Bullying is a critical issue affecting students, both at school and online, making it more important than ever to discuss and understand its prevalence.
A 2023 study by Innerbody analyzed bullying rates across the United States, ranking 41 states based on the most and least common instances of bullying.
Bullying Methodology
Innerbody.com compiled bullying data, assessing factors such as:
- Number of physical fights on school property
- General bullying on school property
- Online bullying
- Attempts at taking one’s life
- Truancy (skipping school) due to bullying
Due to data availability, the ranking included only 41 states. In addition to statistics, Innerbody surveyed 891 people to gather perceptions and experiences related to bullying.
State Rankings: Least to Most Common Bullying
Here are the states ranked from least to most common bullying, according to Innerbody’s data:
1. North Dakota
With a total bullying score of 7.23, North Dakota has the least amount of bullying in the U.S. Only 4.9% of students miss school due to fear of bullying, and the state has the lowest cost of truancy ($0.4 million) for schools.
2. Delaware
Delaware’s total bullying score is 10.2. It ranks first for the lowest percentage of high school students bullied on school property and online.
3. Massachusetts
Massachusetts has a total bullying score of 14.6. Around 7.5% of high school students have attempted suicide, the fifth-lowest in the U.S.
4. Indiana
Indiana has a bullying score of 16.35. It ranks the lowest in truancy due to bullying but has more students attempting suicide compared to the states ranked before it.
5. Maine
Maine’s bullying score of 17.55 is relatively low due to few physical fights on school property and truancy due to bullying.
6. Hawaii
The Aloha State has a score of 20.05, ranking above average for low rates of bullying on school property, online bullying, and suicide attempts.
7. South Carolina
South Carolina has a significantly low score of 21.03, especially for a Southern state, and ranks best for low truancy due to bullying.
8. Montana
Montana is close behind South Carolina with a score of 21.05, also ranking best in the low school skipping due to bullying category.
9. South Dakota
South Dakota’s score of 22.58 is due to low rates of physical fights on school property and low truancy due to bullying rates.
10. Missouri
Missouri has a score of 22.63, with a low rate of suicide attempts.
11. Nebraska
Nebraska has a score of 23.63, with a low truancy rate, but the highest rate of bullying on school property among the states listed up to this point.
12. Utah
With a score of 23.68, Utah ranks moderately well, particularly with low rates of physical fights on school property.
13. Connecticut
Connecticut’s score of 23.9 is greatly helped by having the lowest percentage of high school students who attempt suicide (5.9%).
14. Rhode Island
Rhode Island has the second-lowest percentage of high school students bullied on school property and the fifth-lowest percentage bullied online, but its overall score is 24.3 due to mediocre ratings in other categories.
15. Virginia
Virginia has a bullying score of 27.88, ranking higher than average for bullying on school property and online, but has below-average statistics for truancy due to bullying.
16. Oklahoma
Oklahoma’s score is 28.45, with its best category being truancy due to bullying, where it has low reported rates.
17. Wisconsin
Wisconsin has a score of 28.88, ranking better than average for a low rate of students taking their lives and truancy due to bullying, but below average for most other categories.
18. Idaho
Idaho has a bullying score of 31.38, with relatively better rankings for lower rates of physical flights on school property and truancy due to bullying.
19. Florida
Florida has a score of 31.45, dragged down by a poor truancy due to bullying rating.
20. Ohio
Ohio’s score is 32.73, ranking particularly poorly for bullying on school property and bullying online.
21. Maryland
Maryland has a relatively low rate of students being bullied on school property.
22. Kansas
Kansas has a score of 36.0, ranking especially poorly for the number of attempted student suicides, with relatively low physical fights on school property and truancy rates due to bullying.
23. Kentucky
Kentucky has a score of 36.98, ranking moderately well for relatively few attempts at students taking their lives, but average to poorly for all other categories.
24. Tennessee
Tennessee has a score of 37.65 and below-average rankings among the bullying categories.
25. Texas
Texas has a score of 38.5 but is the third-best state for having the lowest percentage of high school students bullied online (11.9%).
26. Iowa
Iowa is the fifth-worst state for online bullying, with a rate of 18.8%. Its best category is a low rate of truancy due to bullying.
27. Illinois
Illinois has a score of 39.55, ranking above average for having relatively few physical fights on school property and attempts at students taking their lives.
28. Alabama
Alabama has a score of 40.0 and is one of the worst in the nation for a high rate of students being bullied on school property.
29. New Hampshire
New Hampshire has a score of 41.03, with a relatively lower rate of physical fights on school property.
30. New York
New York also has a score of 41.03, saved by lower physical fights on school property, but has the highest percentage of high school students bullied online, at 21.8%.
31. Arizona
Arizona struggles with some of the worst online bullying in the nation, pulling its score down to 44.78.
32. New Mexico
New Mexico has low rates of reported online bullying and bullying on school property, but its high truancy due to bullying is among the worst in America.
33. California
California is one of the worst-ranking states for bullying cases on school property, contributing to its high score of 46.43.
34. North Carolina
North Carolina has a score of 46.88, largely due to being number one in the nation for having the highest percentage of high school students who missed school out of fear of being bullied (17.0%).
34. Michigan
Michigan is the state with the seventh most common occurrence of bullying, with 15.4% of high school students reporting missing school out of fear of being bullied.
36. Colorado
Colorado’s score of 50.18 ranks poorly for all categories, especially truancy due to bullying, but has a relatively low number of physical fights on school property.
37. Arkansas
Arkansas has a score of 50.28, with online bullying being its worst category.
38. West Virginia
West Virginia has a score of 50.98. While it has one of the lowest percentages of high school students involved in physical fights at school (3.7%), it has a high rate of online bullying (20.6%).
39. Mississippi
Mississippi has a score of 53.1. It is among the worst states for high school students missing school due to fear of bullying (15.1%) and those who attempt suicide (16.2%).
40. Alaska
Alaska has a score of 59.2, with poor numbers across the board, including the highest rate of high school students who’ve attempted suicide (19.7%).
41. Louisiana
According to Innerbody’s study, Louisiana is the state where bullying is the most common, with a score of 64.25, due to a high percentage of high school students in physical fights (9.9%) and students who miss school for fear of being bullied (15.7%).
North vs South
The study indicates that bullying may be less prevalent in the North compared to the South, with half of the states having the worst bullying data being Southern states.
Other Findings
- Social Media: 62% of survey participants reported frequently seeing hurtful comments on social media.
- Search Interest: South Dakota, Montana, Hawaii, Delaware, and North Dakota had the lowest search interest for the term “bullying,” while Louisiana, California, North Carolina, and Arkansas ranked in the top ten for the highest search interest.
- LGBTQ+ Community: High school students who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community have a nearly 40% chance of being bullied, compared to about 22% of heterosexual students.
- Race: Almost 22% of white high school students reported being bullied at school or online in the last year, while 19% of Hispanic and 18% of Black high school students reported the same.
- Gender: Around 30% of female high school students have been bullied, compared to 19% of male high schoolers.
- National Bullying Prevention Month: October is National Bullying Prevention Month, dedicated to raising awareness of the devastating impact of bullying.
Alicia Richards