When it comes to the “spookiest” states — we’re talking criminals, not goblins and ghosts — look to the South or the center of the nation.
With Halloween upon us and with lots of recent chatter about crime — justified or not — I filled my trusty spreadsheet with data from six recent scorecards tied to crime and overall safety. Where should folks be worried?
The numbers — an average ranking — tell me the “scariest” place to live is Arkansas, which placed in the bottom 10 in five of the six rankings. It was followed by Texas. (Did I just say, “Texas”?) Then Alabama, Oklahoma and Montana.
The least-spooky places — what you’d otherwise call the “safest” states — on my consolidated scorecard were decidedly New England. No. 1 was Massachusetts, which made the Top 10 in three scorecards, then Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Utah.
California, with all six scorecards mashed together, got a mid-range No. 23 ranking, wedged between Virginia and Ohio.
Like I often say, rankings like these are part science, part art — so this is no definitive ruling. But here’s how California fared in this witches’ brew of yardsticks — and the spookiest and safest states for each …
Crimes per capita: California ranked No. 36 out of 50 states in the . Spookiest? New Mexico, Alaska and Louisiana. Least spooky? Maine, New Hampshire and Idaho.
Jailings: California ranked 20th on the . Spookiest? Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma. Minimally worrisome? Massachusetts, Maine and Rhode Island.
Law enforcement spending: found California with the seventh-highest outlays per resident. Spookiest lows? Idaho, South Dakota and Kentucky. Tops? Louisiana, Illinois, and New York.
Polling: placed California 23rd. Most spooked? Nebraska, New York, Arkansas, and Kentucky. Least scared: Oregon, Alaska and Minnesota.
Broad concerns: California ranked 21st in . Spookiest? Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Calmest? Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire.
Crime browsing: Anxiety levels should parallel shows California with the 13th highest pace. Most spooked? Louisiana, Delaware and Wyoming. Least anxious? Hawaii, South Dakota, and Utah.
The full state-by-state results are mapped at .
Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com
