Despite making some progress, the state of Nevada continues to be the national leader in a gruesome category: men murdering women.

In 2008, Nevada had the highest rate of women killed by men they knew (2.96 per 100,000).

By two years later, the state’s rate was down, to 2.62, according to the latest assessment from the Violence Policy Center. But that rate still represented the highest in the U.S., with the national average calculated at 1.22.

Other states ranking high in 2010 for female murders at the hands of men included South Carolina (1.94), Tennessee (1.91), Louisiana (1.86) and Virginia (1.77). Statistics for Florida were not available and data from Illinois were incomplete.

The lowest rates were earned by South Dakota (0.25), Minnesota (0.52) and New Hampshire (0.60).

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

When Men Murder Women:  An Analysis of 2010 Homicide Data (Violence Policy Center) (pdf)

Women Most Likely to be Murdered by Men in Nevada, Least Likely in New Hampshire (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)