New Hampshire received the lowest crime rate ranking for last year in a compilation by CQ Press, followed by Vermont and North Dakota. Ranked least favorably, as CQ Press put it, was Nevada, followed by New Mexico and Louisiana. Nevada's murder rate was just over six times higher than New Hampshire's, and the Nevada reported a rape rate of 42.4 cases per 100,000 people compared to the national average of 29.3. Nevada also tops the list for its robbery rate, with an average 248.9 reported cases per 100,000 citizens versus the national rate of 145.3, and New Hampshire's rate of 31.8.
CQ Press said it based its ranking on an analysis of crimes reported to the FBI in six categories First, the reported crime rates across the six categories–murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft. As it has in releasing other crime rankings, CQ Press acknowledges commentary that crime rates are affected by many factors, including poulation density, economic conditions, strength of local law enforcement agencies, and citizens’ attitudes toward crime. Still, the publisher contends that “the rankings tell an interesting and an important story regarding crime in the United States.”