text: Although the risk of deadly shootings appears to have escalated, violence in the United States is trending downward. In 1995, there were 685 violent incidents per 100,000 people nationwide. By 2014, the national violent crime rate had fallen to 366 violent crimes per 100,000 people. The United States is far from the most peaceful place on earth, however, and some states remain far more violent than others. 
   
   24/7 Wall St. generated an index to rank the peacefulness of each U.S. state. States with high violent crime and homicide rates, as well as high estimated small arms ownership and high incarceration rates were identified as less peaceful, while states with lower incidences of these factors were more peaceful. According to our index, Maine is the most peaceful state, while Louisiana is the least peaceful. 
   
   In an interview with 24/7 Wall St., Dr. Nancy La Vigne, director of the Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center, made clear that states are not simply violent, or peaceful. Rather, they fall onto a continuum. This is partially due to the fact that the concentration of violence varies so much geographically, even within states. 
   
   Click here to see America’s most violent (and peaceful) states. 
   
   Click here to read our methodology. 
   
   “Even within cities that tend to have higher crime rates and even within neighborhoods that are well known to have lots of violent crime, there are pockets of peaceful streets and pockets of violent ones,” La Vigne said. 
   
   A slew of factors contribute to violence in a community. La Vigne noted that many factors are involved and anything from low incomes and the presence of 15 to 25 year old men to a combination of environmental conditions can help explain unrest in an area. “Vacant housing, burned out streetlights, [and] signs of disorder … can predict where crime might be more concentrated,” she said. 
   
   In the vast majority of the nation’s more peaceful states, households earn higher incomes, while incomes tended to be much lower in more violent states. Of the 25 states on the top end of the peacefulness ranking, only five have poverty rates higher than the national rate of 15.5%. Of the more violent half of states, poverty rates tend to be higher. 
   
   A perfectly peaceful community would have no need for weapons or law enforcement workers. Of course, some number of police officers are needed to keep the peace even in the least violent areas. Past a certain threshold, however, large enforcement operations are features of less peaceful states. The ratio of law enforcement employees to state residents exceeded the national proportion of 282 law enforcement workers per 100,000 Americans in eight of the 10 least peaceful states. On the other hand, all but two of the 10 most peaceful states had proportionately smaller police forces. 
   
   The connection between law enforcement and peaceful society is not yet completely understood. Crime continued to drop in the United States during the most recent economic downturn, even as police spending dramatically fell. Also, whether more policing equals greater peace largely depends on what police are doing. La Vigne gave the example of aggressive stop-and-frisk tactics, which frequently alienate law-abiding citizens who might otherwise have aided in crime prevention. ||||| 10. Arizona 
   
   > Violent crime rate: 399.9 per 100,000 (16th highest) 
   
   > Murder and non-negligent manslaughter rate: 4.7 per 100,000 (20th highest) 
   
   > Median household income: $50,068 (21st lowest) 
   
   > June unemployment rate: 5.8% (9th highest) 
   
   Arizona is the 10th least peaceful state in the nation. In addition to an above-average violent crime rate, the incidences of property crime, larceny, and motor vehicle theft in Arizona are each among the 10 highest compared with other states. So far this year, data collection and research group Gun Violence Archive has tracked four mass shootings in the state in which a total of 12 people were killed. Just seven other states have had a higher number of deaths from mass shootings. 
   
   To contain such high levels of violence, Arizona needs to retain large law enforcement operations. For every 100,000 Arizona residents there are 339 law enforcement workers employed in the state. Also, 628 prisoners are held under state jurisdiction — the ninth and sixth highest numbers of all states. 
   
   9. South Carolina 
   
   > Violent crime rate: 497.7 per 100,000 (7th highest) 
   
   > Murder and non-negligent manslaughter rate: 6.4 per 100,000 (4th highest) 
   
   > Median household income: $45,238 (9th lowest) 
   
   > June unemployment rate: 5.4% (15th highest) 
   
   Over the last five years, crime dropped by 100 incidents per 100,000 South Carolina residents, one of the best improvements of any state. Still, in a given year, nearly 500 violent crimes are reported per 100,000 people in the state, the seventh highest violent crime rate. The violent crime rates in all six South Carolina metro areas tracked by the FBI are well above the national violent crime rate. In the Sumter area, there are 666 violent crimes per 100,000 metro residents, one of the highest rates in the country. 
   
   The presence of firearms not only tends to increase the likelihood of violence, but also may reflect the fear of those who possess firearms for self defense. South Carolina’s gun ownership rate of 44.4% is well above the 29.1% of adults nationwide who say they live in a household with at least one firearm. 
   
   8. Florida 
   
   > Violent crime rate: 540.5 per 100,000 (5th highest) 
   
   > Murder and non-negligent manslaughter rate: 5.8 per 100,000 (7th highest) 
   
   > Median household income: $47,463 (12th lowest) 
   
   > June unemployment rate: 4.7% (25th highest) 
   
   So far this year, 16 mass shootings have been documented in Florida. While this is less than in California and Illinois, the 131 people injured and 67 killed in these incidents are by far the highest of any state. The 50 people killed in Orlando in June dwarfs the death toll from mass shootings in any state in recent memory. 
   
   Florida was not an especially safe state even before the shootings. The latest violent crime rate pegs Florida in fifth place, with 541 violent crimes reported per 100,000 people. The incidences of robbery, aggravated assault, and property crime are also each fifth highest compared with other states. 
   
   7. Missouri 
   
   > Violent crime rate: 442.9 per 100,000 (11th highest) 
   
   > Murder and non-negligent manslaughter rate: 6.6 per 100,000 (3rd highest) 
   
   > Median household income: $48,363 (15th lowest) 
   
   > June unemployment rate: 4.5% (23rd lowest) 
   
   Missouri has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country and the third highest murder rate. The state’s two largest metropolitan areas — Kansas City and St. Louis — appear to be driving these figures up, with rates of 482 and 430 incidents per 100,000 people, respectively. Ferguson, Missouri was also recently at the center of the debate about police violence against black Americans after an officer shot unarmed 18 year old Michael Brown. In March 2015, in light of the shooting and protests, the Federal Department of Justice sued the city, citing serious flaws in its policing practices. The lawsuit was resolved in March, with Ferguson agreeing to reform its criminal justice system. There are 335 law enforcement officials in Missouri for every 100,000 residents, the 10th highest share in the country. 
   
   6. Arkansas 
   
   > Violent crime rate: 480.1 per 100,000 (9th highest) 
   
   > Murder and non-negligent manslaughter rate: 5.6 per 100,000 (12th highest) 
   
   > Median household income: $41,262 (3rd lowest) 
   
   > June unemployment rate: 3.8% (13th lowest) 
   
   A person who is either employed or actively seeking work is less likely to commit violent crimes than someone who is completely disengaged. In Arkansas, only 58.7% of the population participates in the labor force, one of the smallest shares of any U.S. state. A highly educated population also tends to be more peaceful. However, only 21.4% of Arkansas adults have a bachelor’s degree, a smaller share than in all but two other states. 
   
   With relatively weak workforce engagement as well as low educational attainment rates, Arkansas has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country. There are 480 violent crimes for every 100,000 state residents a year in Arkansas, far more than the national rate of 366 incidents per 100,000 people.
target: – Bad news, Louisiana. The state is the most violent in the country, according to a 24/7 Wall St. ranking, based on violent crimes, homicides, incarceration rates, the number of police officers per 100,000 residents, and estimated small-arms ownership. The top 10: Louisiana Alaska Tennessee Delaware Nevada Arkansas Missouri Florida South Carolina Arizona Click for the full list or the states with the most violent crimes.