1. Tennessee

Most Corrupt States

Public Corruption: 18

Racketeering & Extortion: 11

Fraud Rank: 7

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 5

Embezzlement: 9

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Most Corrupt Sta... The Daily Beast has examined a wide range of available data to rank the level of corruption in all 50 states. Each of the following data sets was weighted equally:

•Public corruption, 1998—2008: Convictions of elected and other public officials investigated by federal agents over an 11-year period, from the Department of Justice.

•Racketeering and Extortion, 1998—2008: Code for organized crime convictions, also investigated by federal agents over an 11-year period, from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

•Forgery and Counterfeiting, 1999—2008: Arrest numbers for producing or distributing fake money and goods over a 10-year period, from the FBI.

•Fraud, 1999—2008: Arrests for false statements or documents produced for personal gain over a 10-year period, from the FBI.

•Embezzlement, 1999—2008: Arrests for surreptitious theft of money over a 10-year period, from the FBI.

By using a decade’s worth of federal data, the Daily Beast was able to minimize the effect of local law enforcement efficacy, though some flaws remain: local cases go undocumented, and the FBI data is self-reported by local law enforcement. When combined, however, the data provides a fairly deep look into which jurisdictions are uncovering the most corruption.
25. Nebraska Public Corruption: 50

Racketeering & Extortion: 40

Fraud Rank: 11

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 11

Embezzlement: 12
24. New York Public Corruption: 20

Racketeering & Extortion: 1

Fraud Rank: 30

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 34

Embezzlement: 38
23. Maryland Public Corruption: 22

Racketeering & Extortion: 20

Fraud Rank: 28

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 37

Embezzlement: 15
22. Connecticut Public Corruption: 23

Racketeering & Extortion: 10

Fraud Rank: 37

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 32

Embezzlement: 18
21. New Jersey Public Corruption: 11

Racketeering & Extortion: 5

Fraud Rank: 26

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 35

Embezzlement: 41
20. Arizona Public Corruption: 31

Racketeering & Extortion: 24

Fraud Rank: 40

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 4

Embezzlement: 19
19. Louisiana Public Corruption: 4

Racketeering & Extortion: 27

Fraud Rank: 29

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 28

Embezzlement: 28
18. Wisconsin Public Corruption: 35

Racketeering & Extortion: 33

Fraud Rank: 8

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 15

Embezzlement: 25
17. South Dakota Public Corruption: 7

Racketeering & Extortion: 29

Fraud Rank: 13

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 45

Embezzlement: 21
16. Hawaii Public Corruption: 19

Racketeering & Extortion: 3

Fraud Rank: 43

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 25

Embezzlement: 23
15. Missouri Public Corruption: 24

Racketeering & Extortion: 25

Fraud Rank: 24

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 6

Embezzlement: 34
14. Arkansas Public Corruption: 26

Racketeering & Extortion: 36

Fraud Rank: 2

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 3

Embezzlement: 43
13. Texas Public Corruption: 27

Racketeering & Extortion: 15

Fraud Rank: 21

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 14

Embezzlement: 31
12. Alabama Public Corruption: 10

Racketeering & Extortion: 39

Fraud Rank: 6

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 8

Embezzlement: 45
11. Georgia Public Corruption: 38

Racketeering & Extortion: 16

Fraud Rank: 12

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 12

Embezzlement: 29
10. Oklahoma Public Corruption: 21

Racketeering & Extortion: 26

Fraud Rank: 18

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 23

Embezzlement: 6
9. South Carolin... Public Corruption: 42

Racketeering & Extortion: 14

Fraud Rank: 3

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 20

Embezzlement: 14
8. Pennsylvania Public Corruption: 15

Racketeering & Extortion: 7

Fraud Rank: 16

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 27

Embezzlement: 27
7. Nevada Public Corruption: 39

Racketeering & Extortion: 4

Fraud Rank: 10

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 19

Embezzlement: 4
6. Florida Public Corruption: 12

Racketeering & Extortion: 6

Fraud Rank: 17

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 21

Embezzlement: 13
5. North Carolin... Public Corruption: 36

Racketeering & Extortion: 22

Fraud Rank: 1

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 7

Embezzlement: 2
4. Delaware Public Corruption: 9

Racketeering & Extortion: 51

Fraud Rank: 4

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 1

Embezzlement: 1
3. Mississippi Public Corruption: 5

Racketeering & Extortion: 17

Fraud Rank: 22

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 16

Embezzlement: 3
2. Virginia Public Corruption: 14

Racketeering & Extortion: 9

Fraud Rank: 9

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 18

Embezzlement: 5
1. Tennessee Public Corruption: 18

Racketeering & Extortion: 11

Fraud Rank: 7

Forgery & Counterfeiting: 5

Embezzlement: 9
See the Full Sto... Click here to see the complete list of the most corrupt states.