A new study has revealed the states with the lowest return on investment from police spending, with Nebraska, Arkansas, and South Carolina appearing first, second, and third, in the ‘lineup.’

South Carolina ranks third in this study with 111 crimes for every $1,000 police spending. This state sees the ninth-highest crime rate nationally, at around 2,920 crimes per 100,000 citizens, and invests around $26.2 million per 100,000 to combat and stay ahead of them (the national average is $40 million).

The study, conducted by pre-settlement legal funding company High Rise Financial, utilized FBI crime data alongside state and local government spending reports from the US Census Bureau for the most recent years available to examine how effectively funds are used to reduce crime rates. States were ranked based on how many crimes occurred per $1,000 of government spending on police services. The focus was primarily on violent and property crimes to gauge the impact of financial allocations on public safety.

Nebraska has the worst ROI on police spending. For every $1,000 spent on police services, there are 149 crimes. This is the highest in the nation and 126% higher than the average of 66 crimes per $1,000 spent.

Nebraska was also shown to have the ninth lowest annual police spending at $28 million per 100,000 residents (the national average is $40 million per 100,000 people) and sees 4,199 crimes per 100,000 citizens, respectively. This equates to around one in twenty-four citizens being affected by crime each year.

Arkansas comes in second with 135 crimes per $1,000 police spending, more than double the national average of 66 crimes.

For every 100,000 citizens in Arkansas, the state sees 3,208 crimes and commits around $23.8 million to combat them. This is the lowest overall police spending per 100,000 citizens nationally.

Oklahoma ranks fourth with 105 crimes per $1,000 spent on police services. The state’s police expenditure stands at $29 million per 100,000 citizens, the 37th lowest, and results in the eighth highest crimes per 100,000 residents, at 3,040.

New Mexico comes in fifth, handling 102 crimes for every $1,000 invested in police. This state spends more than $35.5 million per 100,000 residents on policing, the 21st highest in the nation and about the same as New Hampshire, which ranks fifth for the same crimes per $1,000 spent.

However, New Mexico sees the second-highest crime rate per 100,000 citizens at 3,614, compared to New Hampshire, which has the lowest in the nation, at 1,379.

Washington is sixth and experiences 98 crimes per $1,000 of police spending. The police are allocated around $34.4 million per 100,000 citizens, the 27th highest in the nation. However, they see the fourth highest crime rate per 100,000 people living in the state, at 3,361, indicating that police spending could be streamlined into projects and initiatives that could have a higher effect on local crime.

Louisiana ranks seventh and reports 93 crimes per $1,000 spent on police. For every 100,000 people living in the state, $34.9 million is paid to tackle 3,235 crimes, the fifth highest rate of crimes in the country.

Tennessee is eighth and sees around 89 (88.9) crimes per $1,000 of police expenditure. It allocates $32.3 million per 100,000 residents to the police and has a crime rate of 2,876, the 11th highest nationally.

Utah places ninth with 89 (88.7) crimes per $1,000 spent. Police spending is $26 million per 100,000 locals, the fifth lowest nationally, and around $13 million under the national average of $40 million. This state also sees a crime rate of 2,312 per 100,000 locals, the 23rd highest in the country.

Colorado completes the top ten states with the worst ROI on police spending, managing 87 crimes per $1,000 of police spending. Colorado’s police budget per 100,000 residents is $41.5 million, against a crime rate of 3,609, the third highest in the nation and a massive leap from the national average of 2,209.

At the other end of the scale, New York is revealed to be the state with the highest return on police spending nationwide, seeing 25 crimes for every $1,000 of police spending. New York has the third highest spending per 100,000 citizens at around $54.7 million.

Speaking on the findings, a spokesperson from High Rise Financial said, “The study highlights significant variations in the ROI of police spending across different states. While some, like New York, demonstrate a low rate of crime compared to police budgets, others, including Nebraska and Arkansas, face challenges in achieving similar outcomes. This suggests an opportunity for these states to reevaluate and optimize their law enforcement funding strategies.”