A new study based on statistics compiled by the FBI ranks Nevada as the most dangerous state in the U.S. in six major crime categories—murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and vehicle theft. This is the second straight year Nevada has held this dubious distinction.

The statistics were compiled by Congressional Quarterly, which has been ranking state safety on a per capita basis for the past 15 years—Nevada has been in the top seven on every list.

According to FBI data, Nevada ranks first in vehicle theft, second in robbery, third in murder, sixth in burglary, seventh and aggravated assault and eighth in rape.

These are categories no state wants to take the lead in, but there is some madness in the method used by CQ. The most confusing issue is that while Nevada is ranked as the most dangerous state, there is not a single city that makes the list of 15 most dangerous metropolitan areas.

What it basically comes down to is that statistics can be interpreted and massaged to say just about anything. It is unlikely that CQ was bent on disparaging Nevada, but more likely that the larger population of the Las Vegas metropolitan area provided some statistical insulation from the dangerous city list, while the low overall population of the state had the opposite effect (Clark County comprises almost 75 percent of the state population).

By Casino Connection Staff