States with the Most Cybercrime

As the world becomes more dependent upon technology infrastructure, an increasing number of criminals are seeking to take advantage of unsuspecting victims, from individuals to business owners. While technology companies and financial institutions are constantly upgrading their security to combat cyber threats, online criminals continue to make inroads.

In this analysis, AdvisorSmith examined data published by the FBI to uncover the states where cybercrime is most prevalent. We studied the value of cybercrimes reported to the FBI, as well as the number of crime victims in each state. We adjusted these measures by population in order to find the states with the highest levels of cybercrimes.

Overall nationwide, there were losses of $12.42 per capita from cybercrimes. These crimes affected an average of 240 victims per 100K population across the country.

As cybercrime becomes more and more prevalent, particularly with increasing ransomware attacks and social engineering fraud, businesses will not only suffer direct losses from cyberattacks but will also need to outlay capital to shore up defenses and prevent future attacks. From cybersecurity software to IT consulting to cyber insurance, the cost of cybercrime on individuals is not expected to slow down anytime soon.

States with the Most Cybercrime

The District of Columbia, Nevada, Colorado, Florida, and New York had the most cybercrime in our study, taking the top five spots on our list. The top ten included some of the country’s most populous coastal states, including California, New York, Washington, Massachusetts, and Florida.

Overall Rank	State	Cyber Crime Losses ($)	Cyber Crime Victims
1	District of Columbia	$18,942,722	2,132
2	Nevada	$44,383,452	16,110
3	Colorado	$100,663,897	12,325
4	Florida	$295,032,829	53,793
5	New York	$415,812,917	34,505
6	California	$621,452,320	69,541
7	Washington	$88,020,254	17,229
8	Massachusetts	$97,583,753	11,468
9	Alaska	$7,342,743	2,073
10	Maryland	$62,473,193	14,804
11	Virginia	$101,661,604	13,770
12	New Mexico	$23,903,594	3,427
13	Arizona	$72,128,637	13,009
14	Utah	$47,113,946	4,926
15	Iowa	$21,396,701	9,367
16	Illinois	$150,496,678	20,185
17	New Jersey	$98,727,053	14,829
18	Connecticut	$41,311,798	5,636
19	Missouri	$115,913,584	8,160
20	Delaware	$6,486,617	2,230
21	Oregon	$38,389,702	6,817
22	Wyoming	$5,096,704	913
23	Texas	$313,565,225	38,640
24	North Dakota	$25,804,940	760
25	Rhode Island	$7,669,670	1,677
26	Hawaii	$13,671,531	1,978
27	Ohio	$170,171,951	13,421
28	Pennsylvania	$108,506,204	18,636
29	Indiana	$35,180,105	12,786
30	Georgia	$98,762,523	13,402
31	Minnesota	$58,341,798	6,847
32	Wisconsin	$36,081,681	8,308
33	Michigan	$83,999,442	12,521
34	Vermont	$4,175,799	856
35	Arkansas	$17,371,515	4,237
36	Kentucky	$12,590,784	6,815
37	North Carolina	$69,409,152	12,223
38	New Hampshire	$4,949,296	2,015
39	Idaho	$11,670,650	2,209
40	Kansas	$19,157,289	3,457
41	Tennessee	$40,191,616	8,527
42	Montana	$5,669,293	1,365
43	Oklahoma	$20,748,692	4,785
44	Maine	$7,073,260	1,672
45	Nebraska	$11,799,640	2,166
46	Alabama	$27,549,157	5,803
47	Louisiana	$26,717,928	5,077
48	Mississippi	$18,111,738	2,478
49	South Carolina	$25,244,978	5,853
50	South Dakota	$3,208,241	777
51	West Virginia	$4,823,786	1,902

States with the Largest Financial Losses from Cybercrime

North Dakota led the way with the highest losses on a financial per capita basis from cybercrime. The largest losses in the state were from identity theft and personal data breach. In the District of Columbia, New York, Missouri, and Colorado, the next highest-ranking locations, email compromise was the highest-value cause of loss.

Rank	State	Losses ($) per Capita
1	North Dakota	$33.12
2	District of Columbia	$27.47
3	New York	$20.58
4	Missouri	$18.83
5	Colorado	$17.43
6	California	$15.72
7	Ohio	$14.42
8	Utah	$14.40
9	Nevada	$14.30
10	Massachusetts	$13.88
11	Florida	$13.70
12	Virginia	$11.78
13	Illinois	$11.75
14	Connecticut	$11.46
15	Washington	$11.42
16	New Mexico	$11.29
17	Texas	$10.76
18	New Jersey	$10.63
19	Minnesota	$10.22
20	Maryland	$10.11
21	Arizona	$10.09
22	Alaska	$10.01
23	Hawaii	$9.39
24	Georgia	$9.22
25	Oregon	$9.06
26	Wyoming	$8.84
27	Pennsylvania	$8.34
28	Michigan	$8.34
29	Rhode Island	$6.99
30	Iowa	$6.71
31	North Carolina	$6.65
32	Delaware	$6.55
33	Kansas	$6.52
34	Vermont	$6.49
35	Idaho	$6.35
36	Wisconsin	$6.12
37	Mississippi	$6.12
38	Nebraska	$6.02
39	Tennessee	$5.82
40	Arkansas	$5.77
41	Louisiana	$5.74
42	Alabama	$5.48
43	Oklahoma	$5.24
44	Montana	$5.23
45	Maine	$5.19
46	Indiana	$5.18
47	South Carolina	$4.93
48	South Dakota	$3.62
49	New Hampshire	$3.59
50	Kentucky	$2.79
51	West Virginia	$2.69

States with the Most Victims of Cybercrime

Nevada, the District of Columbia, Iowa, Alaska, and Florida led the way in terms of the number of victims of cybercrime. In Nevada, identity theft was the most common crime against victims. Cyberextortion was the most common cybercrime in the District of Columbia, while non-payment/non-delivery was the most common in Iowa. Cyberextortion was the most common cybercrime in Alaska, and identity theft was the leading cause in Florida.

Rank	State	Victims per 100k Population
1	Nevada	519
2	District of Columbia	309
3	Iowa	294
4	Alaska	283
5	Florida	250
6	Maryland	240
7	Delaware	225
8	Washington	224
9	Colorado	213
10	Indiana	188
11	Arizona	182
12	California	176
13	New York	171
14	Massachusetts	163
15	New Mexico	162
16	Oregon	161
17	New Jersey	160
18	Virginia	160
19	Wyoming	158
20	Illinois	158
21	Connecticut	156
22	Rhode Island	153
23	Kentucky	151
24	Utah	151
25	New Hampshire	146
26	Pennsylvania	143
27	Wisconsin	141
28	Arkansas	141
29	Hawaii	136
30	Vermont	133
31	Missouri	133
32	Texas	133
33	Montana	126
34	Georgia	125
35	Michigan	124
36	Tennessee	123
37	Maine	123
38	Oklahoma	121
39	Idaho	120
40	Minnesota	120
41	Kansas	118
42	North Carolina	117
43	Alabama	115
44	South Carolina	114
45	Ohio	114
46	Nebraska	110
47	Louisiana	109
48	West Virginia	106
49	North Dakota	98
50	South Dakota	88
51	Mississippi	84

Best Practices to Protect Against Cybercrime

While the threat of cybercrime may seem daunting, there are a number of simple actions you can take to protect your data and devices, as well as mitigate risk. Just as an alarm system for your home may ward off potential criminals, basic cyber protections can help to prevent cyberattacks and data breaches. Here are a few steps you can take:

Practice good login/password techniques. It’s not surprising that many successful cyberattacks stem from exploiting common or easily-guessed passwords. A little bit of password rigor can go a long way. Make sure you’re not using the same login and password across multiple accounts, create strong passwords, and consider using a password manager, like 1Password, which can automatically create strong passwords for you. For even higher levels of protection, use two-factor authentication, which forces you to confirm your identity with extra information, like a phone number or unique security code.
Keep your systems up to date. Many of the most famous cyberattacks took advantage of out-of-date software and known vulnerabilities. Make sure that your computers and devices are always updated to the latest software versions. Many of these updates are specifically to plug security holes, so it’s important to ensure you take the time to update all devices.
Backup your data. If your data is ever held hostage, deleted, or lost, you’ll be thankful you had a backup in place. While you can subscribe to cloud backup services like Backblaze, it’s also wise to keep a physical backup of your data.
Use security software. Many operating systems already come built-in with security and antivirus software, so you’re more than likely already decently protected from known viruses and attacks (just make sure your software is updated and activated). However, if you are on an older operating system, you may want to consider purchasing an off-the-shelf security product, e.g. Norton 360.
Invest in cyber insurance. If you run a business, it may be wise to invest in cyber insurance as added protection. Even with robust security measures in place, there’s still the possibility that your business suffers a loss from a cyberattack. Cyber liability insurance, also called cyber insurance or cyber risk insurance, can cover losses your business experiences due to cyberattacks, whether they are first-party losses or losses from third-party legal claims. Commercial crime insurance can also provide protections against cyberattacks executed through social engineering fraud.

Methodology

To determine the states with the most cybercrimes, AdvisorSmith studied data published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. This government agency receives complaints from the American public about cybercrimes that have affected crime victims. The FBI compiles that data and classifies cybercrimes into various categories based upon the nature of the crime.

Our study examined the reported monetary losses from cybercrimes in each state. We divided the reported losses by each state’s population to find the dollar amount of cyber losses on a per capita basis. We used this data to rank each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia based upon the monetary losses per capita.

We also calculated the number of cybercrime victims in each state and used each state’s population to normalize the number to the number of cybercrime victims per 100K population for each state. We also ranked the states based upon this metric.

To find the states with the highest cybercrime rates overall, we averaged the two rankings and re-ranked the states based on the blended score. We ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia based upon this blended score to find the states with the most cybercrimes.

Sources

Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internet Crime Complaint Center, Internet Crime Report 2020
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Decennial Census, Total Population