is more fitting. For more info on 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. Their violent crime rate was 22.1% lower than lower than the US average; the property crime rate was 16.9% lower.
In 2024, four of the five states with the lowest property crime rates and the four lowest violent crime rates were in the Northeast. New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island were among the states with the lowest rates for both types.
Crime rates were highest in the West: the region’s violent crime rate was 21.0% higher than the rest of the country, and the property crime rate was 18.5% higher.
Western states had the four highest property crime rates and the two highest violent crime rates.
How have crime rates changed over time?
The nation’s crime rate began consistently declining in the early 1990s. Since 1991 the national property crime rate has fallen every year except for one, and the violent crimes rate dropped in every year but five.
From 1976 to 2024, crime rates were lower for both property and violent crimes. Property crime went from a rate of 4,819.5 per 100,000 people in 1976 to 1,760.1, a decline of 63.5%. Violent crime dropped by 23.2% — from a rate of 467.8 per 100,000 in 1976 to 359.1 in 2024.
At the state level, property crime rates over the past 20 years are down in every state, and violent crime rates are down in 39 of 50.
National crime rates have been generally declining since 1991.
Reported violent and property crime rates per 100,000 people, 1976–2024
Where have violent crime rates changed?
Violent crime rates decreased in 39 states and in Washington, DC, between 2004 and 2024. It declined by over 45% in Florida, Connecticut, and Illinois.
The three states with increases — North Dakota (221.3%), South Dakota (111.3%), and Vermont (95.6%) — had some of the nation’s lowest violent crime rates in 2004.
Violent crime rates fell in 39 states and Washington, DC, since 2004.
Percent change in reported violent crime rates between 2004 and 2024
Between 2023 and 2024, violent crime decreased in 36 states and in Washington, DC. The largest decreases were in Iowa (13.1%), Washington, DC (12.6%), and Alabama (10.9%), while the greatest annual increases were in Hawaii (16.4%), Wyoming (6.4%), and Vermont (4.1%)
Nationally, the violent crime rate fell 5.4% between 2023 and 2024 with the largest decline in the murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate, which fell from 5.9 to 5.0, a 15.3% drop.
Where have property crime rates changed?
The property crime rate in every state and Washington, DC, was lower in 2024 than in 2004. Property crime rates declined more than 65% in Idaho, Arizona, Florida, and Utah. North Dakota’s rate had the smallest decrease, at 12.2%.
Property crime rates have fallen in every state and Washington, DC, since 2004.
Percent change in reported property crime rates between 2004 and 2024
From 2023 to 2024, the property crime rate declined in 47 states and Washington, DC. Nebraska’s fell the most — 17.7% — followed by Wyoming (16.2%), Washington state (14.6%), and Washington, DC (14.3%). Of the three states with an increase, Hawaii’s rose the most: 16.6%.
Nationally, the property crime rate decreased by 9.0% between 2023 and 2024, with the largest decline being a 19.5% drop in motor vehicle thefts.
Larceny – the theft of personal property – made up 72.3% of property crimes included in FBI data, up from 60.6% of property crimes in 1976; the remaining crimes were motor vehicle theft (14.7%) and burglary (13.0%).
Where does this data come from?
The FBI is the main government source of US crime data. Since 1929, it’s collected crime data from local law enforcement agencies through the Summary Reporting System (SRS). The FBI has used this data to estimate national, regional, and state crime statistics since the 1960s.
The FBI phased out the SRS in 2021 in favor of the more comprehensive NIBRS, which collects data on single incidents instead of aggregated summaries of crimes, allowing the data to capture more specific crime information.
The latest data available from the SRS is from 2020, while the NIBRS has data through 2024.
Law enforcement agencies are still transitioning to the new system. As of 2024, agencies report to NIBRS covered 94.7% of the US population; in five states and Washington, DC, data covered 100% of the population.
Mississippi and Florida had the lowest coverage of crime data reported to the FBI.
Percent of population served by NIBRS reporting agencies, 2024
The FBI has always used partial population data to estimate crime outcomes , even in areas that don’t report. The more agencies that report data to the FBI, the more accurate the estimates become. This article uses data from both the NIBRS and the SRS to shed light on both recent geographic trends and trends over time.
Note that the estimates used were calculated by the FBI using recent NIBRS data to replicate the estimation methodology previously applied to SRS data. This helps make the estimates comparable over time despite the change in reporting systems, although relatively lower reporting rates during the transition to NIBRS may still impact accuracy, so the data provided throughout this piece can still be used to approximate crime rate trends over time.
Find out which cities have the highest murder rates, how many people are in prison in the US, and get more data by subscribing to our weekly newsletter.
