Indiana
Violence
Safety from physical violence, along with food, water, and shelter, is among the most basic human needs. Violence resulting in death not only indicates a direct loss of life but instills fear in others who see themselves as facing increased risks in their daily lives. That fear, in turn, can lead people to avoid interactions with others and prevent people from reaching their full potential.
Summary of Results.
Indiana's progress in this area has been mixed. The shootings rate is worsening over time. The murder rate is showing mixed trends over time.
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Murder RateSpecific Measure
Rate of murder and other unlawful, but intentional, killings per 100,000 population
(Source: Authors' analysis of Federal Bureau of Investigation data).State RankState vs. US trend33Why did we include this measure?
Murder is the most severe form of violence. It is also the one most accurately measured.
How does Indiana compare to the rest of the country?
Indiana's trend in the murder rate has been improving less than the US. Compared to other states, Indiana has also decreased in state ranking by two or more places. Therefore, we categorize Indiana's comparison to the US as negative. In the most recent year, Indiana ranked 33 (out of 51). In the same year, New Hampshire ranked first, and Washington DC ranked last.
Additional Information.
Almost all murders are committed with guns. The Constitution's Second Amendment provides the right to bear arms and, as a result, the country has more guns than people. Because almost all murders are committed with guns, and there are essentially no alternative weapons that are as lethal, this is one viable explanation for our high national murder rate. Cycles of high murder rates are also partly driven by demographics, especially the number of men in the population between the ages of 20 and 34. The decline in the national murder rate from 1990 to 1999 coincided with a decline in the percent of the population who are men in that age range. The decline in the crack epidemic in the late 1990s and stricter sentencing and mass incarceration were also likely causes. The increased number of police officers might have been a factor in the 1990s, though the number of officers has subsequently declined to near their prior levels even as the murder rate has remained much lower than the 1990s.Indiana State Trend Mixed
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ShootingsSpecific Measure
Rate of fatal shootings per 100,000 population. This includes murders and suicides, as well as officer-involved, accidental, and mass shootings, and many other types
(Source: Authors' analysis of Centers for Disease Control data).State RankState vs. US trend34Why did we include this measure?
All uses of guns create physical injury, trauma, and/or fear.
How does Indiana compare to the rest of the country?
Indiana's trend in the shootings rate has been worsening more than the US. Compared to other states, Indiana has also decreased in state ranking by two or more places. Therefore, we categorize Indiana's comparison to the US as negative. In the most recent year, Indiana ranked 34 (out of 51). In the same year, Massachusetts ranked first, and Washington DC ranked last.
Additional Information.
Given the close connection between the murder rate and gun violence, see the explanations above for the murder rate.Indiana State Trend Worsening
How to Read This Report:
We report each measure three different ways: State Rank, State Trend, State vs. US Trend. Each result is color coded as either red (negative/worsening), yellow (neutral/stable), or green (positive/improving), as indicated below. If the simple trends were erratic, had too few data points, or had no data points, we do not color code and label the trend as “mixed,” "unclear," or "NA," respectively.
State Rank
(Where are we now?)
State Trend
(Where are we going?)
State vs. US Trend
(How do we compare?)
Top third of states
(i.e., ranks 1-17)
Improving
Trendline is improving by >5% and most points are improving relative to the first data point.
Improving
Trendline is improving relative to the national trend and rank is improving by 2+ rank spots.
Middle third of states
(i.e., ranks 18-34)
Neutral/Stable
Doesn't fall into improving, worsening, mixed, unclear, or NA categories.
Neutral/Stable
Trendline is improving/worsening the same amount as the national trend or rank is changing by <2 spots.
Bottom third of states
(i.e., ranks 35-51)
Worsening
Trendline is worsening by >5% and most points are worsening relative to the first data point.
Worsening
Trendline is worsening relative to national trend and rank is declining by 2+ rank spots
Mixed
Large shares of points are improving and worsening by >5% in different parts of the trend.
Mixed
This label only applies when a measure has more than 1 trendline. One trendline is improving and another is worsening.
Unclear
Not enough data to determine a trend.
Unclear
Not enough data to determine a comparison.
Not Applicable
No data.
Not Applicable
No data.
Not Applicable
No data.
For more information on our definitions and methods, please see the Data Notes section.
