As of 2024, ************* was ranked as the best state in the United States for women's health care and safety, followed by ********** and ********. On the other hand, ******** was ranked as the worst state for women's health care and safety.

In 2023, the District of Columbia had the highest reported violent crime rate in the United States, with 1,150.9 violent crimes per 100,000 of the population. Maine had the lowest reported violent crime rate, with 102.5 offenses per 100,000 of the population. Life in the District The District of Columbia has seen a fluctuating population over the past few decades. Its population decreased throughout the 1990s, when its crime rate was at its peak, but has been steadily recovering since then. While unemployment in the District has also been falling, it still has had a high poverty rate in recent years. The gentrification of certain areas within Washington, D.C. over the past few years has made the contrast between rich and poor even greater and is also pushing crime out into the Maryland and Virginia suburbs around the District. Law enforcement in the U.S. Crime in the U.S. is trending downwards compared to years past, despite Americans feeling that crime is a problem in their country. In addition, the number of full-time law enforcement officers in the U.S. has increased recently, who, in keeping with the lower rate of crime, have also made fewer arrests than in years past.

In 2023, the state with the highest crime rate in the United States per 100,000 inhabitants was New Mexico. That year, the crime rate was ******** crimes per 100,000 people. In comparison, New Hampshire had the lowest crime rate at ****** crimes per 100,000 people. Crime rate The crime rate in the United States has generally decreased over time. There are several factors attributed to the decrease in the crime rate across the United States. An increase in the number of police officers and an increase in income are some of the reasons for a decrease in the crime rate. Unfortunately, people of color have been disproportionately affected by crime rates, as they are more likely to be arrested for a crime versus a white person. Crime rates regionally The District of Columbia had the highest rate of reported violent crimes in the United States in 2023 per 100,000 inhabitants. The most common crime clearance type in metropolitan counties in the United States in 2020 was murder and non-negligent manslaughter. The second most dangerous city in the country in 2020 was Detroit. Detroit has faced severe levels of economic and demographic declines in the past years. Not only has the population decreased, the city has filed for bankruptcy. Despite the median household income increasing, the city still struggles financially.

California led the way in gun safety in the United States as of January 2025, with a composite score of 90.5 based on the presence of 50 key gun safety policies. Massachusetts followed, with a score of 86.5, while Illinois rounded out the top three with a score of 85.5. Illinois joins the no-assault weapons club In 2023, Illinois came in seventh place for gun law strength; by 2024, this ranking rose to third, signifying that the state holds some of the strongest gun safety laws nationwide. However, this swift rise up the ranks also suggests that Illinois is still taking action against gun violence, particularly after seven people were killed and dozens were injured in a mass shooting in Chicago during a Fourth of July parade in 2022. In recent years, Illinois has consistently improved state legislation on gun safety and has enacted multiple measures to prevent further harm from firearms, including a statewide ban on assault weapons which was approved in January 2023. The Midwestern state joined eight other states, as well as Washington, D.C., which prohibits military-style weapons. Permissive open carry states dominate the bottom of the class Receiving less than five points each, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Idaho represent the lowest composite score for gun law strength nationwide. Arkansas, Mississippi, and Idaho are among the 25 U.S. states that do not require any permit to carry concealed guns in public, and are permissive open carry states as well. Moreover, these states do not require a permit or a background check to purchase a handgun and also neglect to necessitate any firearm safety training before making the purchase. Such gun safety laws are considered crucial to ensure that firearms are handled properly and do not cause anyone harm. However, it is also important to note that countries with strong safety measures may still experience high rates of gun violence due to illegal gun trafficking. As a result, taking legal action may not fully address all gun-related violence in the area, especially if there remains an illicit way for people to obtain a gun without restriction.

In recent years, gun violence in the United States has become an alarmingly common occurrence. From 2016, there has been over ****** homicides by firearm in the U.S. each year and firearms have been found to make up the majority of murder weapons in the country by far, demonstrating increasing rates of gun violence occurring throughout the nation. As of 2025, Mississippi was the state with the highest gun violence rate per 100,000 residents in the United States, at **** percent, followed by Louisiana, at **** percent. In comparison, Massachusetts had a gun violence rate of *** percent, the lowest out of all the states. The importance of gun laws Gun laws in the United States vary from state to state, which has been found to affect the differing rates of gun violence throughout the country. Fewer people die by gun violence in states where gun safety laws have been passed, while gun violence rates remain high in states where gun usage is easily permitted and even encouraged. In addition, some states suffer from high rates of gun violence despite having strong gun safety laws due to gun trafficking, as traffickers can distribute firearms illegally past state lines. The right to bear arms Despite evidence from other countries demonstrating that strict gun control measures reduce rates of gun violence, the United States has remained reluctant to enact gun control laws. This can largely be attributed to the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which states that citizens have the right to bear arms. Consequently, gun control has become a highly partisan issue in the U.S., with ** percent of Democrats believing that it was more important to limit gun ownership while ** percent of Republicans felt that it was more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns.

This data collection contains information obtained from a total of 31,373 students, 23,895 teachers, and 15,894 principals in the United States in 1976-1977 in the Safe School Study, mandated by the United States Congress under Public Law 93-380 (Section 825). The legislation was in response to growing public concern regarding incidents of violence and vandalism occurring in the nation's schools. The objectives of this study were to determine the frequency and seriousness of crime in elementary and secondary schools in the United States, the number and location of schools affected by crime, the cost of replacement or repair of objects damaged by school crime, and possible methods of prevention. The legislation specified that the study was to be conducted by the National Institute of Education (NIE). The NIE designed the study in three phases, and data collection was carried out by the Research Triangle Institute, with computer work supervised by Sheldon Laube of C.M. Leinwand Associates. The primary data for the study were collected in two concurrent sample surveys: Phase I and Phase II. Phase I, a mail survey, asked more than 4,000 elementary and secondary school principals to report in detail on the incidence of illegal or disruptive activities in their schools. Nine one-month reporting periods between February 1976 and January 1977, excluding summer months, were assigned to participating schools on a random basis. Parts 2 and 11 contain data gathered from school principals in this phase. In Phase II, field representatives conducted on-site and follow-up surveys of junior and senior high school students and teachers in public secondary schools. They were asked to report any experiences they might have had as victims of violence or theft in the reporting month. In addition, they provided information about themselves, their schools, and their communities. Also, the principals in this sample were asked to keep a record of incidents during the reporting month, including robberies, attacks, and thefts. They also supplied information about their schools' characteristics and crime prevention methods. Parts 7, 16, 19, 24, 29, 30, 35, 39, 43, and 47 contain the data gathered in this phase. Part 18 contains the combined data gathered in the Principal questionnaires, utilizing both Phase I and Phase II samples. Part 51 is a file created to supply community information about each Phase II school. Most of its information was extracted from the 1970 Census, but it also includes weather and unemployment data. Phase III involved a more intensive qualitative study of 10 schools, most which had had a history of problems with crime and violence, but which had improved dramatically in a short time. Some crimes explored were vandalism, theft, personal violence, and verbal abuse. The place of occurrence and characteristics of each offender were also examined. The 10 case studies created as a result of Phase III can be read in the primary codebook for this data collection: United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. National Institute of Education. VIOLENT SCHOOLS -- SAFE SCHOOLS: THE SAFE SCHOOL STUDY REPORT TO THE CONGRESS, VOLUME 1. Washington, DC: United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1978.

To access this data:

This data is available for licensing to anyone interested in understanding risks around hazardous dams. To request access, click REQUEST ACCESS or email Ken Romano at kromano@ap.org.

Update 2/20/20 This data has been updated with the following: * The dams_in_nid_state_reports.csv file has been updated to include a column for owner_name, as it was provided by the states. Nearly 30,000 dam entries did not have an owner_name provided. Owner names may need deduplication, due to alternate name spellings in the data provided. * New findings regarding dams lacking emergency action plans in Southeastern states, in the Findings section.

Overview

The nation’s dams are on average more than a half-century old and, in some cases, weren’t designed to handle the amount of water that could result from the increasingly intense rainstorms of a changing climate. Yet almost no information has been publicly available about the condition of these dams. Since 2002, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has redacted inspectors’ condition assessments from its National Inventory of Dams over security concerns; the Corps makes publicly available only the hazard rating of certain dams, which assesses the potential for loss of human life or economic and environmental damage should a dam fail.

The Associated Press has created an exclusive dataset that fills in those information gaps for a subset of dams across the country. It found at least 1,688 high hazard dams that are in poor or unsatisfactory condition, and in places where failure is likely to kill at least one person.

The AP’s analysis is based on data obtained through dozens of state open-records requests, which allowed the AP to compile a dataset that contains both hazard levels and condition ratings for dams in 45 states and Puerto Rico. Five states – Alabama, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Texas – did not fully comply with the records request for reasons described in the methodology and caveats sections below. (Iowa provided all requested documents but had no dams listed as both high hazard and in poor or unsatisfactory condition).

For the subset of high hazard dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition, the AP is sharing state inspection reports and local emergency action plans that provide additional details about the problems of some particular dams, their potential to inundate nearby areas if they were to catastrophically fail and plans to respond should there be a disaster.

The AP also analyzed the annual budget and staffing levels for dam safety offices in each state using data from an annual survey conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Additionally, the AP obtained data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state dam safety offices about $10 million of federal grants that were awarded this fall to 26 states. The grants are the first under the new Rehabilitation of High Hazard Potential Dams Grant Program. The money is to go toward risk assessments and engineering designs to repair high hazard dams that have failed to meet safety standards and pose an unacceptable risk to the public.

Findings

The AP’s analysis found: * Update 2/20/20: As storms, floods, and dam breaches have hit Mississippi in recent weeks, emergency action plans have been important in denoting whom to contact, who and what has been in danger, and how to handle a dam emergency. An Associated Press analysis of data received in summer 2018 from state and federal agencies found that 111 of the 375 high hazard dams in Mississippi were missing emergency action plans – nearly 30 percent. Some other Southern states had even more dams lacking emergency plans. In North Carolina, 578 of the 1,277 of high hazard dams, nearly half of them, had no emergency plan. In Georgia, 259 of the 623 were missing emergency plans. In fact, in at least seven Southeastern states, at least 20 percent of the high hazard dams were missing emergency plans as of summer 2018. * There are at least 1,688 high hazard dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition in 44 states and Puerto Rico. These potentially dangerous dams account for about 19% of the more than 8,800 high hazard dams for which the AP obtained condition ratings. Iowa listed no high hazard dams as poor or unsatisfactory. * More than half of the dams in the AP’s list of high hazard facilities in poor or unsatisfactory condition are privately owned, which can create challenges for state regulatory agencies seeking to enforce needed repairs or improvements. * About half of the dams in the AP’s list of high hazard facilities in poor or unsatisfactory condition are used primarily for recreation, though that may not have been the purpose for which the dams originally were built. Nearly one-fifth of the dams are used primarily for flood control. * Georgia had 198 high hazard dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition, the highest number among all states for which the AP obtained data. North Carolina was second with 168 such dams, followed by Pennsylvania with 145, Mississippi with 132, Ohio with 124 and South Carolina with 109. * As of summer 2018, more than a quarter of the high hazard dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition had inspection reports that were more than 1.5 years out of date, and about 35% didn’t have emergency action plans documenting procedures in case of the dam’s failure. Note that some of those dams could have undergone inspections or adopted emergency plans since then. * Budget and staffing levels for state dam safety offices declined following the Great Recession and have generally risen since then. California, which has the nation’s largest dam safety program, boosted its budget from around $13 million in 2017 to $20 million this past year and increased its full-time staff positions from 63 to 77 following the failure of the Oroville dam spillway in 2017. * Thirteen states and Puerto Rico were spending less on dam safety programs in their 2019 fiscal years than they did in 2011, and 11 states had fewer full-time positions in their programs as of last year. Alabama is the only state with no dam safety program. * States often have small dam safety staffs to oversee large numbers of dams. Indiana is representative of many states, with a $500,000 budget and six full-time staff positions for a dam safety office that regulates 840 dams.

Localization ideas

The AP’s database of dam inspection records collected from state agencies can be filtered to find the high hazard dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition in your state.

That data also provides key details that can be used for further reporting about the facilities, including their names, exact locations, identification numbers, the year they were built and the dates of their most recent inspections and emergency action plans. For many of these dams, the AP also has provided documents detailing their most recent inspection reports and emergency plans. The datasets on state dam safety program budgets and personnel also can be used to examine how a state’s regulatory oversight has changed over time.

Use the entire dams dataset to map all the dams in your state, find out what share of dams in your state are high hazard and in poor or unsatisfactory condition, and to do further analysis on ownership and purpose.

Some questions to ask:

Are there nearby dams in poor condition that could cause widespread damage if they failed? * Emergency action plans include potential inundation zones if a high hazard dam were to fail. For example, one community potentially in harm’s way is Norwood, Massachusetts, a Boston suburb of nearly 30,000 people. The high hazard dam on nearby Willett Pond is rated in poor condition, primarily because its spillway is capable of handling only about 13% of the water flow from a serious flood, according to a recent inspection report. More than 1,300 properties with structures lie within the dam’s potential inundation zone, including several shopping centers, at least two elementary schools, more than 70 roads and two railroads.

Are there high hazard dams for which there are concerns about whether the structure could withstand a natural disaster? * One example of this is in Alaska, which has five high hazard dams in poor or unsatisfactory condition. Several inspections raised concerns about seismic activity. Inspection reports for the Lower and Upper Wrangell dams note that neither dam “is found to be stable during a seismic event.”

Are there dams with outdated or missing emergency action plans? * One example of this is in New Mexico, where many dams had no emergency action plans as of summer 2018. Many dams there also were rated poor because authorities had no design plans for them. In addition, inspection reports for the majority of the dams mentioned that the dams did not meet standards for a probable maximum precipitation event.

How have state officials responded to previous concerns about the safety of dams? * Following widespread dam failures during intense rainstorms in 2015-2016, South Carolina tripled the personnel in its dam safety program and increased its budget from about $260,000 annually to about $1 million. By contrast, Missouri took no action after a mountaintop reservoir failed in 2005, injuring a park superintendent’s family in the resulting flash flood. Though the governor proposed to significantly expand the number of dams subject to state inspections, the legislation failed to pass.

Interactive

The AP is making an interactive map made in partnership with ESRI for this dataset available early to aid in reporting.

The interactive displays the 1,688 dams in the dataset that are high hazard and in poor or unsatisfactory condition. Coloring is determined by how overdue its last inspection, as of July 2018, is from its expected inspection frequency. By clicking on individual dams, more detailed information from the AP dataset

Most indicators throughout Vital Signs are created by acquiring and analyzing data collected from governmental agencies for some public administration purpose, such as 311 calls or housing inspections. However, data from the United States Bureau of the Census remains the best source for demographic and socioeconomic indicators for neighborhoods. The Census Bureau collects a wide variety of information through administration of both the decennial Census and the annual American Community Survey (ACS).

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed. The purpose of this study was to conduct content and process evaluations of current internet safety education (ISE) program materials and their use by law enforcement presenters and schools. The study was divided into four sub-projects. First, a systematic review or "meta-synthesis" was conducted to identify effective elements of prevention identified by the research across different youth problem areas such as drug abuse, sex education, smoking prevention, suicide, youth violence, and school failure. The process resulted in the development of a KEEP (Known Elements of Effective Prevention) Checklist. Second, a content analysis was conducted on four of the most well-developed and long-standing youth internet safety curricula: i-SAFE, iKeepSafe, Netsmartz, and Web Wise Kids. Third, a process evaluation was conducted to better understand how internet safety education programs are being implemented. The process evaluation was conducted via national surveys with three different groups of respondents: Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force commanders (N=43), ICAC Task Force presenters (N=91), and a sample of school professionals (N=139). Finally, researchers developed an internet safety education outcome survey focused on online harassment and digital citizenship. The intention for creating and piloting this survey was to provide the field with a research-based tool that can be used in future evaluation and program monitoring efforts.

This map shows a comparable measure of crime in the United States. The crime index compares the average local crime level to that of the United States as a whole. An index of 100 is average. A crime index of 120 indicates that crime in that area is 20 percent above the national average.The crime data is provided by Applied Geographic Solutions, Inc. (AGS). AGS created models using the FBI Uniform Crime Report databases as the primary data source and using an initial range of about 65 socio-economic characteristics taken from the 2000 Census and AGS’ current year estimates. The crimes included in the models include murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft. The total crime index incorporates all crimes and provides a useful measure of the relative “overall” crime rate in an area. However, these are unweighted indexes, meaning that a murder is weighted no more heavily than a purse snatching in the computations. The geography depicts states, counties, Census tracts and Census block groups. An urban/rural "mask" layer helps you identify crime patterns in rural and urban settings. The Census tracts and block groups help identify neighborhood-level variation in the crime data.------------------------The Civic Analytics Network collaborates on shared projects that advance the use of data visualization and predictive analytics in solving important urban problems related to economic opportunity, poverty reduction, and addressing the root causes of social problems of equity and opportunity. For more information see About the Civil Analytics Network.

Over time, bicyclist and pedestrian deaths have become more prevalent in urban areas. In 1975, 50% of bicyclist deaths and 59% of pedestrian deaths were in urban areas. In 2020, 79% of bicyclist deaths and 82% of pedestrian deaths were in urban areas. The cities included in the Benchmarking project are the 50 most populous cities in the United States, the most populous city in every state, and Platinum Bicycle Friendly Communities. This provides a broad sample of urban areas in the United States and cities (Virginia only)with high rates of biking and walking

The efficiency of any police action depends on the relative magnitude of its crime reducing benefits and legitimacy costs. Policing strategies that are socially efficient at the city level may be harmful at the local level, because the distribution of direct costs and benefits of police actions that reduce victimization is not the same as the distribution of indirect benefits of feeling safe. In the United States, the local misallocation of police resources is disproportionately borne by Black and Hispanic people. Despite the complexity of this particular problem, we point out that the incentives facing both police departments and police officers tend to be structured as if the goals of policing were simple - to reduce crime by as much as possible. Data collection on the crime reducing benefits of policing, and not the legitimacy costs, produce further incentives to provide more engagement than may be efficient in any specific encounter, at both the officer and departmental level. There is currently little evidence as to what screening, training, or monitoring strategies are most effective at encouraging individual officers to balance the crime reducing benefits and legitimacy costs of their actions.

Allows users to search nonfatal and fatal data for the nation and for States from the most current Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries programs. Users can search by industry, demographic characteristics, and case characteristics. Historical data for years prior to the current year. More information and details about the data provided can be found at http://bls.gov/iif/Data.htm.

As of July 2024, approximately 58 percent of parents in the United States reported using cell phones with built-in tracking to monitor their children. Family monitoring apps were the second most-used solution among U.S. parents, as 53 percent of respondents reported using this method to track their children's location.

Construction Health and Safety Service Market Outlook

The global construction health and safety service market size was valued at approximately USD 9.5 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach around USD 15.2 billion by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.2% during the forecast period. The increasing emphasis on worker safety and stringent regulatory requirements are the primary drivers of this market growth.

One of the primary growth factors is the rising awareness about occupational health and safety (OHS) among construction companies. The construction industry is one of the most hazardous sectors, with high rates of accidents and occupational illnesses. Companies are increasingly realizing the importance of investing in health and safety services to mitigate risks, enhance workforce productivity, and comply with laws and regulations. Additionally, advancements in technology are providing innovative solutions such as wearable safety devices, real-time monitoring systems, and predictive analytics, further fueling market growth.

Government regulations and policies play a crucial role in driving the construction health and safety service market. Regulatory bodies worldwide are continually updating and enforcing safety standards to ensure workplace safety. For instance, in the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates strict compliance with safety standards, compelling construction companies to invest in comprehensive safety programs. Similarly, the European Union has stringent regulations in place under its Framework Directive on Safety and Health at Work, encouraging market expansion.

The growing construction activities globally, particularly in emerging economies, are another significant factor contributing to market growth. Urbanization and industrialization are driving the demand for residential, commercial, and infrastructure projects, necessitating robust health and safety measures. The increasing number of construction projects also leads to a higher demand for skilled labor, making safety training and compliance management services essential to ensure a safe working environment.

From a regional perspective, North America and Europe currently dominate the construction health and safety service market due to stringent regulatory frameworks and high awareness levels. However, the Asia Pacific region is expected to exhibit the highest growth rate during the forecast period, driven by rapid urbanization, increasing construction activities, and the implementation of stricter safety regulations.

In addition to the existing safety measures, Process Safety Services are becoming increasingly vital in the construction industry. These services focus on preventing and managing risks associated with hazardous processes, particularly in projects involving complex machinery and chemical handling. By implementing robust process safety protocols, companies can significantly reduce the likelihood of catastrophic incidents, ensuring the safety of both workers and the surrounding environment. The integration of process safety services not only enhances compliance with regulatory standards but also fosters a culture of safety and responsibility within organizations. As construction projects grow in complexity, the demand for specialized process safety expertise is expected to rise, driving further advancements in this critical area.

## Service Type Analysis

### Risk Assessment

Risk assessment services are a critical component of the construction health and safety service market. These services involve identifying potential hazards, evaluating risks, and implementing control measures to mitigate them. With the construction industry being inherently risky, the demand for risk assessment services is high. Companies are increasingly investing in these services to ensure regulatory compliance, reduce accident rates, and protect their workforce. The integration of advanced technologies such as drones for site inspection and AI for predictive analysis is further enhancing the effectiveness of risk assessment services.

One of the key drivers for the risk assessment segment is the increasing complexity of construction projects. As projects become more intricate, the potential for hazards increases, necessitating comprehensive risk assessments. Additionally, the rising awareness about the financial and reputational implications of workplace accidents is encouraging companies to prioritize risk assessment

Occupational health and workplace safety specialists have performed well during the current period, but revenue has been volatile. The outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 led to temporary shutdowns of key downstream markets, greatly reducing the number of employees and the need for occupational health and safety specialists. However, increased regulations resulting from OSHA’s National Emphasis Program encouraged some downstream demand during the pandemic. As the economy reopened, commodity prices surged, leading to heightened mining and manufacturing output as companies sought to take advantage of the favorable price environment. Low interest rates led to booming residential construction activity and the need for occupational health and safety experts. This surge in demand from these downstream markets, compounded by increased productivity through technology, lowered wage costs and bolstered profit. Over the past couple of years, interest rate hikes led to slowdowns in various downstream markets and have hindered growth in 2023 and 2024. Despite revenue shifts resulting from volatility in downstream markets, specialists have benefited from consistent investment from some sectors. For example, agricultural producers and healthcare facilities have consistently promoted growth. Overall, revenue for occupational health and workplace safety services providers is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 2.9% during the current period, reaching $11.3 billion in 2024. This includes a 0.3% decline in revenue in that year. Occupational health and workplace safety services companies will continue to enjoy growth during the outlook period. Downstream demand from manufacturers, construction companies and government agencies will expand. Falling commodity prices will hinder investment from the mining sector, constraining the industry’s performance somewhat. Slower growth in corporate profit and government investment will weaken spending from some sectors, causing profit to dip. Overall, revenue for occupational health and workplace safety specialists is forecast to rise at a CAGR of 1.6% during the outlook period, reaching $12.2 billion in 2029.

The European System of Social Indicators provides a systematically selected collection of time-series data to measure and monitor individual and societal well-being and selected dimensions of general social change across European societies. Beyond the member states of the European Union, the indicator system also covers two additional European nations and – depending on data availability – the United States and Japan as two important non-European reference societies. Guided by a conceptual framework, the European System of Social Indicators has been developed around three basic concepts – quality of life, social cohesion, and sustainability. While the concept of quality of life is supposed to cover dimensions of individual well-being, the notions of social cohesion as well as sustainability are used to conceptualize major characteristics and dimensions of societal or collective well-being. The indicator system is structured into 13 life domains altogether. Time-series data are available for nine life domains, which have been fully implemented.

Time series start at the beginning of the 1980s at the earliest and mostly end by 2013. As far as data availability allows, empirical observations are presented yearly. Most of the indicator time-series are broken down by selected sociodemographic variables, such as gender, age groups, employment status, or territorial characteristics. Regional disaggregations are being provided at the NUTS-1 or similar levels as far as meaningful and data availability allows. The European System of Social Indicators is preferably based on harmonized data sources, ensuring the best possible level of comparability across countries and time. The data sources used include international aggregate official statistics, for example, provided by EUROSTAT and the OECD, as well as microdata from various official as well as science-based cross-national surveys, such as the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), Eurobarometer Surveys, the World Value Surveys, or the European Social Survey.

The European System of Social Indicators results from research activities within the former Social Indicators Research Centre at GESIS. In its initial stage, this research was part of the EuReporting-Project (Towards a European System of Social Reporting and Welfare Measurement), funded by the European Commission within its 4th European Research Framework Programme from 1998 to 2001. For more detailed information on the European System of Social Indicators, see the methodological report under „other documents“.
The data on the area of life ´Crime and public safety´ is made up as follows: Demographic and socio-economic structures, inequalities, inequality and social exclusion, human capital, objective living conditions, values and attitudes.

In 2023, Mexico State was the Mexican federal entity with the highest number of homicides, including cases of murder and manslaughter. A total of 3,640 people were killed in Guanajuato in that year, the second highest figure. Mexico is one of the Latin American countries with the highest murder rates.

As of September 2024, California had the most mass shootings in the United States, with 26 total shootings since 1982. The source defines a mass shooting as a shooting where three or more people were killed. Recently, a mass shooting occurred in the state of Maine on October 26, 2023, during which one of the highest number of fatalities from a mass shooting was recorded after Robert Card opened fire in a bowling alley and a bar, killing 18 and injuring 13 others. Firearms in the U.S. Mass shootings in the United States are disturbingly common. In comparison with other Western countries, there are significantly more shootings in the U.S., which some theorize is due to the relatively lax gun control laws. Gun control laws in the U.S. are dependent on the state, and the right to own a firearm is enshrined in the United States Constitution. Mass shootings The worst mass shooting in the U.S. was the Las Vegas Strip massacre in 2017, which resulted in 58 deaths and 546 injuries. 13 of the worst mass shootings in the United States have occurred since 2015 and the vast majority of these incidents in the U.S. have been carried out by shooters who are White and male.

In 2025, Pietermaritzburg in South Africa ranked as the world's most dangerous city with a crime rate of 82 per 100,000 inhabitants. Five of the 10 cities with the highest crime rates worldwide are found in South Africa. The list does not include countries where war and conflict exist. South Africa dominates crime statistics When looking at crime rates, among the 10 most dangerous cities in the world, half of them are found in South Africa. The country is struggling with extremely high levels of inequality, and is struggling with high levels of crime and power outages, harming the country's economy and driving more people into unemployment and poverty. Crime in Latin America On the other hand, when looking at murder rates, Latin America dominates the list of the world's most dangerous countries. Violence in Latin America is caused in great part by drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and gang wars.