When it comes to the 50 states there are many different ways to track which have better cybersecurity measures and which lack them. You may be in a state that is more vulnerable than the one next door due to these many statistics. Whether it’s your personal data or your business’s, these states are the most insecure.

 

The research team at PivIT Strategy ranked the 50 States for the most insecure cybersecurity states. Our rankings are based on number of reported victims by state population, state cybersecurity grant programs, annual cybersecurity wages, average amount loss per person, and cybersecurity job gap by state.

 

Key Findings

• States with high salaries don’t correlate perfectly with increased cybersecurity Example: New York has the highest cybersecurity salary but ranks top 5 most insecure.
• Some States like Montana, have one factor bringing down their cybersecurity ranking such as annual wage. While others like Arizona have medium rankings across the board.
• The ranking seems geographically diverse, with states from all corners of the US represented. This indicates that cybersecurity vulnerability is not concentrated in any specific region.
• There appears to be no clear correlation between state size/population and their position in the ranking. Both large and small states are present across the spectrum.

 

The Most Insecure States in 2024

Where is the most insecure state? The list below shows the rankings based on number of reported victims by state population, state cybersecurity grant programs, annual cybersecurity wages, average amount loss per person, and cybersecurity job gap by state.

 

 

The Most Insecure States in 2024

 

1.      Florida

Florida claims the top spot as the most insecure state, primarily due to its Cybersecurity Grant Program budget. Despite a government allocation of nearly $12 million and an estimated population of 21 million, this translates to only $0.56 per person for cybersecurity. In comparison, Vermont spends $7.34 per person. In contribution with bad rankings in multiple other factors has them the most insecure.

 

2.      Wyoming

Wyoming secures the second spot as the most insecure state, attributed to the ratio of cybersecurity professionals to the population. According to BLS and Census data, their ratio stands at 0.0052%, signaling a concerning imbalance. Combined with wage statistics, Wyoming ranks notably low.

 

3.      New York

New York claims the third spot in insecurity, primarily due to its high population. Despite offering the highest average pay for cybersecurity professionals, the sheer size of the population places them in the bottom three for average spending per person on grant programs and the supply/demand for cybersecurity professionals.

 

4.      South Carolina

South Carolina falls into the bottom four for insecurity, driven by a high number of victims compared to the state’s total population and substantial gaps in the supply/demand for cybersecurity professionals. The only stat that they’re not bottom half for is average loss per person where they rank 30^th.

 

5.      Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania secures the fifth spot at the bottom due to its average grant spending per person and the supply/demand ratio for cybersecurity workers. Across all statistics, Pennsylvania maintains a consistently low average, positioning it among the least secure states.

 

The Most Secure States in 2024

 

1.       New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a most secure State primarily attributable to its remarkably high annual wage for cybersecurity professionals. With a grant program spending per person ranking in the top 10 and a commendable standing of 12th in the number of victims compared to the total state population, New Hampshire emerges as a paragon of cybersecurity resilience.

 

2.       Virginia

Virginia secures the 46th position in security due to its outstanding employment by population ratio. With a population of approximately 8.6 million, Virginia surpasses larger states like Texas in the number of cybersecurity professionals, further bolstering its security measures. Notably, recent data privacy laws mandating the protection of personal data for all businesses contribute to Virginia’s robust security posture.

 

3.      Rhode Island

Claiming a spot in the top three most secure states, Rhode Island demonstrates excellence across various metrics. Ranking consistently high in all categories, The lowest statistic is the average loss per victim and they maintain a top 50%.

 

4.      New Mexico

Securing one of the top two positions in security, New Mexico distinguishes itself with consistently high rankings across all statistical categories. It excels in employment of cybersecurity professionals by population, ranking in the top 10, and stands among the top 5 in average loss per victim. This comprehensive performance solidifies New Mexico’s status as one of the most secure states.

 

5.      Iowa

Iowa emerges as the undisputed most secure state, boasting impressive statistics across all fronts. With top 5 performances in the number of victims, annual wage of cybersecurity professionals, and average loss per victim, Iowa sets a benchmark for cybersecurity excellence, making it the epitome of a secure state.

 

Top Considerations for the Most Insecure States

When determining the most insecure state, the assessment heavily relies on the cybersecurity practices and safeguards adopted by individuals and businesses within that state. It’s crucial to acknowledge that even in the most insecure state, there might be individuals diligently adhering to cybersecurity best practices, and conversely, the most secure states may have entities neglecting these practices.

 

While the provided statistics contribute significantly to evaluating a state’s cybersecurity stance, there are numerous undisclosed factors that play a role due to limited available information. It’s imperative to recognize that the landscape is multifaceted and not entirely captured by the provided metrics.

 

The key takeaway is to prioritize and elevate your personal and professional cybersecurity practices. In an environment where certain factors might not be quantifiable, ensuring that your cybersecurity measures are robust and up to date becomes paramount. By maintaining a proactive approach, you contribute to your state’s overall cybersecurity resilience, irrespective of the broader statistical landscape.

 

The Full Data

State	Number of Victims	Grant Program	Annual Wage	Employment / Population	Loss Per Person	Supply/Demand Ratio	Rank
Florida	6	2	30	34	6	16	1
Wyoming	13	50	3	1	12	21	2
New York	23	3	50	22	7	3	3
South Carolina	12	25	19	11	30	12	4
Pennsylvania	29	7	17	20	31	6	5
Nevada	1	28	25	4	5	48	6
California	4	1	49	24	2	9	7
Arizona	10	11	27	35	9	33	8
Michigan	15	12	20	13	36	30	9
Washington	11	13	46	44	11	2	10
Indiana	9	18	4	6	48	18	11
Ohio	27	8	23	18	43	10	12
Wisconsin	16	22	21	27	33	15	13
West Virginia	37	39	11	3	49	1	14
New Jersey	21	6	42	43	14	14	14
Georgia	22	10	36	38	16	22	16
Montana	33	44	7	5	27	4	17
Illinois	28	5	32	23	26	32	18
Alaska	3	48	18	9	23	47	19
Missouri	24	20	5	41	32	26	19
Kentucky	45	30	12	12	46	7	21
Texas	17	4	34	37	18	17	21
Maine	34	42	6	7	40	27	23
Utah	18	29	28	36	15	5	23
South Dakota	7	46	16	45	1	42	25
Oregon	19	23	38	15	19	19	26
Colorado	5	17	35	47	13	43	27
Massachusetts	30	9	39	39	10	35	28
Maryland	8	16	48	49	8	34	29
Minnesota	39	21	33	30	35	8	30
Vermont	31	49	2	14	21	50	31
Mississippi	50	35	1	8	50	23	31
Oklahoma	35	31	15	10	38	38	33
Hawaii	26	40	31	17	20	39	34
Louisiana	46	24	9	2	47	46	35
Delaware	2	45	43	48	4	11	36
Tennessee	36	19	24	25	39	13	37
Connecticut	20	26	41	28	17	25	38
Alabama	43	27	26	40	3	44	39
Nebraska	42	37	13	21	44	29	40
North Dakota	48	47	8	19	34	31	41
Arkansas	44	34	10	16	42	41	41
Idaho	32	38	22	32	24	49	43
Kansas	49	32	14	29	29	45	44
North Carolina	41	15	40	42	37	24	45
New Hampshire	38	41	47	33	25	20	46
Virginia	14	14	44	50	22	36	47
Rhode Island	40	43	29	31	28	40	48
New Mexico	25	36	37	46	41	28	49
Iowa	47	33	45	26	45	37	50

 

Methodology

The research team at PivIT Strategy compared the 50 states across 7 metrics to determine which states were the most insecure in cybersecurity.

• Number of Victims by State Population
• State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program by Population
• Annual Wage of Information Security Analysts
• Supply and Demand of Cybersecurity Professionals
• Employment of Information Security Analysts by State Population
• Average Loss Per Victim by State Population
• US State Privacy Legislation
• State Population Estimates