Here Are Some of the Most Hacked States in America

Every year, the FBI publishes a report on the state of cybercrime in the U.S., based on statistics collected from the previous year. The organization that does the collecting, the bureau’s Internet Crime Complaint Centeror IC3, compiles information on a state-by-state basis, detailing where hacking incidents occurred, how many people were victimized, and how much money was lost or stolen as a result. Since we’re about a month out from the FBI’s new report (which will provide stats related to 2022’s hacking episodes), we thought we’d do a brief review of what past reports can tell us about where cybercrime is hitting the hardest. Looking at IC3’s reports on the years 2020 and 2021you can see that there are a number of states that just don’t fair too well when it comes to the ol’ information security. Scroll through to find out which.

According to the IC3’s 2020 and 2021 reports, California is one of the most hacked states in America. It stands to reason, since—in addition to having more people in it than any other state—Cali is the home of Silicon Valley, and we all know how much hackers love bothering that place. In 2020, 69,541 Californians reported being victimized by cybercrime, with losses totaling some $621,452,320. In 2021, the number of victims dipped slightly to 67,095, but the losses grew to $1,227,989,139.

New York, home of the Big Apple, is also a massive target for cybercrime. In 2020, 34,505 New Yorkers reported getting zapped by hackers and their reported losses totaled $415,812,917. The next year, the number of reported victims declined to 29,065, but reported losses grew by leaps and bounds to $559,965,598.

In 2020, Washington state reported 17,229 cases of cybercrime to the FBI, with total financial losses for those incidents $88,020,254. The next year, 13,903 state residents reported incidents, with the total losses amassing to $157,454,331.

In 2020, Colorado reported 12,325 cyber incidents to the FBI but a fairly high rate of losses, at $100,663,897. In 2021, the numbers dipped: 10,537 Coloradans reported being victimized, but, as with other states, the financial losses rose, in this case to $130,631,286.

The Lone Star State has gotten hacked plenty. In 2020, 38,640 Texans reported being victimized by cybercrime, with financial losses totaling $313,565,225. In 2021, the number of reported victims grew to 41,148, while the reported losses nearly doubled to a colossal $606,179,646.

Florida is a big destination for tourist, retirees, and for hackers. 53,793 Floridians reported being victimized in 2020, with reported losses totaling $295,032,829. In 2021, 45,855 state residents reported being victimized, and total reported losses ballooned to $528,573,929.

In 2020, Ohio reported 13,421 cases of cybercrime to the FBI, with losses of $170,171,951. The next year, the number of cases rose by several thousand to 17,510, but, surprisingly, the losses dropped to $133,666,156.

In 2020, Illinois reported 20,185 incidents and losses of $150,496,678. The next year, the number of reported victims declined to 17,999, while losses increased modestly to $184,860,704.

In 2020, some 18,636 Pennsylvanians reported being victimized by hackers, with a total statewide financial loss of $108,506,204. In 2021, meanwhile, the number of victims dropped to 17,262, while losses nearly doubled, climbing to $206,982,032.

In 2020, Nevada reported 16,110 cases of cybercrime to the FBI, with reported financial losses of $44,383,452. The next year, 17,706 state residents reported being victimized, with losses nearly doubling to $83,712,410.