These States Have the Highest Crime Rates in America — and the Numbers Reveal a Bigger Divide Than Most People Realize

Crime in the United States is often discussed as a national trend, but the reality looks very different once you zoom in by state. While federal data shows both violent and property crime continuing a long-term decline, 2024 figures reveal a sharper divide underneath the surface — where some states are experiencing rates far above the national average, even as the country overall becomes statistically safer.

According to USAFacts, the national violent crime rate sits at 359.1 per 100,000 people, while property crime averages 1,760.1 per 100,000 residents. Those numbers set the baseline. But several states sit hundreds of points above it — creating a completely different safety landscape depending on where you live.

Alaska Records the Highest Violent Crime Rate in the Nation at 724.1 per 100,000

Alaska leads the country in violent crime with a rate of 724.1 incidents per 100,000 residents, which is roughly 365 more violent crimes per 100,000 people than the national average. Put another way, Alaska’s rate is about 2 times higher than the U.S. baseline, making it the most extreme outlier in the dataset.

Behind Alaska is New Mexico, reporting 717.1 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, only slightly lower but still dramatically above national levels. That gap still represents more than 350 additional violent incidents per 100,000 people compared to the national average, keeping New Mexico firmly in second place.

Tennessee follows with 592.3, Arkansas with 579.4, and Louisiana at 519.8 violent crimes per 100,000 residents. Each of these states sits well above the U.S. benchmark, with differences ranging from 160 to nearly 360 extra violent incidents per 100,000 people depending on the state.

What stands out most is not just the ranking, but the consistency of elevation. These states are not slightly above average they are significantly higher, suggesting persistent structural factors influencing crime rates, from geography and population distribution to economic conditions and law enforcement capacity.

Even as national violent crime trends continue to fall over time, the spread between the safest and highest-rate states remains wide enough to be felt in everyday life.

New Mexico Tops Property Crime Nationwide at 2,751.1 per 100,000 Residents

When it comes to property crime, New Mexico takes the lead with a staggering 2,751.1 incidents per 100,000 residents. That figure is about 991 cases higher than the national average of 1,760.1, placing it far ahead of every other state.

Colorado ranks second at 2,592.8 per 100,000, followed closely by Washington at 2,466.5, Oregon at 2,388.0, and Louisiana at 2,296.4. All five of these states exceed the national average by a significant margin typically ranging from 500 to nearly 1,000 additional property crimes per 100,000 residents.

This category includes offenses like burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft crimes that may not always make headlines but directly affect daily life. A higher property crime rate often translates into more residents dealing with stolen vehicles, break-ins, insurance claims, and repeat security concerns.

New Mexico’s position at the top is especially notable because it doesn’t just lead property crime — it also ranks near the top for violent crime, creating a dual-pressure environment for residents.

Louisiana and New Mexico Appear on Both High-Crime Lists

While many states show up in either violent crime or property crime rankings, only a few appear consistently across both categories. Louisiana and New Mexico are the clearest examples.

Louisiana reports 519.8 violent crimes per 100,000 residents and 2,296.4 property crimes per 100,000, placing it in the top five nationally for both. That means residents are facing elevated risks not just in one category, but across the full spectrum of reported crime.

New Mexico, meanwhile, combines 717.1 violent crimes per 100,000 with the highest property crime rate in the country at 2,751.1 per 100,000 residents. That combination makes it one of the most consistently high-crime states in America, statistically appearing at or near the top in both major categories.

When states appear in both rankings, the concern shifts from isolated issues to broader systemic conditions. It suggests that multiple types of crime — not just one — are elevated at the same time, creating a more complex safety picture for residents and policymakers.

Tennessee, Arkansas, Colorado, and Washington Also Remain Above National Benchmarks

Beyond the top two states in each category, several others consistently show elevated crime levels.

Tennessee’s violent crime rate of 592.3 per 100,000 places it well above the national average by more than 230 incidents per 100,000 residents. Arkansas, at 579.4, follows a similar pattern, remaining significantly above baseline levels.

In the property crime category, Colorado’s 2,592.8 per 100,000 and Washington’s 2,466.5 per 100,000 both stand out as being roughly 700 to 900 incidents above national averages. Oregon also remains high at 2,388.0 per 100,000, continuing a regional pattern in parts of the western United States where property crime rates tend to be elevated compared to the national mean.

While these states do not always rank first in either category, their consistency above average shows that elevated crime is not limited to one region — it appears across both western and southern states in different forms.

Why the Numbers Don’t Tell Just One Story

Despite these rankings, USAFacts data also highlights an important national trend: overall crime is still down compared to historic highs. Both violent and property crime rates remain significantly lower than decades ago, and the long-term trajectory continues to show gradual improvement.

However, the differences between states remain substantial. In some cases, residents in high-crime states are experiencing rates that are 50% to 100% higher than the national average, depending on the category. That gap means two Americans living in different states may have completely different perceptions of safety, even if national headlines suggest uniform improvement.

It is also important to note that crime statistics are influenced by many local factors — including population density, economic conditions, reporting practices, and law enforcement resources. These numbers represent reported incidents per 100,000 people, not individual experiences or neighborhood-level conditions.

Still, the state-by-state breakdown provides a clear reminder that national averages can mask sharp regional differences.

The Bigger Picture: A Safer Nation With Uneven Outcomes

The most important takeaway from the 2024 data is not that crime is rising everywhere — it is not. Instead, the United States is experiencing a long-term decline in overall crime, while simultaneously dealing with persistent high-rate pockets in certain states.

Alaska leads in violent crime at 724.1 per 100,000, New Mexico leads in property crime at 2,751.1 per 100,000, and Louisiana appears in the top five for both categories. Meanwhile, national averages remain significantly lower, reinforcing a widening gap between high-rate and low-rate states.

In practical terms, this means safety in America is increasingly shaped by geography. A resident in one state may be experiencing crime rates dramatically above the national average, while another lives in a state where rates are far lower.

The numbers tell a clear story: the United States may be trending safer overall, but the experience of safety still depends heavily on where you stand on the map.