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Most dangerous and safest
US travel destinations by cybercrime

With summer comes the travel season. However, while travelers often evaluate various health and physical safety measures before leaving for the destination, few think about their online safety. The Atlas VPN research team has compiled a list of the most dangerous and the most secure US travel destinations in terms of cybercrime. Take a look.
atlas devices
atlas devices

Most dangerous and safest
US travel destinations by cybercrime

With summer comes the travel season. However, while travelers often evaluate various health and physical safety measures before leaving for the destination, few think about their online safety. The Atlas VPN research team has compiled a list of the most dangerous and the most secure US travel destinations in terms of cybercrime. Take a look.
atlas devices

US cybercrime stats

In 2021 cybercrime severely affected Americans’ daily lives. Here are the key numbers:

$6,098,057,180

Lost to cybercriminals

494,267

People were victims of cybercrime

Top 5 states by internet crime

We calculated each state’s cybersecurity score and ranked the most dangerous and safest US travel destinations.

The most dangerous states:

North Dakota

North Dakota

Nevada

Nevada

California

California

New York

New York

District of Columbia

District of Columbia

The safest states:

Arkansas

Arkansas

Maine

Maine

WestVirginia

West Virginia

New Mexico

New Mexico

Mississippi

Mississippi

Check how each US state ranks for cyber safety

us-map

Methodology

The safety of each US state was ranked according to its cybercrime index. We also included each state' ranking according to its popularity as a travel destination. To calculate the cybercrime index, we first calculated each state's victim count per 100,000 population. It is important to note that the victim number represents the number of individual complaints received from each state.

For the second measure, we calculated the losses each victim incurred. To determine our final ranking, each measure was normalized on a 0-1 scale, with 1 corresponding to the measure that would most negatively impact the final score. These measurements were then summed up and converted to a score scale of 100. The initial cybercrime victim and cybercrime loss numbers for each state were based on Federal Bureau of Investigation 2021 statistics.

State
Travel destination popularitysort popularity
Victims per 100k populationsort victims
Losses per victimsort losses
Cybercrime scoresort score
North Dakota

North Dakota

43

87

$31,711

57.92

Nevada

Nevada

3

547

$4,728

57.45

California

California

1

169

$18,302

44.33

New York

New York

5

151

$19,266

44.21

District of Columbia

District of Columbia

13

293

$9,556

41.84

South Dakota

South Dakota

36

105

$19,065

39.70

New Jersey

New Jersey

17

144

$15,878

38.25

Massachusetts

Massachusetts

21

133

$16,393

37.97

Florida

Florida

2

207

$11,527

37.08

Connecticut

Connecticut

42

128

$16,020

36.93

Michigan

Michigan

31

109

$16,617

36.20

Utah

Utah

15

126

$15,354

35.74

Texas

Texas

4

137

$14,732

35.73

Colorado

Colorado

16

177

$12,397

35.71

Virginia

Virginia

6

136

$14,660

35.59

Alaska

Alaska

34

248

$7,314

34.21

Washington

Washington

25

176

$11,325

33.98

Wyoming

Wyoming

35

126

$13,945

33.53

Oregon

Oregon

28

138

$12,721

32.65

Tennessee

Tennessee

11

102

$14,583

32.30

Vermont

Vermont

50

115

$13,744

32.17

Minnesota

Minnesota

23

102

$14,123

31.58

Iowa

Iowa

32

279

$3,820

31.53

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

22

135

$11,991

31.23

Maryland

Maryland

26

192

$8,476

30.97

Delaware

Delaware

38

213

$7,055

30.65

Arizona

Arizona

8

162

$10,033

30.63

Illinois

Illinois

18

144

$10,271

29.34

Georgia

Georgia

9

108

$12,228

29.13

Hawaii

Hawaii

10

115

$11,742

29.05

Oklahoma

Oklahoma

41

104

$12,078

28.53

New Hampshire

New Hampshire

48

108

$10,291

26.09

Ohio

Ohio

12

149

$7,634

25.69

Rhode Island

Rhode Island

47

113

$9,287

25.01

Alabama

Alabama

14

108

$9,262

24.48

Nebraska

Nebraska

49

123

$8,202

24.16

Idaho

Idaho

39

99

$9,396

23.89

Kansas

Kansas

46

92

$9,666

23.68

Indiana

Indiana

24

167

$5,310

23.61

Montana

Montana

40

109

$8,508

23.35

Missouri

Missouri

30

157

$5,551

23.08

Kentucky

Kentucky

33

159

$5,310

22.94

Wisconsin

Wisconsin

19

147

$5,993

22.93

Louisiana

Louisiana

29

92

$9,130

22.81

North Carolina

North Carolina

20

96

$8,821

22.68

South Carolina

South Carolina

7

102

$7,882

21.72

Mississippi

Mississippi

27

73

$9,483

21.65

New Mexico

New Mexico

37

125

$4,827

19.08

West Virginia

West Virginia

51

122

$4,428

18.10

Maine

Maine

44

103

$5,179

17.60

Arkansas

Arkansas

45

90

$5,575

17.04

6 steps to stay safe online when traveling

Set up “Find my phone”

Set up “Find my phone”

Make sure to enable the “Find my phone” feature on your phone or download an app that allows you to track your device’s location. If your phone gets stolen or lost, you may be able to see where it is so it does not get into the wrong hands.
Update your devices

Update your devices

Check that all your devices have the most recent software and security upgrades. Back up your images and other essential files on your device as often as possible to the cloud or a portable storage device.
Keep track of your cards

Keep track of your cards

Never let your credit or travel cards out of sight when vacationing and keep an eye out for any suspicious transactions. Try using safer payment methods such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Pay.
Do not post your location on social media

Do not post your location on social media

It is nice to share how much fun you are having on your vacation, but it is also a way for a burglar to figure out you are not home. All those fantastic images of you having a wonderful time on your vacation can wait till you come home.
Disable auto-connection

Disable auto-connection

Make sure to disable auto-connect on features such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Some devices will search for and connect to available wireless networks automatically. Disable these options to connect to WiFi and Bluetooth networks only when necessary.
Use a VPN on public Wi-Fi

Use a VPN on public Wi-Fi

When going online, use a VPN (Virtual Private Network), especially if you are connected to a Wi-Fi network in airports, hotels, or other public areas. A VPN will protect your data from being stolen by any bad actors who may have access to the network.
Set up “Find my phone”

Set up “Find my phone”

Make sure to enable the “Find my phone” feature on your phone or download an app that allows you to track your device’s location. If your phone gets stolen or lost, you may be able to see where it is so it does not get into the wrong hands.
Update your devices

Update your devices

Check that all your devices have the most recent software and security upgrades. Back up your images and other essential files on your device as often as possible to the cloud or a portable storage device.
Keep track of your cards

Keep track of your cards

Never let your credit or travel cards out of sight when vacationing and keep an eye out for any suspicious transactions. Try using safer payment methods such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Pay.
Do not post your location on social media

Do not post your location on social media

It is nice to share how much fun you are having on your vacation, but it is also a way for a burglar to figure out you are not home. All those fantastic images of you having a wonderful time on your vacation can wait till you come home.
Disable auto-connection

Disable auto-connection

Make sure to disable auto-connect on features such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Some devices will search for and connect to available wireless networks automatically. Disable these options to connect to WiFi and Bluetooth networks only when necessary.
Use a VPN on public Wi-Fi

Use a VPN on public Wi-Fi

When going online, use a VPN (Virtual Private Network), especially if you are connected to a Wi-Fi network in airports, hotels, or other public areas. A VPN will protect your data from being stolen by any bad actors who may have access to the network.
Set up “Find my phone”

Set up “Find my phone”

Make sure to enable the “Find my phone” feature on your phone or download an app that allows you to track your device’s location. If your phone gets stolen or lost, you may be able to see where it is so it does not get into the wrong hands.
Update your devices

Update your devices

Check that all your devices have the most recent software and security upgrades. Back up your images and other essential files on your device as often as possible to the cloud or a portable storage device.
Keep track of your cards

Keep track of your cards

Never let your credit or travel cards out of sight when vacationing and keep an eye out for any suspicious transactions. Try using safer payment methods such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Pay.
Do not post your location on social media

Do not post your location on social media

It is nice to share how much fun you are having on your vacation, but it is also a way for a burglar to figure out you are not home. All those fantastic images of you having a wonderful time on your vacation can wait till you come home.
Disable auto-connection

Disable auto-connection

Make sure to disable auto-connect on features such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Some devices will search for and connect to available wireless networks automatically. Disable these options to connect to WiFi and Bluetooth networks only when necessary.
Use a VPN on public Wi-Fi

Use a VPN on public Wi-Fi

When going online, use a VPN (Virtual Private Network), especially if you are connected to a Wi-Fi network in airports, hotels, or other public areas. A VPN will protect your data from being stolen by any bad actors who may have access to the network.
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Sources

Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Complaint Center "Internet crime report 2021"

World Population Review "US States - Ranked by Population 2022"

Vivid Maps "Most Visited States in the United States"

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Get in touch

If you are interested in learning more about the research or have any other media inquiries, please contact us at [email protected].
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Get in touch

If you are interested in learning more about the research or have any other media inquiries, please contact us at [email protected].
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