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New Mexico
55.34
New Hampshire
46.86
Virginia
45.80
South Dakota
42.37
Idaho
38.84
Wyoming
37.31
Alabama
36.24
Arkansas
34.34
Nevada
34.09
Alaska
32.06
North Dakota
31.97
Arizona
30.81
Utah
30.43
Texas
28.63
Louisiana
27.41
Montana
25.70
West Virginia
24.96
Pennsylvania
24.83
Georgia
23.69
Mississippi
23.20
Florida
23.14
Oklahoma
22.97
Kentucky
22.23
Colorado
21.89
Indiana
21.24
Connecticut
21.11
Maryland
20.97
Kansas
20.86
Oregon
19.71
Tennessee
19.39
Minnesota
19.10
North Carolina
18.71
Washington
17.96
Nebraska
17.59
Missouri
16.10
Ohio
16.04
Iowa
14.77
Wisconsin
14.30
Maine
13.91
Vermont
13.41
Illinois
11.85
New Jersey
10.79
California
9.79
Michigan
9.34
Hawaii
6.49
Massachusetts
5.72
Delaware
5.71
Rhode Island
4.52
New York
4.51
Guns per Capita 2024
According to the Small Arms Survey of 2017, the United States had a population size of around 326,474,000 people. There were about 393 million firearms in the United States, meaning that there were far more guns than there are people. Additionally, given that not every person in the U.S. owns a gun, many people own multiple or many. This fact still rings true, with the only major difference being that the United States population and the number of guns in the nation have grown in size.
Back in 2017, for every one hundred people in the United States, there were one hundred twenty firearms in the hands of the general public. Of the 393 million firearms in the U.S., only 6.06 million of them are registered.
According to the Pew Research Center, handguns are the most common type of firearm among gun owners. About 39% of men and 22% of women say they own a firearm. Rural households are more likely to own a firearm than urban households, 46% vs. 19%, and those 50 or older have the highest gun ownership rate than other age groups at 33%. Republicans are twice as likely to own a gun than Democrats, and Southern households are more likely to own firearms (36%) than other regions of the U.S.
Guns per Capita by State
State | Registered Weapon Rate |
---|---|
New Mexico | 55.34 |
New Hampshire | 46.86 |
Virginia | 45.80 |
South Dakota | 42.37 |
Idaho | 38.84 |
Wyoming | 37.31 |
Alabama | 36.24 |
Arkansas | 34.34 |
Nevada | 34.09 |
Alaska | 32.06 |
The number of firearms per capita ranges significantly between states. The lowest is 3 per 1,000 people in Rhode Island and New York, to 229 per 1,000 people in Wyoming. Wyoming has, by far, the highest number of guns per capita. Of Wyoming's 581,075 people, there are 132,806 registered guns. The four other states with the highest number of guns per capita (guns per 1,000 people) are: New Hampshire (47), New Mexico (46), Virginia (36), and Alabama (33).
Seventeen states have at least 20 guns per capita. Of these states, Texas has the most registered guns, with 588,696. Due to Texas's population size, its guns per capita is 21 per 1,000 people. New Hampshire, which has the second-highest guns per capita, has some of the most relaxed firearm laws in the U.S., including no requirement to register your gun. This is the case in many other states, so it's important to remember that the majority of guns in the U.S. are not registered.
Rhode Island and New York have the lowest guns per capita of 3 per 1,000 people each. These states also have some of the lowest gun ownership overall, with only 14.8% of Rhode Island residents owning a gun and only 19.9% of New York residents owning a gun. The three other states with the lowest guns per capita, all with 5 per 1,000, are: Delaware, Hawaii, and Massachusetts.
Similar to Rhode Island and New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts have the lowest gun ownership rates in the U.S., with only 14.7% of each state's residents owning a gun. Unlike the states with higher guns per capita, these states all have some of the country's strictest gun laws. For example, New Jersey requires guns to be registered, requires a permit to purchase, a permit to carry, and does not allow open carry. Fortunately, these states also have the lowest numbers of gun deaths. Hawaii, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York have the four lowest number of gun deaths.
Below is a table of each state's total registered guns and the number of registered guns per 1,000 people.
Guns per Capita 2024
Notes:
- Precise data on gun ownership is notoriously difficult to obtain, as only six states and the District of Columbia require firearms to be registered.
- As a result, while Small Arms Survey estimates there are more than 393 million guns in the United States (more than the US has people), fewer than 7 million are registered.
- Available ownership data includes only registered firearms.
- Due to these factors, data on gun ownership (and, by extension, ownership per capita) per state are best viewed as fractions of the true totals.
State | Registered Weapon Rate (per 1k) | Registered Weapons |
---|---|---|
New Mexico | 55.34 | 116,045 |
New Hampshire | 46.86 | 63,713 |
Virginia | 45.80 | 390,946 |
South Dakota | 42.37 | 37,479 |
Idaho | 38.84 | 69,405 |
Wyoming | 37.31 | 137,346 |
Alabama | 36.24 | 177,732 |
Arkansas | 34.34 | 103,641 |
Nevada | 34.09 | 104,998 |
Alaska | 32.06 | 23,455 |
North Dakota | 31.97 | 24,365 |
Arizona | 30.81 | 224,266 |
Utah | 30.43 | 97,550 |
Texas | 28.63 | 830,109 |
Louisiana | 27.41 | 127,434 |
Montana | 25.70 | 27,467 |
West Virginia | 24.96 | 44,739 |
Pennsylvania | 24.83 | 317,858 |
Georgia | 23.69 | 251,503 |
Mississippi | 23.20 | 69,034 |
Florida | 23.14 | 497,078 |
Oklahoma | 22.97 | 90,884 |
Kentucky | 22.23 | 99,305 |
Colorado | 21.89 | 126,081 |
Indiana | 21.24 | 142,961 |
Connecticut | 21.11 | 75,278 |
Maryland | 20.97 | 126,767 |
Kansas | 20.86 | 60,783 |
South Carolina | 20.18 | 103,881 |
Oregon | 19.71 | 83,141 |
Tennessee | 19.39 | 132,471 |
Minnesota | 19.10 | 107,743 |
North Carolina | 18.71 | 196,237 |
Washington | 17.96 | 136,731 |
Nebraska | 17.59 | 34,035 |
Missouri | 16.10 | 98,828 |
Ohio | 16.04 | 187,478 |
Iowa | 14.77 | 46,613 |
Wisconsin | 14.30 | 83,236 |
Maine | 13.91 | 18,695 |
Vermont | 13.41 | 8,367 |
Illinois | 11.85 | 150,212 |
New Jersey | 10.79 | 95,848 |
California | 9.79 | 386,795 |
Michigan | 9.34 | 93,297 |
Hawaii | 6.49 | 9,196 |
Massachusetts | 5.72 | 39,779 |
Delaware | 5.71 | 5,565 |
Rhode Island | 4.52 | 4,784 |
New York | 4.51 | 87,766 |
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Guns per Capita 2024
- Gun Ownership Mapped: How Many Guns Each State Had in 2020? - Hunting Mark
- Registration - Giffords Law Center
- What Gun Ownership Is Like State by State - ThoughtCo
- Estimating Global Civilian-held Firearms Numbers - Small Arms Survey
- America�s Complex Relationship With Guns - Pew Research Center
- Gun map: Ownership by state - CBS News