New Study Reveals Top 10 US States at Highest Risk of Cybercrime in 2024

A new study conducted by mobile and telecommunication experts NetworkBuildz has determined the states most at risk of cyber-attacks in 2024. The research examined each annual FBI Internet Crime Report from 2018-2022 to collate the number of cyber-attacks in each state over the last five years, which were then compared by 100,000 people to reveal the states most susceptible to cybercrime.

The study revealed that Nevada residents are at the highest risk of cybercrime in the country. Over the last five years, Nevada experienced its highest occurrence of cybercrimes in 2021, with a total of 17,706 cyber-attacks in one year alone. Overall, between 2018-2022, the state recorded 54,515 total cyber-attacks, which equates to 1,756 attacks per 100,000 people and correlates to a total victim loss of $320,052,803.

Alaska placed next in the ranking, with the second-highest number of cybercrimes over the last five years. The data reported a total of 8,453 reported cyber-attacks between 2018-2022, resulting in 1,153 cyber-attacks per 100,000 people. Additionally, victim losses amounted to $50,511,484 in Alaska between 2018-2022.

Maryland comes in third place on the list. The state saw 58,627 cyber-attacks between 2018-2022, which equates to 951 attacks per 100,000 people, with a victim loss of $479,475,435. Maryland experienced its highest occurrence of cybercrimes in 2020, with a total of 14,804 recorded crimes in one year alone.

The study ranks Colorado in fourth place, with 928 cyber-attacks per 100,000 people. Over the last five years, Colorado experienced 53,562 recorded cyber-attacks, which amounted to a total of $508,886,418 in victim losses in the state. In 2020, Colorado experienced its highest incidence of cybercrimes, with a total of 12,325 recorded crimes throughout the year.

The study places Florida in fifth place. Over the reports spanning from 2018 to 2022, Florida experienced significant cybercrime impact, with a total of 193,602 cyber-attacks. As such, this translates to 899 cybercrimes per 100,000 people.

Iowa ranks sixth, with 886 cyber-attacks per 100,000 reported over the last five years. When broken down, Iowa suffered 28,256 cybercrimes between 2018-2022, which resulted in a total state loss of $141,282,658.

Washington ranks in seventh place, with a total of 875 cyber-attacks per 100,000 people, and Delaware narrowly follows in eighth place, with 874. The top ten states most susceptible to cybercrime are rounded out with California (801) and Arizona (746) in ninth and tenth place, respectively.

A spokesperson for NetworkBuildz commented on the findings: “This study can provide a useful indication into which regions of the country are most at risk of cybercrime in 2024, with Nevada taking the top spot. These findings also stress the financial dangers of cybercrime, highlighting the importance of staying informed about the latest scams, best online practices, and necessary precautions to help reduce the risks of cybercrime.

“Seven of the top 10 states experienced the highest number of cybercrimes in 2020. As such, this suggests that 2020 was a particularly detrimental year for cyber-attacks nationwide, possibly due to the vulnerable state of the global landscape due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation’s annual Internet Crime Reports from the following years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. 

Methodology: The data combined the number of cyber-attacks reported over the last five years. With the aim of ensuring fairness, the data calculated the number of cyber-attacks victims per 100,000 people in each state to devise a ranking.

Full ranking: The states most susceptible to cybercrime 

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