Where in the United States Are the Highest Rates of Child Abuse?
In the United States, there were 558,899 cases of child abuse in the year 2022. Approximately 7.7 out of every 100,000 children were the victims of abuse. Furthermore, there were 1955 fatalities related to child abuse in the year 2022, equating to 2.73 out of every 100,000 children. The Joslyn Law Firm team gathered data about these cases, specifically in what states they occurred, to determine where these heinous crimes most commonly occur.
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Where is the Highest Rate of Child Abuse in the United States?
Massachusetts has the highest rate of child abuse out of all U.S. states. For every 100,000 children living in the state, 16.5 were the victims of child abuse. Texas, California, and New York had the largest number of child abuse cases in 2022, though those states also have the highest populations.
Mississippi is the state with the highest rate of fatalities related to abuse and neglect. Out of every 100,000 children in the state of Mississippi, 10.62 lost their lives from abuse and neglect. This is nearly double the rate of the state with the second-highest rate of fatalities related to abuse and neglect: South Dakota. In South Dakota, out of every 100,000 children, 5.93 lost their lives to abuse and neglect.
The 10 states with the highest rates of child abuse in the U.S. are:
| Rank | State | Child Abuse Cases Per 100,000 Children |
| 1 | Massachusetts | 16.5 |
| 2 | West Virginia | 15.7 |
| 3 | Iowa | 15.4 |
| 4 | Maine | 15.3 |
| 5 | Alaska | 14.6 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 14.2 |
| 7 | Mississippi | 13.3 |
| 8 | South Carolina | 13.0 |
| 9 | Arkansas | 12.8 |
| 10 | New Mexico | 12.7 |
Where is the Lowest Rate of Child Abuse in the U.S.?
New Jersey has the lowest rate of child abuse out of all 50 states. Out of every 100,000 children living in the state, 1.6 was a victim of child abuse. This is less than 10% of the rate in Massachusetts. Vermont had the lowest total number of child abuse cases in 2022, but it is also one of the least populated states.
Vermont is also the state with the lowest rate of fatalities related to child abuse. In fact, in the year 2022, there were no reported child abuse fatalities in the state of Vermont. There was only one reported fatality associated with child abuse in Montana that year and just two each in New Hampshire and Rhode Island. While low numbers are undoubtedly preferable to higher ones, no amount of child abuse is acceptable.
The 10 states with the lowest child abuse rates are as follows:
| Rank | State | Child Abuse Cases Per 100,000 Children |
| 1 | New Jersey | 1.6 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | 1.9 |
| 3 | Washington | 2.1 |
| 4 | Virginia | 2.4 |
| 5 | Kansas | 2.7 |
| 6 | Missouri | 2.9 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | 3.3 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | 4.1 |
| Minnesota | 4.1 | |
| Hawaii | 4.1 |
In our study, Ohio ranks #22 out of 50 in terms of child abuse cases. In 2022, 10,507 child abuse cases were reported, equating to 8.8 out of every 100,000 children. However, Ohio ranked #7 out of 50 in terms of fatalities related to child abuse. In 2022, there were 115 children who lost their lives to child abuse in the state of Ohio. This is approximately 4.49 out of every 100,000 kids.
<h2>Who is Most Likely to Abuse a Child?</h2>
More than 75% of child abuse cases are against the parents of the victim. An additional 7% of cases are against other family members. About 1% of child abuse cases were against professionals working in childcare, such as daycare providers and foster parents. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the age breakdown of perpetrators is as follows:
- 40% were between the ages of 25-34
- 29% were between the ages of 35-44
- 14% were between the ages of 18-24
- 9% were between the ages of 45-54
- 5% were over the age of 55
- 2% were under the age of 18
What to Do If You Are Falsely Accused of Child Abuse
Child abuse is taken very seriously by U.S. courts. Oftentimes, a trial is one testimony against another, and being falsely accused of child abuse or child endangerment can destroy a parent’s future and their ability to see their children. Everyone deserves a fair trial, and in Ohio, you can contact Joslyn Law Firm for expert legal counsel.
U.S. States Ranked by the Rate of Child Abuse
| State | Number of Child Abuse Victims (2022) | Rate of Child Abuse Per 100,000 Children | |
| 1 | MA | 22,075 | 16.5 |
| 2 | WV | 5,510 | 15.7 |
| 3 | IA | 11,150 | 15.4 |
| 4 | ME | 3,792 | 15.3 |
| 5 | AK | 2,581 | 14.6 |
| 6 | OK | 13,546 | 14.2 |
| 7 | MS | 9,028 | 13.3 |
| 8 | SC | 14,572 | 13.0 |
| 9 | AR | 8,927 | 12.8 |
| 10 | NM | 5,817 | 12.7 |
| 11 | OR | 10,507 | 12.6 |
| 12 | NY | 50,056 | 12.5 |
| 13 | KY | 12,340 | 12.3 |
| 14 | IN | 19,185 | 12.2 |
| 15 | RI | 2,444 | 12.0 |
| 16 | IL | 32,433 | 11.9 |
| 17 | MT | 2,714 | 11.6 |
| 18 | MI | 23,500 | 11.1 |
| 19 | AL | 11,618 | 10.5 |
| 20 | NC | 23,134 | 10.1 |
| 21 | UT | 8,765 | 9.4 |
| 22 | OH | 22,439 | 8.8 |
| 23 | NV | 5,851 | 8.5 |
| 24 | CO | 9,777 | 8.0 |
| 25 | AZ | 12,324 | 7.8 |
| 26 | TX | 54,207 | 7.3 |
| 27 | LA | 7,572 | 7.1 |
| 28 | CT | 5,032 | 6.9 |
| 29 | SD | 1,451 | 6.6 |
| 30 | WY | 821 | 6.3 |
| 31 | ND | 1,132 | 6.2 |
| 32 | CA | 50,869 | 6.0 |
| 33 | VT | 672 | 5.9 |
| 34 | FL | 24,505 | 5.7 |
| 35 | DE | 1,077 | 5.2 |
| 36 | MD | 6,564 | 4.9 |
| 37 | TN | 6,924 | 4.5 |
| 38 | ID | 2,005 | 4.3 |
| 39 | NE | 2,026 | 4.3 |
| 40 | GA | 10,524 | 4.2 |
| 41 | HI | 1,228 | 4.1 |
| 42 | MN | 5,299 | 4.1 |
| 43 | NH | 1,034 | 4.1 |
| 44 | WI | 4,082 | 3.3 |
| 45 | MO | 3,932 | 2.9 |
| 46 | KS | 1,861 | 2.7 |
| 47 | VA | 4,563 | 2.4 |
| 48 | WA | 3,389 | 2.1 |
| 49 | PA | 5,005 | 1.9 |
| 50 | NJ | 3,146 | 1.6 |
| U.S. | 558,899 | 7.7 |
U.S. States Ranked by the Rate of Child Fatalities From Abuse and Neglect
| State | Total Child Fatalities From Abuse and Neglect (2022) | Child Fatality Rate Per 100,000 Children | |
| 1 | MS | 72 | 10.62 |
| 2 | SD | 13 | 5.93 |
| 3 | AR | 39 | 5.59 |
| 4 | MD | 68 | 5.05 |
| 5 | GA | 114 | 4.54 |
| 6 | AK | 8 | 4.53 |
| 7 | OH | 115 | 4.49 |
| 8 | MO | 57 | 4.18 |
| 9 | NM | 19 | 4.13 |
| 10 | NC | 93 | 4.05 |
| 11 | IL | 110 | 4.04 |
| 12 | IN | 62 | 3.95 |
| 13 | AL | 38 | 3.42 |
| 14 | SC | 38 | 3.40 |
| 15 | CO | 40 | 3.29 |
| 16 | ND | 6 | 3.28 |
| 17 | PA | 80 | 3.05 |
| 18 | OK | 29 | 3.04 |
| 19 | MI | 61 | 2.89 |
| 20 | DE | 6 | 2.88 |
| 21 | LA | 29 | 2.73 |
| 22 | NY | 105 | 2.63 |
| 23 | IA | 18 | 2.48 |
| 24 | TX | 176 | 2.36 |
| 25 | WY | 3 | 2.31 |
| 26 | OR | 19 | 2.27 |
| 27 | WV | 8 | 2.27 |
| 28 | TN | 34 | 2.21 |
| 29 | NV | 15 | 2.17 |
| 30 | VA | 39 | 2.09 |
| 31 | CT | 15 | 2.05 |
| 32 | FL | 86 | 2.00 |
| 33 | CA | 164 | 1.93 |
| 34 | MN | 25 | 1.93 |
| 35 | WA | 31 | 1.88 |
| 36 | ID | 8 | 1.73 |
| 37 | WI | 21 | 1.69 |
| 38 | HI | 5 | 1.68 |
| 39 | UT | 15 | 1.61 |
| 40 | ME | 3 | 1.21 |
| 41 | KY | 12 | 1.19 |
| 42 | KS | 8 | 1.16 |
| 43 | MA* | 13 | 1.02 |
| 44 | RI | 2 | 0.98 |
| 45 | NJ | 19 | 0.95 |
| 46 | AZ | 14 | 0.88 |
| 47 | NH | 2 | 0.79 |
| 48 | NE | 3 | 0.63 |
| 49 | MT | 1 | 0.43 |
| 50 | VT | 0 | 0.00 |
| U.S. | 1,955 | 2.73 |
*Massachusetts lacked child fatality data for 2020-2022; thus, the fatalities from 2019 were included in the analysis.
This page was last updated by Brian Joslyn
