For a jaw-dropping 28th consecutive year, Louisiana had the highest murder rate among the 50 states last year, according to a new Times Picayune analysis of recently released data from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program.
The state logged a total of 554 murders—or 11.8 per 100,000 people—in 2016, the latest year data is available.
Missouri (8.8/100,000), Alabama (8.4), and Illinois (8.2) came in behind Louisiana, with Mississippi and Maryland tying for the fifth-highest murder rate, at 8 per 100,000.
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If you’re looking for a sliver of a silver lining: Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, at 20.9 and 19.9, respectively, had higher murder rates than Louisiana. New Hampshire had the lowest rate at 1.3.
