A new report that aims to rank the safest states in the country gives New Jersey high marks across the board including the top rating for least violent crime.
A study from Inner Body analyzed data on “crimes against persons” nationwide during 2021 using the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The analysis determined the prevalence of each crime per 10,000 residents by state and then multiplied each incidence by its weighted value and summed the totals.
Homicides were weighted the highest, accounting for 50% of the study’s ranking. Sex offenses followed at 20% of the weighting, followed by kidnapping/abduction (11%), human trafficking (11%), and assaults (8%).
Ultimately, the higher the score, the greater the prevalence of crime in that state. The study notably did not include Florida in their analysis because the state did not provide crime data for the specified time period to the FBI.
New Jersey was found to be the safest state in the country overall according to the data, with the least reported assaults per capita in the country at just 43 per 10,000 people. The Garden State also had the lowest number of sex offenses in nationwide at 2.52 per 10,000 people.
New Jersey’s neighbor, New York, also scored in the top 10, nabbing the 6th lowest crime ranking in the country. Nevada ranked as the most dangerous state in the country, while Arkansas had more assaults in 2021 than any other state (nearly 214 per every 10,000 people).
Assaults were overall the most common crime committed against people during 2021, accounting for over 91% of the total crimes reported. 2021 also saw a total of 48,830 gun deaths in the U.S., the highest yearly total on record and up 23% from 2019.
Polling shows that at least 60% of U.S. adults believe that more crimes are being committed nationally compared to the previous year. But the statistics show that crime has fallen nationwide since the highs of 2020 when, based on available FBI data, the murder rate in the U.S. rose by nearly 30% for the largest single-year increase in over a century.
Overall, the U.S. crime rate has been steadily declining since 1991, reaching its lowest point on record in 2014. Between 1993 and 2019, the rate of violent crime fell by 49%, with significant decreases in the rates of robbery (-68%), murder and non-negligent manslaughter (-47%), and aggravated assault (-43%).
