R.I. low among U.S. states on violent crime data

While Rhode Island may not be doing so well on economic data, there is one national indicator in which our state scores very well: we have one of the lowest violent crime rates in the U.S.

A comprehensive study by the Institute for Economics and Peace measures such state indicators as the number of homicides per 100,000 people, the number of violent crimes per 100,000 people and the number of prisoners in the population.

The most peaceful states tend to be in northern New England and the upper Midwest, while the most violent states are in the South.

The most peaceful states ranked from the top are: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Minnesota, North Dakota, Utah, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Thus, five of the top eight states are in New England.

The most violent states are: Maryland, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Alabama, Florida, Nevada, Tennessee and Louisiana.

Rhode Island scored well below the national index in level of violent crime, perceptions of criminality in society and number of homicides per 100,000 in population. So far this year, Providence, the state’s largest city has not had a reported homicide.