3. Tennessee
• Violent crime rate: 623.7 per 100,000 people
• Total 2018 murders: 498 (13th highest)
• Imprisonment rate: 553 adults per 100,000 (18th highest)
• Poverty rate: 15.3% (9th highest)
• Most dangerous city: Memphis
Tennessee has the highest violent crime rate of any state in the South and the third highest of any state nationwide. There were 42,226, violent crimes in Tennessee in 2018, more than double the number reported in Virginia, a state home to over 1.5 million more people than Tennessee.
Much of the violence reported in Tennessee in 2018 was committed in Memphis. The city accounted for roughly 30% of all violent crime in Tennessee and ranks as the most dangerous city in the state with a violent crime rate of 1,943.2 per 100,000.
2. New Mexico
• Violent crime rate: 856.6 per 100,000 people
• Total 2018 murders: 167 (22nd lowest)
• Imprisonment rate: 448 adults per 100,000 (23rd lowest)
• Poverty rate: 19.5% (2nd highest)
• Most dangerous city: Gallup
New Mexico's violent crime rate of 856.6 incidents per 100,000 people is the highest in the contiguous 48 states and second highest nationwide. There were 17,949 violent crimes reported in New Mexico in 2018, a 10.1% increase from the previous year and the largest increase of any state.
Crime tends to be higher in areas where large shares of the population are struggling. In New Mexico, which is one of only two states with a violent crime rate more than double the national average, 19.5% of the population lives below the poverty line
1. Alaska
• Violent crime rate: 885 per 100,000 people
• Total 2018 murders: 47 (12th lowest)
• Imprisonment rate: 343 adults per 100,000 (14th lowest)
• Poverty rate: 10.9% (13th lowest)
• Most dangerous city: Anchorage
There were 885 violent crimes in Alaska for every 100,000 people in 2018, the most of any state and well above the national rate of 380.6 per 100,000. As is typically the case, aggravated assault accounts for the vast majority of violence in the state.
Rape, too, is especially common in Alaska. There were 161.6 rapes reported for every 100,000 people in Alaska in 2018, by far the highest rape rate of any state. Crime can tend to concentrate in areas that lack economic opportunity. In Alaska, 6.6% of the population was out of a job in 2018, the highest annual unemployment rate among states
The top 3 states with the highest crime rate of murder and violent crime. Yes it is per capital but a valid way to compare states with larger populations to states with smaller populations.