(KLFY) -- If you feel especially unsafe in the Pelican State lately, there is some data that confirms that notion.

A study by a California law firm ranks Louisiana as the second most dangerous state in the country.

Louisiana trails only New Mexico in the ranking, with Arkansas placing third, followed by Alaska and Missouri.

Research by the firm of Caputo and Van Der Walde injury and accident attorneys has revealed the states in which you are more likely to find yourself a victim of crime, injury, or death from over 10 different metrics. These include traffic fatalities, workplace injuries, firearm mortality, railway injuries, and crimes against persons and property, which include physical and sexual assault, homicide, burglary, and larceny. Each factor was used to produce a final score out of 100 used to determine the ranking. 

Louisiana has the most cases of traffic accidents with at least one fatality per billion miles (10.44). The state also has the second most assault offences per 100,000 of the population (502.31). The average across all states is 260.19, so Louisiana ranks much higher on average. Louisiana also has some of the most fatal injuries at work, with 2.62 per 100,000 of the population.

New Mexico topped the rankings despite not being the worst in any single category in the study.

Most dangerous states to live in (Rankings) 

Sources 

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Traffic Accidents (2022) 
• Bureau of Labor Statistics; Number of fatal work injuries by state (2022) 
• National Center for Health Statistics: Firearm mortality (2022)  
• Federal Railroad Administration: Railway injuries (2023)  
• Federal Bureau of Investigation: Crimes against property and persons (2022) 

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