Wyoming tops US per‑capita serial killer concentration ranking

The United States accounts for 66.2% of all known serial killers worldwide, with 3,615 individuals identified. An analysis of per‑capita rates across the 50 states found Wyoming at the top, recording 13.59 serial killers per one million residents – roughly a 1‑in‑73,584 chance of living next to one. Alaska follows with 12.21 per million (1‑in‑81,900), Oregon ranks third at 7.49 per million, Montana fourth at 6.99, and Missouri fifth.

Despite these figures, the odds of encountering a serial killer remain low compared with everyday risks: Americans are more likely to be struck by lightning (1‑in‑15,300) or bitten by a shark (1‑in‑11.5 million) than to have a serial‑killer neighbor. The study also highlighted that New York, with 39 known serial killers, falls to 48th place due to its large population, illustrating how per‑capita calculations differ from total counts.