States with the Most Overworked Officers

All findings are based off of 2014 FBI crime statistics, Census data, and analysis by the SafeWise team. While there are a lot factors that impact crime rates—police tactics, poverty levels, population density, demographics, etc.—this map is here to demonstrate the hefty workload American police officers have on their plates each year.

Staff Writer・Editorial

Read Staff's Posts

November 9, 2016

2 min to read

Police officers have a serious job to do—keep society safe by enforcing our laws. However, most states only have one to three police officers per 1,000 civilians. This got us thinking about which states have the least amount of police officers per capita, the most crimes per officer, and therefore, the busiest policemen and women.

Below, you’ll find the 10 busiest states for officers when it comes to handling a large load of both violent and property crimes. All findings are based off of 2014 FBI crime statistics, Census data, and analysis by the SafeWise team. While there are a lot factors that impact crime rates—police tactics, poverty levels, population density, demographics, etc.—this map is here to demonstrate the hefty workload American police officers have on their plates each year.

1. MICHIGAN

2. NEVADA

3. IDAHO

4. KENTUCKY

5. ARKANSAS

6. SOUTH DAKOTA

7. MISSISSIPPI

8. WYOMING

9. NORTH CAROLINA

10. INDIANA

11. DELAWARE

12. NEW HAMPSHIRE

13. CONNECTICUT

14. SOUTH CAROLINA

15. OHIO

16. ILLINOIS

17. LOUISIANA

18. RHODE ISLAND

19. OKLAHOMA

20. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

21. HAWAII

22. UTAH

23. COLORADO

24. CALIFORNIA

25. ALABAMA

26. TEXAS

27. OREGON

28. MISSOURI

29. WISCONSIN

30. TENNESSEE

31. NEW MEXICO

32. MINNESOTA

33. MONTANA

34. NEW YORK

35. ARIZONA

36. KANSAS

37. PENNSYLVANIA

38. GEORGIA

39. IOWA

40. NORTH DAKOTA

41. WASHINGTON

42. ALASKA

43. NEW JERSEY

44. FLORIDA

45. MAINE

46. VIRGINIA

47. VERMONT

48. MASSACHUSETTS

49. NEBRASKA

50. MARYLAND

* This study did not include West Virginia because of insufficient statistics

For details go to Safewise.com.

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