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We've had two discussions about crime on this site (one about crime by city and a nerdier one about gaps between violent crime and property crime). We've never delved into specific types of crimes: besides the violent vs. property distinction, each crime has the same weight in these posts as well as on the quiz.
But in this post, we're going to deal with a specific type of crime: sex offenses. These crimes are unique because unlike other serious crimes (even murder), they require the offenders to join a registry (in some cases, the offenders can avoid registering). The registry, which lists detailed information including address, can then be analyzed to gauge proximity to sex offenders and stay as far from them as humanly possible.
It also allows us to analyze the prevalence of sex offenders by state. Thanks to this useful resource, we'll list both the top 10 and the bottom 10 states by sex offenders per capita. Let's start with the top 10.
And the bottom 10:
A few things are interesting about these results. Oregon leads substantially (the numbers are provided in the full data), which wouldn't have been expected as it's generally considered a placid place, filled with nature and bike-riding hippie types. However, a little research shows that there isn't necessarily a bigger problem; Oregon just has a tougher approach to dealing with these types of criminals. More types of offenses require registration than other states, and registration is for life rather than a certain amount of time.
It also could be considered surprising that Florida and California, despite being known for their propensity of strange crimes (with Florida's even leading to the infamous "Florida Man" meme) are in the bottom 10. Massachusetts has by far the fewest of these convicts in the country, with only 2/3 the rate of second-placed Maryland. Massachusetts has the 35th-largest registry despite being the 16th-largest state.
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