A new analysis from Omega Law Group of the FBI’s 2024 Reported Crimes in the Nation data has identified the states where residents face the highest overall risk of crime, revealing sharp geographic disparities that persist even as national crime rates continue to fall.
The study finds a violent crime occurs somewhere in the United States every 25.9 seconds, adding up to an estimated 1,221,345 violent crimes in 2024 alone. Year over year, the picture is improving on paper. Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter fell 14.9%, robbery dropped 8.9%, rape declined 5.2%, and aggravated assault fell 3%, alongside decreases in burglary (8.6%) and larceny theft (5.5%). Yet those gains follow a severe post-pandemic crime surge, including a 44% increase in homicides between 2020 and 2021, meaning recent declines largely represent a correction from historic highs rather than a sustained improvement on pre-pandemic levels. Aggravated assault illustrates that uneven recovery clearly, still accounting for more than 71.3% of violent crime and remaining elevated compared with 2020.
Property crime tells a similarly mixed story. Larceny theft made up 72.3% of all property offenses in 2024, occurring at a rate of roughly one offense for every 57 U.S. residents, and racked up 2,505,747 victims nationwide, a statistically larger toll than many violent crime categories combined. Combined violent and property crime exceeded 2,100 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants nationally, though that average conceals enormous regional variation. Some states now report violent crime rates more than seven times higher than the safest parts of the country, a reminder that national trends and local lived experience of crime often diverge sharply.
Looking specifically at crimes against persons, which include assault, homicide, kidnapping, human trafficking and sex offenses, the District of Columbia posted the nation’s highest rate in 2024 at 3,178.4 offenses per 100,000 residents, followed by New Mexico (2,274.5), New York (2,070.7), Arkansas (2,067.3) and Tennessee (2,048.7). Nevada, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Illinois and Alaska rounded out a top ten in which every state recorded more than 1,600 offenses per 100,000 residents.
Property crime rankings show an even wider gap. The District of Columbia again led the nation at 6,982.3 property offenses per 100,000 residents, with New Mexico following at 4,946.1, both dramatically above the national average of 1,760.1. Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Maryland, Delaware, Tennessee and Arkansas all exceeded 3,000 property crimes per 100,000 residents, putting homes, vehicles and personal property at elevated risk across a wide swath of the country.
A third category, crimes against society, covering drug offenses, weapons violations, gambling and pornography offenses, produced a different leaderboard entirely. North Dakota (1,570.6) and South Dakota (1,540.8) posted the nation’s highest rates, while Tennessee, Arkansas, Delaware and South Carolina all exceeded 1,000 offenses per 100,000 residents. Utah and Idaho also ranked among the nation’s top ten for this category despite comparatively low violent and property crime rates, driven largely by rising drug and weapons offenses.
Combining all three categories, the District of Columbia leads the nation overall with 11,159.0 total offenses per 100,000 residents, followed by New Mexico (8,117.6), Tennessee (6,524.8), Nevada (6,373.3) and Arkansas (6,292.8). Colorado, Delaware, North Dakota, South Carolina and South Dakota complete a top ten in which every state recorded more than 5,895 total offenses per 100,000 residents.
The analysis also points to economic conditions as a recurring factor behind these rankings. Against a national poverty rate of 12.1% in 2024, New Mexico recorded 18.4%, the District of Columbia 16.5%, Arkansas 16.3%, South Carolina 14.6%, Nevada 14.1% and Tennessee 13.6%. Unemployment followed a related but not identical pattern, with Nevada and the District of Columbia both at 5.2% against a 4% national rate, while Arkansas and South Carolina posted lower unemployment of 3.5% despite poverty rates above 14%, suggesting that low unemployment alone does not guarantee financial stability or lower crime risk.
“Crime statistics can feel abstract until you or someone you love becomes a victim,” said a spokesperson for Omega Law Group, PC. “Understanding where and why crime is concentrated helps us better serve the Californians who come to us after their lives have been upended by someone else’s criminal actions.”
