Bullying is a major problem in schools across the United States, and it’s only gotten worse as Social Media takes a greater role in the day to day lives of children and teenagers everywhere. To get a better understanding of Bullying in America, our research team examined bullying statistics across the USA to create this list of the Most Bullied States in America.

[Important: If you are considering harming yourself, please visit this link or call 1-800-273-8255 to speak to someone who will listen].

Introduction

Bullying presents a major problem for students – it’s not just about feelings:

1. 22% of all students were bullied during the school year.
2. Bullying Victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide, according to a Yale School of Medicine Study.
3. In a study in the United Kingdom, 29% of bullied students self harmed themselves, 14% developed an eating disorder, and 12% ran away from home!
4. Students who are bullied are at an increased risk for a huge range of problems, including:
   1. Sleeping problems
   2. Anxiety
   3. Depression
5. Bullies themselves are at risk for violent behavior and substance abuse in the future.

Bullying has a real cost both on education and our pockets as taxpayers. A report by the National Education Association claims that over 160,000 children miss school every day because of fear of being bullied at school.  The National Association of Secondary School Principals report that this lower attendance can cost up to 2.3 million dollars a year, per public school.

Most Bullied States Map

Embed This Map:

<iframe src=”//s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/creative-backgroundchecks/maps/most-bullied-cities-final.html” width = “500” height = “400” frameBorder=”0? scrolling=”no”></iframe></p><br /><br /><br /><br /> <p></p><br /><br /><br /><br /> <div>Research Source: <a href=”https://backgroundchecks.org/the-most-bullied-states-in-america-in-2016.html”>backgroundchecks.org</a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /> <p></p><br /><br /><br /><br /> <p>

Most Bullied States Ranking

Most Bullied State Ranking	State	Bullying Occurrence Score	School Violence Score	Bullying Impact Score	Total Bullying Score
1	Louisiana	20.55	7.375	13.025	40.95
2	Idaho	23.55	4.725	12.425	40.7
3	Arkansas	20.55	6.8	13.05	40.4
4	West Virginia	22.3	5.15	11.8	39.25
5	Nebraska	22.6	5.175	10.025	37.8
6	Michigan	22.2	4.4	11.05	37.65
7	Mississippi	17.5	6	12.625	36.125
8	Tennessee	19.7	5.25	10.975	35.925
9	Kentucky	19.5	5.375	10.725	35.6
10	South Dakota	20	5.3	10.025	35.325
11	Maine	21.05	3.975	9.375	34.4
12	Indiana	17.2	4.425	12.65	34.275
13	Alabama	16.25	5.9	11.675	33.825
14	Texas	16.45	5.45	11.475	33.375
15	Iowa	19.65	5.1	8.5	33.25
16	Illinois	17.45	4.65	11.125	33.225
17	Utah	19.35	4.325	9.425	33.1
18	South Carolina	16.9	4.325	11.6	32.825
19	Kansas	19.5	3.125	10.1	32.725
20	Nevada	16.6	4.35	11.625	32.575
21	North Dakota	19.95	2.65	9.775	32.375
22	Wisconsin	20.15	3.575	8.45	32.175
23	Georgia	16.7	5.4	9.675	31.775
24	Oklahoma	17.45	4.25	9.775	31.475
25	Missouri	19	1.475	10.65	31.125
26	California	16	3.625	10.8	30.425
27	Pennsylvania	17.1	3.45	9.825	30.375
28	New Mexico	16.05	3.275	10.925	30.25
29	Virginia	16.65	4.175	8.575	29.4
30	New Jersey	18.05	2.225	8.825	29.1
31	New York	18.15	3.2	7.5	28.85
32	Maryland	15.75	5.925	7.15	28.825
33	Colorado	16.85	3.05	8.625	28.525
34	New Hampshire	20.35	1.6	6.15	28.1
35	Hawaii	16.65	-	11.375	28.025
36	Ohio	17.95	1.55	8.25	27.75
37	Rhode Island	13.95	3.475	10.2	27.625
38	North Carolina	13.85	3.925	9.825	27.6
39	Delaware	14.05	4.575	8.725	27.35
40	Massachusetts	14.3	3.225	9.15	26.675
41	Florida	13.3	3.725	8.75	25.775
42	Connecticut	16.25	3.225	5.325	24.8
43	Vermont	8.25	5.1	5	18.35
44	Arizona	-	4.8	11.975	16.775

Sufficient Data was not available from Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota, Alaska and Washington D.C. Therefore, they are not ranked.

Best and Worst States For…

Research Methodology

The backgroundchecks.org Research team identified a number of core issues that impact bullying and bullying behavior:

1. Bullying Occurrence Score – 50% of Total Score
2. School Violence Score – 25% of Total Score
3. Bullying Impact Score – 20% of Total Score
4. State Bullying Laws – 5% of Total Score

Each of these primary metrics are made up of a number of different measurements. The higher the score, the worse Bullying issues faced in the state:

Bullying Occurrence Measurements

Physical Bullying Incident Rate: This measures amounts of physical bullying that students indicated had happened to them, while on school property.

Electronic (Cyber) Bullying Rate: How often were students cyber-bullied.

School Violence Measurements

Weapon Injury Rate: Rate of Injuries received from a weapon while at school.

School Fight Rate: Rate of involvement in fights at school.

Injury from Fight Rate: Rate of injury from those fights.

Fight on School Property Rate: Rate of fights at school.

Skipped School for Safety Rate: Rate of skipping school because they felt unsafe either at school or on the way there.

Bullying Impact Measurement

Sad or Hopeless Rate: How sad or hopeless students indicated they felt.

Suicide Planning, Attempts Rate: This is a combined measure of suicide attempts, thoughts of suicide, and suicide planning.

State Bullying Measurement

Does the State have laws for violence and bullying at school?

Do the State Laws Specifically address bullying or are they part of a broader framework?

Are Policies in place for bullying in public and private schools?

 

Sources Used for Research

• Center for Disease Control, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System
• National Center for Education Statistics
• National Education Association
• Stop Bullying.Gov
• National Education Association
• The Cyberbullying Research Center

For Further Reading and Research

StopBullying.Gov

National Center for Education Statistics Fast Facts on Bullying

Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System at the CDC

Bullying Laws and Analysis