Most Corrupt States

Last updated September 18, 2024

Convictions Rate
# of Convictions
Top
Last
Corruption Convictions (per 10k people)
1.LouisianaLouisiana2.00
2.MississippiMississippi1.89
3.AlaskaAlaska1.83
4.South DakotaSouth Dakota1.77
5.North DakotaNorth Dakota1.75
6.IllinoisIllinois1.42
7.AlabamaAlabama1.37
8.MontanaMontana1.37
9.KentuckyKentucky1.33
10.TennesseeTennessee1.33
11.New YorkNew York1.30
12.OklahomaOklahoma1.26
13.PennsylvaniaPennsylvania1.23
14.OhioOhio1.22
15.West VirginiaWest Virginia1.12
16.VirginiaVirginia1.12
17.New JerseyNew Jersey1.03
18.FloridaFlorida0.94
19.DelawareDelaware0.89
20.South CarolinaSouth Carolina0.87
21.MarylandMaryland0.86
22.MassachusettsMassachusetts0.86
23.MissouriMissouri0.85
24.HawaiiHawaii0.84
25.GeorgiaGeorgia0.83
26.WyomingWyoming0.80
27.MaineMaine0.79
28.Rhode IslandRhode Island0.79
29.ConnecticutConnecticut0.78
30.ArkansasArkansas0.69
31.New MexicoNew Mexico0.68
32.MichiganMichigan0.66
33.IndianaIndiana0.65
34.CaliforniaCalifornia0.63
35.TexasTexas0.61
36.KansasKansas0.53
37.WisconsinWisconsin0.52
38.ArizonaArizona0.51
39.IdahoIdaho0.50
40.IowaIowa0.49
41.North CarolinaNorth Carolina0.48
42.VermontVermont0.48
43.NebraskaNebraska0.45
44.ColoradoColorado0.38
45.NevadaNevada0.37
46.MinnesotaMinnesota0.36
47.New HampshireNew Hampshire0.35
48.UtahUtah0.31
49.WashingtonWashington0.30
50.OregonOregon0.24

Introduction

Corruption, tragically, permeates all levels of society, from local precincts to grand halls of power. It weaves an unspoken narrative, impacting the governance and economic progression of regions across the globe. The United States, while faring better than numerous other countries, is not entirely immune to this menace. To shed light on this issue, we turn to the data that quantitatively captures corruption at the state level - the number of public corruption convictions per 10,000 residents.

  • Louisiana surfaced as the most corrupt state with the highest rate of corruption convictions, clocking in at 2.00 per 10,000 people. Mississippi closely followed, registering a conviction rate of 1.89 per 10,000 people, while Alaska, South Dakota, and North Dakota held subsequent positions with 1.83, 1.77, and 1.75 convictions respectively.
  • States with a noted history of political scandals and corruption cases, like New York and Illinois, also ranked high, reporting more than 1.3 convictions per 10,000 residents.
  • Significant regional discrepancies emerged. States on the lower end of the corruption scale are predominantly found in the NorthWest and Midwest. Washington, Oregon, Utah, New Hampshire, and Minnesota reported less than 0.36 convictions per 10,000 residents, suggesting a lower level of public corruption compared to the rest of the country.
  • While northeastern states generally found themselves in the middle of the pack, Rhode Island and Connecticut deviated from regional trends and reported higher conviction rates, resembling patterns seen in more corrupt southern and midwestern states.
  • Despite being populous states with sprawling urban establishments, California, Texas, and Florida exhibited relatively lower rates of corruption convictions, all reporting less than 1 conviction per 10,000 residents. This potentially points towards robust governance or possible underreporting of corruption.

Most Corrupt States

Region ↕Convictions Rate↕# of Convictions↕
Alabama iconAlabama1.37657
Alaska iconAlaska1.83130
Arizona iconArizona0.51329
Arkansas iconArkansas0.69201
California iconCalifornia0.632,345
Colorado iconColorado0.38189
Connecticut iconConnecticut0.78277
Delaware iconDelaware0.8980
Florida iconFlorida0.941,762
Georgia iconGeorgia0.83807
Hawaii iconHawaii0.84114
Idaho iconIdaho0.5078
Illinois iconIllinois1.421,828
Indiana iconIndiana0.65419
Iowa iconIowa0.49148
Kansas iconKansas0.53152
Kentucky iconKentucky1.33577
Louisiana iconLouisiana2.00906
Maine iconMaine0.79105
Maryland iconMaryland0.86499
Massachusetts iconMassachusetts0.86562
Michigan iconMichigan0.66655
Minnesota iconMinnesota0.36190
Mississippi iconMississippi1.89560
Missouri iconMissouri0.85507
Montana iconMontana1.37136
Nebraska iconNebraska0.4583
Nevada iconNevada0.37100
New Hampshire iconNew Hampshire0.3546
New Jersey iconNew Jersey1.03909
New Mexico iconNew Mexico0.68139
New York iconNew York1.302,522
North Carolina iconNorth Carolina0.48461
North Dakota iconNorth Dakota1.75118
Ohio iconOhio1.221,405
Oklahoma iconOklahoma1.26472
Oregon iconOregon0.2491
Pennsylvania iconPennsylvania1.231,563
Rhode Island iconRhode Island0.7983
South Carolina iconSouth Carolina0.87401
South Dakota iconSouth Dakota1.77144
Tennessee iconTennessee1.33843
Texas iconTexas0.611,542
Utah iconUtah0.3186
Vermont iconVermont0.4830
Virginia iconVirginia1.12896
Washington iconWashington0.30200
West Virginia iconWest Virginia1.12208
Wisconsin iconWisconsin0.52295
Wyoming iconWyoming0.8045

10 Most Corrupt States

Leading the list is Louisiana, noting a disconcerting rate of 2.00 corruption convictions per 10,000 people. Following closely is Mississippi with a conviction rate of 1.89 per 10,000 residents, earning its unfortunate place as the second right on our list. The third place is held by Alaska, clocking in at 1.83 corruption convictions per 10,000 people. South Dakota, North Dakota, and Illinois occupy the subsequent ranks, with corruption conviction rates of 1.77, 1.75, and 1.42 per 10,000 residents, respectively. Montana and Alabama share the seventh position with equal rates of 1.37 convictions per 10,000 people. Next in line is Kentucky with a rate of 1.33 per 10,000 residents which is shared with Tennessee ranking tenth with an equally worrying rate.

10 Most Corrupt States (Corruption Convictions per 10k people):

  1. Louisiana - 2.00 Corruption Convictions
  2. Mississippi - 1.89 Corruption Convictions
  3. Alaska - 1.83 Corruption Convictions
  4. South Dakota - 1.77 Corruption Convictions
  5. North Dakota - 1.75 Corruption Convictions
  6. Illinois - 1.42 Corruption Convictions
  7. Alabama - 1.37 Corruption Convictions
  8. Montana - 1.37 Corruption Convictions
  9. Kentucky - 1.33 Corruption Convictions
  10. Tennessee - 1.33 Corruption Convictions

By Region

Alabama

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Ranked in U.S.

#7

# of Convictions

657

Ranked in U.S.

#13

Alaska

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Ranked in U.S.

#3

# of Convictions

130

Ranked in U.S.

#37

Arizona

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Ranked in U.S.

#38

# of Convictions

329

Ranked in U.S.

#24

Arkansas

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Ranked in U.S.

#30

# of Convictions

201

Ranked in U.S.

#28

California

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Ranked in U.S.

#34

# of Convictions

2,345

Ranked in U.S.

#2

Colorado

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Ranked in U.S.

#44

# of Convictions

189

Ranked in U.S.

#31

Connecticut

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Ranked in U.S.

#29

# of Convictions

277

Ranked in U.S.

#26

Delaware

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Ranked in U.S.

#19

# of Convictions

80

Ranked in U.S.

#46

Florida

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Ranked in U.S.

#18

# of Convictions

1,762

Ranked in U.S.

#4

Georgia

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Ranked in U.S.

#25

# of Convictions

807

Ranked in U.S.

#12

Hawaii

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Ranked in U.S.

#24

# of Convictions

114

Ranked in U.S.

#39

Idaho

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Ranked in U.S.

#39

# of Convictions

78

Ranked in U.S.

#47

Illinois

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Ranked in U.S.

#6

# of Convictions

1,828

Ranked in U.S.

#3

Indiana

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Ranked in U.S.

#33

# of Convictions

419

Ranked in U.S.

#22

Iowa

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Ranked in U.S.

#40

# of Convictions

148

Ranked in U.S.

#33

Kansas

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Ranked in U.S.

#36

# of Convictions

152

Ranked in U.S.

#32

Kentucky

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Ranked in U.S.

#9

# of Convictions

577

Ranked in U.S.

#15

Louisiana

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Ranked in U.S.

#1

# of Convictions

906

Ranked in U.S.

#9

Maine

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Ranked in U.S.

#27

# of Convictions

105

Ranked in U.S.

#40

Maryland

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Ranked in U.S.

#21

# of Convictions

499

Ranked in U.S.

#19

Massachusetts

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Ranked in U.S.

#22

# of Convictions

562

Ranked in U.S.

#16

Michigan

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Ranked in U.S.

#32

# of Convictions

655

Ranked in U.S.

#14

Minnesota

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Ranked in U.S.

#46

# of Convictions

190

Ranked in U.S.

#30

Mississippi

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Ranked in U.S.

#2

# of Convictions

560

Ranked in U.S.

#17

Missouri

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Ranked in U.S.

#23

# of Convictions

507

Ranked in U.S.

#18

Montana

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Ranked in U.S.

#8

# of Convictions

136

Ranked in U.S.

#36

Nebraska

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Ranked in U.S.

#43

# of Convictions

83

Ranked in U.S.

#45

Nevada

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Ranked in U.S.

#45

# of Convictions

100

Ranked in U.S.

#41

New Hampshire

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Ranked in U.S.

#47

# of Convictions

46

Ranked in U.S.

#48

New Jersey

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Ranked in U.S.

#17

# of Convictions

909

Ranked in U.S.

#8

New Mexico

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Ranked in U.S.

#31

# of Convictions

139

Ranked in U.S.

#35

New York

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Ranked in U.S.

#11

# of Convictions

2,522

Ranked in U.S.

#1

North Carolina

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Ranked in U.S.

#41

# of Convictions

461

Ranked in U.S.

#21

North Dakota

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Ranked in U.S.

#5

# of Convictions

118

Ranked in U.S.

#38

Ohio

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Ranked in U.S.

#14

# of Convictions

1,405

Ranked in U.S.

#7

Oklahoma

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Ranked in U.S.

#12

# of Convictions

472

Ranked in U.S.

#20

Oregon

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Ranked in U.S.

#50

# of Convictions

91

Ranked in U.S.

#42

Pennsylvania

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Ranked in U.S.

#13

# of Convictions

1,563

Ranked in U.S.

#5

Rhode Island

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Ranked in U.S.

#28

# of Convictions

83

Ranked in U.S.

#44

South Carolina

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Ranked in U.S.

#20

# of Convictions

401

Ranked in U.S.

#23

South Dakota

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Ranked in U.S.

#4

# of Convictions

144

Ranked in U.S.

#34

Tennessee

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Ranked in U.S.

#10

# of Convictions

843

Ranked in U.S.

#11

Texas

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Ranked in U.S.

#35

# of Convictions

1,542

Ranked in U.S.

#6

Utah

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Ranked in U.S.

#48

# of Convictions

86

Ranked in U.S.

#43

Vermont

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Ranked in U.S.

#42

# of Convictions

30

Ranked in U.S.

#50

Virginia

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Ranked in U.S.

#16

# of Convictions

896

Ranked in U.S.

#10

Washington

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Ranked in U.S.

#49

# of Convictions

200

Ranked in U.S.

#29

West Virginia

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Ranked in U.S.

#15

# of Convictions

208

Ranked in U.S.

#27

Wisconsin

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Ranked in U.S.

#37

# of Convictions

295

Ranked in U.S.

#25

Wyoming

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Ranked in U.S.

#26

# of Convictions

45

Ranked in U.S.

#49

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