Most dangerous and safest
US travel destinations by cybercrime

With summer comes the travel season. However, while travelers often evaluate various health and physical safety measures before leaving for the destination, few think about their online safety. The Atlas VPN research team has compiled a list of the most dangerous and the most secure US travel destinations in terms of cybercrime. Take a look.

Most dangerous and safest
US travel destinations by cybercrime

With summer comes the travel season. However, while travelers often evaluate various health and physical safety measures before leaving for the destination, few think about their online safety. The Atlas VPN research team has compiled a list of the most dangerous and the most secure US travel destinations in terms of cybercrime. Take a look.

US cybercrime stats

In 2021 cybercrime severely affected Americans’ daily lives. Here are the key numbers:

$6,098,057,180

Lost to cybercriminals

494,267

People were victims of cybercrime

Top 5 states by internet crime

We calculated each state’s cybersecurity score and ranked the most dangerous and safest US travel destinations.

The most dangerous states:

North Dakota

Nevada

California

New York

District of Columbia

The safest states:

Arkansas

Maine

West Virginia

New Mexico

Mississippi

Check how each US state ranks for cyber safety

Methodology

The safety of each US state was ranked according to its cybercrime index. We also included each state' ranking according to its popularity as a travel destination. To calculate the cybercrime index, we first calculated each state's victim count per 100,000 population. It is important to note that the victim number represents the number of individual complaints received from each state.

For the second measure, we calculated the losses each victim incurred. To determine our final ranking, each measure was normalized on a 0-1 scale, with 1 corresponding to the measure that would most negatively impact the final score. These measurements were then summed up and converted to a score scale of 100. The initial cybercrime victim and cybercrime loss numbers for each state were based on Federal Bureau of Investigation 2021 statistics.

State	Travel destination popularity	Victims per 100k population	Losses per victim	Cybercrime score
North Dakota	43	87	$31,711	57.92
Nevada	3	547	$4,728	57.45
California	1	169	$18,302	44.33
New York	5	151	$19,266	44.21
District of Columbia	13	293	$9,556	41.84
South Dakota	36	105	$19,065	39.70
New Jersey	17	144	$15,878	38.25
Massachusetts	21	133	$16,393	37.97
Florida	2	207	$11,527	37.08
Connecticut	42	128	$16,020	36.93
Michigan	31	109	$16,617	36.20
Utah	15	126	$15,354	35.74
Texas	4	137	$14,732	35.73
Colorado	16	177	$12,397	35.71
Virginia	6	136	$14,660	35.59
Alaska	34	248	$7,314	34.21
Washington	25	176	$11,325	33.98
Wyoming	35	126	$13,945	33.53
Oregon	28	138	$12,721	32.65
Tennessee	11	102	$14,583	32.30
Vermont	50	115	$13,744	32.17
Minnesota	23	102	$14,123	31.58
Iowa	32	279	$3,820	31.53
Pennsylvania	22	135	$11,991	31.23
Maryland	26	192	$8,476	30.97
Delaware	38	213	$7,055	30.65
Arizona	8	162	$10,033	30.63
Illinois	18	144	$10,271	29.34
Georgia	9	108	$12,228	29.13
Hawaii	10	115	$11,742	29.05
Oklahoma	41	104	$12,078	28.53
New Hampshire	48	108	$10,291	26.09
Ohio	12	149	$7,634	25.69
Rhode Island	47	113	$9,287	25.01
Alabama	14	108	$9,262	24.48
Nebraska	49	123	$8,202	24.16
Idaho	39	99	$9,396	23.89
Kansas	46	92	$9,666	23.68
Indiana	24	167	$5,310	23.61
Montana	40	109	$8,508	23.35
Missouri	30	157	$5,551	23.08
Kentucky	33	159	$5,310	22.94
Wisconsin	19	147	$5,993	22.93
Louisiana	29	92	$9,130	22.81
North Carolina	20	96	$8,821	22.68
South Carolina	7	102	$7,882	21.72
Mississippi	27	73	$9,483	21.65
New Mexico	37	125	$4,827	19.08
West Virginia	51	122	$4,428	18.10
Maine	44	103	$5,179	17.60
Arkansas	45	90	$5,575	17.04

6 steps to stay safe online when traveling

Set up “Find my phone”

Make sure to enable the “Find my phone” feature on your phone or download an app that allows you to track your device’s location. If your phone gets stolen or lost, you may be able to see where it is so it does not get into the wrong hands.

Update your devices

Check that all your devices have the most recent software and security upgrades. Back up your images and other essential files on your device as often as possible to the cloud or a portable storage device.

Keep track of your cards

Never let your credit or travel cards out of sight when vacationing and keep an eye out for any suspicious transactions. Try using safer payment methods such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Pay.

Do not post your location on social media

It is nice to share how much fun you are having on your vacation, but it is also a way for a burglar to figure out you are not home. All those fantastic images of you having a wonderful time on your vacation can wait till you come home.

Disable auto-connection

Make sure to disable auto-connect on features such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Some devices will search for and connect to available wireless networks automatically. Disable these options to connect to WiFi and Bluetooth networks only when necessary.

Use a VPN on public Wi-Fi

When going online, use a VPN (Virtual Private Network), especially if you are connected to a Wi-Fi network in airports, hotels, or other public areas. A VPN will protect your data from being stolen by any bad actors who may have access to the network.

Set up “Find my phone”

Make sure to enable the “Find my phone” feature on your phone or download an app that allows you to track your device’s location. If your phone gets stolen or lost, you may be able to see where it is so it does not get into the wrong hands.

Update your devices

Check that all your devices have the most recent software and security upgrades. Back up your images and other essential files on your device as often as possible to the cloud or a portable storage device.

Keep track of your cards

Never let your credit or travel cards out of sight when vacationing and keep an eye out for any suspicious transactions. Try using safer payment methods such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Pay.

Do not post your location on social media

It is nice to share how much fun you are having on your vacation, but it is also a way for a burglar to figure out you are not home. All those fantastic images of you having a wonderful time on your vacation can wait till you come home.

Disable auto-connection

Make sure to disable auto-connect on features such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Some devices will search for and connect to available wireless networks automatically. Disable these options to connect to WiFi and Bluetooth networks only when necessary.

Use a VPN on public Wi-Fi

When going online, use a VPN (Virtual Private Network), especially if you are connected to a Wi-Fi network in airports, hotels, or other public areas. A VPN will protect your data from being stolen by any bad actors who may have access to the network.

Set up “Find my phone”

Make sure to enable the “Find my phone” feature on your phone or download an app that allows you to track your device’s location. If your phone gets stolen or lost, you may be able to see where it is so it does not get into the wrong hands.

Update your devices

Check that all your devices have the most recent software and security upgrades. Back up your images and other essential files on your device as often as possible to the cloud or a portable storage device.

Keep track of your cards

Never let your credit or travel cards out of sight when vacationing and keep an eye out for any suspicious transactions. Try using safer payment methods such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Pay.

Do not post your location on social media

It is nice to share how much fun you are having on your vacation, but it is also a way for a burglar to figure out you are not home. All those fantastic images of you having a wonderful time on your vacation can wait till you come home.

Disable auto-connection

Make sure to disable auto-connect on features such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Some devices will search for and connect to available wireless networks automatically. Disable these options to connect to WiFi and Bluetooth networks only when necessary.

Use a VPN on public Wi-Fi

When going online, use a VPN (Virtual Private Network), especially if you are connected to a Wi-Fi network in airports, hotels, or other public areas. A VPN will protect your data from being stolen by any bad actors who may have access to the network.