The 2026 Cybercrime Index: State-By-State Ranking
Every year, Americans lose billions of dollars to increasingly sophisticated digital attacks. For businesses and residents alike, the threat of financial fraud is a devastating reality—and new data shows that your state of residence may be the biggest risk factor of all.
Key Findings: The 2026 U.S. Cybercrime Snapshot
The 2026 index evaluates the financial severity of digital threats nationwide. States are ranked by their "Average Loss Per Complaint," highlighting regions where cybercriminals launch highly sophisticated, high-value attacks against businesses and residents.
Top 10 Highest Severity States
| Rank | State | Average Loss Per Complaint | Average Loss Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $75,605 | $422 |
| 2 | Wyoming | $31,592 | $74 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $27,696 | $46 |
| 4 | California | $26,376 | $65 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $25,265 | $39 |
| 6 | Nevada | $25,081 | $83 |
| 7 | New York | $24,788 | $45 |
| 8 | North Dakota | $24,669 | $28 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $23,774 | $47 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $22,569 | $37 |
10 Lowest severity States
| Rank | State | Average Loss Per Complaint | Average Loss Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | Delaware | $13,404 | $36 |
| 43 | Alabama | $13,236 | $20 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $12,197 | $17 |
| 45 | Vermont | $12,044 | $17 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $11,990 | $16 |
| 47 | Ohio | $11,159 | $23 |
| 48 | Iowa | $10,129 | $23 |
| 49 | West Virginia | $9,328 | $14 |
| 50 | Indiana | $5,287 | $18 |
| 51 | Alaska | $3,884 | $36 |
District Of Columbia Ranked #1 State For Attack Severity
The nation's capital takes the top spot, not by total attack volume, but by facing highly sophisticated, targeted cyber attacks that result in massive individual financial damages.
Sustains a staggering $75,605 average loss per individual cybercrime complaint
Impacts residents with a $422 loss per person, the highest per-capita financial drain in the nation.
Ranked #1 for financial severity despite having a fraction of the population of larger states
District Of Columbia Ranked #1 State For Attack Severity
The nation's capital takes the top spot, not by total attack volume, but by facing highly sophisticated, targeted cyber attacks that result in massive individual financial damages.
Sustains a staggering $75,605 average loss per individual cybercrime complaint
Impacts residents with a $422 loss per person, the highest per-capita financial drain in the nation.
Ranked #1 for financial severity despite having a fraction of the population of larger states
The 2026 Cybercrime Index: Full State-By-State Rankings
This comprehensive index provides a detailed technical breakdown of cybercrime financial impact across all 50 states and D.C., evaluated through a comparative analysis of total monetary losses, incident frequency, and per-capita severity.
View Full 50-State Ranking Table
| Rank | State | Population | Total Cybercrime Losses | Total Cybercrime Complaints | Average Loss Per Complaint | Average Loss Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 691,310 | $291,531,458 | 3,856 | $75,605 | $422 |
| 2 | Wyoming | 586,722 | $43,502,744 | 1,377 | $31,592 | $74 |
| 3 | New Jersey | 9,506,354 | $434,856,424 | 15,701 | $27,696 | $46 |
| 4 | California | 39,364,774 | $2,539,041,635 | 96,265 | $26,376 | $65 |
| 5 | Connecticut | 3,674,449 | $143,884,002 | 5,695 | $25,265 | $39 |
| 6 | Nevada | 3,253,543 | $268,769,310 | 10,716 | $25,081 | $83 |
| 7 | New York | 20,001,419 | $903,975,003 | 36,468 | $24,788 | $45 |
| 8 | North Dakota | 793,387 | $21,831,953 | 885 | $24,669 | $28 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 7,138,560 | $338,872,378 | 14,254 | $23,774 | $47 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | 1,408,518 | $52,811,455 | 2,340 | $22,569 | $37 |
| 11 | Minnesota | 5,797,405 | $203,352,530 | 9,264 | $21,951 | $35 |
| 12 | Texas | 31,318,578 | $1,351,598,183 | 62,347 | $21,679 | $43 |
| 13 | Mississippi | 2,950,172 | $65,613,936 | 3,068 | $21,387 | $22 |
| 14 | Georgia | 11,204,208 | $420,454,472 | 19,797 | $21,238 | $38 |
| 15 | Hawaii | 1,434,952 | $55,180,901 | 2,603 | $21,199 | $38 |
| 16 | Florida | 23,265,838 | $1,071,909,632 | 52,191 | $20,538 | $46 |
| 17 | Idaho | 2,000,872 | $63,035,342 | 3,081 | $20,459 | $32 |
| 18 | Washington | 7,927,958 | $368,203,209 | 18,009 | $20,446 | $46 |
| 19 | New Mexico | 2,126,774 | $76,621,670 | 3,884 | $19,728 | $36 |
| 20 | Arizona | 7,556,424 | $392,441,717 | 20,101 | $19,523 | $52 |
| 21 | South Dakota | 927,110 | $24,957,446 | 1,298 | $19,228 | $27 |
| 23 | Illinois | 12,703,033 | $479,054,271 | 25,446 | $18,826 | $38 |
| 24 | Utah | 3,502,983 | $129,414,310 | 6,877 | $18,818 | $37 |
| 25 | Missouri | 6,243,544 | $183,751,987 | 10,028 | $18,324 | $29 |
| 26 | Virginia | 8,819,642 | $317,406,595 | 17,466 | $18,173 | $36 |
| 27 | Nebraska | 2,005,591 | $46,730,894 | 2,603 | $17,953 | $23 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | 5,957,168 | $169,942,495 | 9,619 | $17,667 | $29 |
| 29 | Montana | 1,137,557 | $31,603,407 | 1,854 | $17,046 | $28 |
| 30 | Kansas | 2,965,252 | $80,300,908 | 4,797 | $16,740 | $27 |
| 31 | Tennessee | 7,251,291 | $190,271,310 | 11,411 | $16,674 | $26 |
| 32 | Colorado | 5,988,502 | $243,517,403 | 14,848 | $16,401 | $41 |
| 33 | Oregon | 4,265,324 | $144,160,344 | 9,011 | $15,998 | $34 |
| 34 | Maryland | 6,245,314 | $238,976,904 | 14,996 | $15,936 | $38 |
| 35 | South Carolina | 5,490,316 | $146,468,765 | 9,661 | $15,161 | $27 |
| 36 | Michigan | 10,099,962 | $241,737,979 | 16,302 | $14,829 | $24 |
| 37 | North Carolina | 11,052,061 | $324,287,947 | 22,021 | $14,726 | $29 |
| 38 | Maine | 1,408,438 | $31,455,797 | 2,137 | $14,720 | $22 |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | 13,045,848 | $400,082,312 | 27,838 | $14,372 | $31 |
| 40 | Rhode Island | 1,110,415 | $23,597,036 | 1,642 | $14,371 | $21 |
| 41 | Louisiana | 4,614,878 | $87,411,457 | 6,455 | $13,542 | $19 |
| 42 | Delaware | 1,050,123 | $37,611,598 | 2,806 | $13,404 | $36 |
| 43 | Alabama | 5,163,055 | $103,771,880 | 7,840 | $13,236 | $20 |
| 44 | Arkansas | 3,096,080 | $51,714,039 | 4,240 | $12,197 | $17 |
| 45 | Vermont | 646,521 | $11,285,112 | 937 | $12,044 | $17 |
| 46 | Kentucky | 4,584,046 | $73,919,940 | 6,165 | $11,990 | $16 |
| 47 | Ohio | 11,860,621 | $278,038,028 | 24,915 | $11,159 | $23 |
| 48 | Iowa | 3,230,454 | $72,860,333 | 7,193 | $10,129 | $23 |
| 49 | West Virginia | 1,767,402 | $24,196,661 | 2,594 | $9,328 | $14 |
| 50 | Indiana | 6,934,754 | $125,093,323 | 23,659 | $5,287 | $18 |
| 51 | Alaska | 736,537 | $26,296,803 | 6,770 | $3,884 | $36 |
| $18,955 | 3.988740004 |
What Actually Determines Cybercrime Vulnerability?
To calculate the ultimate state rankings, we analysed four core sectors that define a state's exposure to digital fraud, measuring both the severity of the financial fallout and the frequency of attacks.
Incident Severity
This was the primary indicator used in the 2026 Index, measured by the number of charging points per 100 miles of highway. This metric accounts for the everyday reality of range limitations and the likelihood of finding a station before battery depletion.
Per-Capita Risk
The total financial loss distributed across the entire state population, revealing the localized, everyday financial risk to individual citizens and businesses.
Aggregate Economic Impact
The total statewide monetary loss and resulting national rank, indicating the broader economic drain caused by successful corporate and residential targeting.
Attack Frequency & Victim Volume
The raw count of filed cybercrime complaints within the state, measuring how widely threat actors are casting their nets across the local population.
What Every Citizen Can Learn From The Data
Analyzing recent cybercrime statistics reveals a clear shift in how threat actors operate. The numbers tell a compelling story about the modern threat landscape, highlighting why understanding these trends is the first step toward effective defense. Here are the three most critical takeaways.
1. Location Dictates Targeting
High-wealth centers and corporate hubs (like D.C. and California) face fewer generic spam attacks and more highly customized, spear-phishing campaigns designed to extract maximum financial value in a single strike.
2. Sophistication Overcomes Volume
A lower overall number of complaints does not equate to safety. States like Wyoming (#2) prove that threat actors only need a handful of successful, high-value network breaches to cause devastating statewide financial averages.
3. Be A Prepared Target
The data confirms that the cost of remediation far exceeds the cost of preparation. Upgrading organizational hardware security, enforcing multi-factor authentication (MFA), and securing your physical perimeter are essential defenses against severe losses.
How The Cybercrime Rankings Were Calculated
The Whitaker Brothers Cybercrime Index was created using publicly available FBI IC3 state-level data to assess the real-world financial severity of digital threats across the U.S. Each state was evaluated using four key indicators:
Average Loss Per Complaint, Measuring Primary Incident Severity
Average Loss Per Person, Evaluating Localised Per-Capita Risk
Total Cybercrime Losses, Reflecting Aggregate Economic Impact
Total Cybercrime Complaints, Quantifying Attack Frequency
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