15 Most Dangerous
States for 2008
Previous-
Sandy Huffaker, Getty Images
Better Lock Your Doors!
The results of CQ Press's annual Crime State Rankings are in. Join us as we reveal which 15 states were ranked as the most dangerous for 2008.
States are compared against the national average for six crimes, each carrying equal weight.
Click through our gallery and see if your state made the list.
Next: The No. 1 Most Dangerous -
David McNew, Getty Images
No 1: Nevada
For the fifth consecutive year, Nevada tops the rankings as the nation's Most Dangerous State. On a positive note, however, its property crime rate showed improvement.
Rankings in Crime (out of 50 states)
(1 = Worst, 50 = Best)
Assault: 8
Burglary: 6
Murder: 3
Motor Vehicle Theft: 1
Rape: 8
Robbery: 1
Next: No. 2 Most Dangerous -
Norman Ng, Kansas City Star / MCT
No. 2: Louisiana
Things have gotten worse in Louisiana. The state climbs to the No. 2 spot, all the way from the No. 10 spot it held last year. It has the highest murder rate of any state.
Rankings in Crime (out of 50)
Assault: 4
Burglary: 4
Murder: 1
Motor Vehicle Theft: 19
Rape: 15
Robbery: 19
Next: No. 3 Most Dangerous -
Steve Northup, Time Life Pictures | Getty Images
No. 3: New Mexico
New Mexico's coiffed tourist image of open desert spaces, Earth-conscious living and colorful hot-air balloons belie a serious crime problem in this border state.
Rankings in Crime (out of 50)
Assault: 6
Burglary: 3
Murder: 10 (tie)
Motor Vehicle Theft: 8
Rape: 2
Robbery: 24
Next: No. 4 Most Dangerous -
Rich Glickstein, The State | MCT
No. 4: South Carolina
Whatever happened to Southern hospitality? Sunny South Carolina is charged with the highest assault problem in the Most Dangerous States list
Rankings in Crime (out of 50)
Assault: 1
Burglary: 7
Murder: 4 (tie)
Motor Vehicle Theft: 15
Rape: 12
Robbery: 18
Next: No. 5 Most Dangerous -
AP
No. 5: Arizona
Another border state tops the list of Most Dangerous States; there's more to fear here than black widow spiders and scorpions.
Rankings in Crime (out of 50)
Assault: 16
Burglary: 12
Murder: 7
Motor Vehicle Theft: 2
Rape: 25
Robbery: 16
Next: No. 6 Most Dangerous -
Landon Nordeman, Getty Images
No. 6: Tennessee
Tennessee residents might sing about love for country and neighbor, but lag behind in showing it. The state earns the No. 2 slot for most assaults.
Rankings in Crime (out of 50)
Assault: 2
Burglary: 5
Murder: 10 (tie)
Motor Vehicle Theft: 17
Rape: 19
Robbery: 7
Next: No. 7 Most Dangerous -
Hector Mata, Getty Images
No. 7: Maryland
Hugging the nation's high-crime capital, struggling to revitalize Baltimore and growing its gambling industry, Maryland has the second-highest murder and robbery rate.
Rankings in Crime (out of 50)
Assault: 10
Burglary: 25
Murder: 2
Motor Vehicle Theft: 7
Rape: 46
Robbery: 2
Next: No. 8 Most Dangerous -
Tom Davis, The Record / MCT
No. 8: Alaska
Alaska is plagued with having the highest number of rape cases. There could be a correlation with alcohol abuse, also known to plague the state.
Rankings in Crime (out of 50)
Assault: 3
Burglary: 29
Murder: 22
Motor Vehicle Theft: 16
Rape: 1
Robbery: 31
Next: No. 9 Most Dangerous -
Stephen M. Dowell, Orlando Sentinel / MCT
No. 9: Florida
It has been commented on a city-data.com forum that Florida crime is not concentrated in one area, but rather spread across the state.
Rankings in Crime (out of 50)
Assault: 5
Burglary: 10
Murder: 15
Motor Vehicle Theft: 12
Rape: 17
Robbery: 5
Next: No. 10 Most Dangerous -
Romain Blanquart, Detroit Free Press / MCT
No. 10: Michigan
Michigan is home to two of the three most dangerous cities in America, according to the latest CM Press city rankings. Detroit ranks first and Flint ranks third.
Rankings in Crime (out of 50)
Assault: 13
Burglary: 18
Murder: 9
Motor Vehicle Theft: 7
Rape: 3
Robbery: 17
Next: No. 11 Most Dangerous -
Alex Wong, Getty Images
No. 11: Arkansas
The home to former President Bill Clinton rises in the rankings for the 5th year in a row. After hovering in the middle of the pack in 2004, Arkansas now ranks in the top 10 of four of the six crime categories.
Rankings in Crime (out of 50)
Assault: 9
Burglary: 2
Murder: 8
Motor Vehicle Theft: 34
Rape: 5
Robbery: 30
Next: No. 12 Most Dangerous -
Pat Crowe II, AP
No. 12: Delaware
The First State has taken a sharp rise up the list over the past two years as it moved from 24th in 2006, to 18th in 2007 to 12th this year thanks to high rankings for assault, rape & robbery.
Rankings in Crime (out of 50)
Assault: 7
Burglary: 20
Murder: 24
Motor Vehicle Theft: 23
Rape: 4
Robbery: 3
Next: No. 13 Most Dangerous -
Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
No. 13: California
Even though California makes the top 15 list for Most Dangerous States, the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice states that crime rates in California have fallen over the last two decades.
Rankings in Crime (out of 50)
Assault: 18
Burglary: 24
Murder: 10 (tie)
Motor Vehicle Theft: 4
Rape: 41
Robbery: 4
Next: No. 14 Most Dangerous -
Danny Einsel, Getty Images
No. 14: Texas
The home of President George Bush ranked in the top 10 Most Dangerous States as recently as 2004 but has steadily improved since.
Rankings in Crime (out of 50)
Assault: 15
Burglary: 13
Murder: 18
Motor Vehicle Theft: 13
Rape: 18
Robbery: 12
Next: No. 15 Most Dangerous -
Gary Tramontina, Getty Images
No. 15: Alabama
Seems in Alabama, they get serious fast. While only ranking 25th for assault, they tie South Carolina at No. 4 for murder.
Rankings in Crime (out of 50)
Assault: 25
Burglary: 8
Murder: 4 (tie)
Motor Vehicle Theft: 26
Rape: 16
Robbery: 13
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Next: See Safest States -
Hector Mata, Getty Images
15 Safest States in U.S.
Now that you've seen which states are the most dangerous in America, find out which are the safest states to live in.
15 Safest States in America
· Buy Full Crime Report
Next: See Most Dangerous Cities -
Mark Duncan, AP
Most Dangerous Cities in U.S.
Want to dig deeper? You've seen the safest and most dangerous states in America, now check out which cities CQ Press ranks as the most dangerous and safest.
Most Dangerous Cities
Next: See Safest CitiesRelated Links:
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Cary, NC (www.townofcary.org)
Safest Cities in America
California, New York, New Jersey, Texas and Massachusetts all have cities that made it into the the top 10 list of safest American cities.
Full List of Safest Cities
Next: Best States to Own a Car -
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Recent Comments
Bedowin789 08:01:57 AM May 13 2008
ComfyPawsPC 03:07:20 PM Apr 26 2008
Report This! so since when is New Mexico a 'border' state?
you're kidding right?
Bedowin789 08:01:22 AM May 13 2008
why cant libs get their people to be gentle and tolerant?
Doway1609 10:52:24 AM Apr 28 2008
I don't think that Nevada is No 1 on the most dangerous list. I don't hear too much crime action there, the state that SHOULD be the most dangerous and which have left out is NEW JERSEY! The crime rite here is VERY HIGH! Dangerous cities are: Camden, Newark, Jersey City, Trenton, Ashbury Park, and Plainfield. Pennsylvania should be in the most safest list excluding Philadelphia. I been in New Hope and Lancaster years ago and i never seen so much calmness and beauty of the country side. People are friendly there which the OPPOSITE side is NJ, people here in North Jersey are the rudest and the most cold. DONT COME HERE!
Rphillipsalx 11:29:38 PM Apr 26 2008
The PROBLEM with these statistics is the way they are figured, i.e., per Capita. There are many more people in New Mexico at any particular time compared to the population than most states. Military, illegals, tourists, vacation home ownere, and people just traveling through are very significant compared to the permanent population. Also, growing populations relative to other states skew the numbers until a new sensus is taken. Note that most of the "Best" and "Worst" states are low population western states. One-issue activists such as MADD jump on this, loudly complaining that New Mexico is the "Worst" state for drunk driving. This is balderdash. I saw driving to be about the same as any other state. Stop publishing this stuff!, as it totally mischaracterizes New Mexicp and other western states and invites Draconian measures where they are not needed or called for.
RtOfCenter99 10:50:22 AM Apr 26 2008
The darker the skin, the higher the crime rate. It's really that simple.
I'm not saying whether it's genetic or cultural - I don't know - but it's a fact.
Homeintwoorso 12:26:10 PM Apr 24 2008
In Maryland we finally have a politician that is keeping his campaign promises. OâMally promised to do for all of Maryland what he did for Baltimore. He is!!!! He is running it strait into the ground. He took a budget surplus and turned it into a major deficit his first year in office. Baltimore has a HIGH crime rate and he is making sure that this crime rate is spread throughout the state. The whole place is going to potty (oh ... my mistake ⦠that is Montgomery county MD)
ERDEBOSS2 08:04:59 AM Apr 24 2008
HEY,,,,,,,MY CREDIT SCORE IS DOWN,,,OMG!! LOL,,LOL,,,LOL,,,,
ERDEBOSS2 08:03:26 AM Apr 24 2008
YOUR DAUGHTER IS ON HER WAY TO A SCHOOL,,THAT HOUSES,TEACHES NOTHING,,AND ENDANGERS THE LIFEBLOOD OF EVERY INTER CITY AREA ON THE MAP,,,NO AREA,,NOT SOUTH ,NORTH OR EAST AND ESPECIALLY WEST IS IMMUNE OR SAFE,,,GOVERNMENT PROTECTION IS ALL OVERSEAS IN IRAQ,,,IN GD IRAQ!!!!!,,,,,I QUIT WORKING,,IM SELLING EVERYTHING FOR PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR,,,GET CASH,,,YOUR HOUSE WONT BE WORTH THE LUMBER,,YOULL WANT TO DISMANTLE IT TO STAY WARM,,,YES,,PIECE BY PIECE,,IN THE FIREPLACE,,,FOOD IS AT AN ALL TIME HIGH DUE TO THE" BUSH TEAM",,,OMG,,,WHAT IN HELL HAVE WE DONE IS THE NAME CHRISTIAN FREEDOM,,,,,,,,,,,RELIGION IS AS MUCH A FAIRY TALE AS SANTA CLAUSE,,,,,,,,DEATH AND CLOCKWORK ORANGE,,NOW THAT WILL BE AS REAL AS YOUR BREAKFAST BURRITO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!AND YOUR NOW TANKED AND GONE 401K,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL,,,LOL,,LOL
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| Type | Current | APR |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Yr Fixed Mtg | 5.82% | 5.97% |
| 15 Yr Fixed Mtg | 5.34% | 5.61% |
| 30 Yr Fixed Jumbo Mtg | 6.58% | 6.81% |
| 3/1 ARM | 5.34% | 5.52% |
| 3/1 ARM (I/O) | 5.12% | 5.44% |
| 5/1 ARM | 5.21% | 5.44% |
| 5/1 ARM (I/O) | 5.25% | 5.45% |
| 7/1 ARM | 5.46% | 5.54% |
| 7/1 ARM (I/O) | 5.50% |