This Group of Americans Own the Most Guns

With another presidential election looming, gun control topics are certain to be front and center in the coming months.

Today, around 4 in every 10 Americans live in a household with a firearm.

The U.S. has the highest ratio of guns to people worldwide. At the state level, gun ownership varies widely. Depending on where one lives, it can be as low as 1 in 10 households owning at least one firearm or as high as over half of households. Knowing more about gun values and ownership in your community can make you feel safer or more ingrained in local culture.

To identify the gun ownership rate in each state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from a 2020 study published by the RAND Corporation, a research and public policy advocacy group.

Why Cover Who Owns the Most Guns?

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Gun ownership is a hot topic of conversation at home and in the news. Debates over laws to put in place and how to regulate the flow and type of weapons are just a few ways this hits the news. Guns are also a booming industry in the United States. Gun stores, gun shows, websites…there are many avenues to get a firearm if you would like to have one. Learning about gun ownership on a state level is another way to understand the topic better.

Here are states where Americans own the most guns, ranked.

50. New Jersey

Gun Control Law Grade: A
Estimated Firearm Ownership Rate: 8.9% of households
Gun Deaths for 2022: 5 per 100,000, or 468 people (4th lowest)
Annual Economic Output Per Capita: $103
Annual Economic Output: $958.9 million

49. Massachusetts

Gun Control Law Grade: A-
Estimated Firearm Ownership Rate: 9.0% of households
Gun Deaths for 2022: 3.7 per 100,000, or 263 people (2nd lowest)
Annual Economic Output Per Capita: $185
Annual Economic Output: $1.3 billion

48. Hawaii

Gun Control Law Grade: A-
Estimated Firearm Ownership Rate: 9.1% of households
Gun Deaths for 2022: 4.5 per 100,000, or 66 people (3rd lowest)
Annual Economic Output Per Capita: $54
Annual Economic Output: $78.5 million

47. Rhode Island

Gun Control Law Grade: B+
Estimated Firearm Ownership Rate: 13.9% of households
Gun Deaths for 2022: 3.1 per 100,000, or 37 people (the lowest)
Annual Economic Output Per Capita: $292
Annual Economic Output: $320.2 million

46. New York

Gun Control Law Grade: A-
Estimated Firearm Ownership Rate: 14.5% of households
Gun Deaths for 2022: 5.3 per 100,000, or 1,044 people (5th lowest)
Annual Economic Output Per Capita: $161
Annual Economic Output: $13.2 billion

45. California

Gun Control Law Grade: A
Estimated Firearm Ownership Rate: 16.3% of households
Gun Deaths for 2022: 8.6 per 100,000, or 3,484 people (7th lowest)
Annual Economic Output Per Capita: $153
Annual Economic Output: $6.0 million

44. Maryland

Gun Control Law Grade: A-
Estimated Firearm Ownership Rate: 16.7% of households
Gun Deaths for 2022: 13.6 per 100,000, or 813 people (16th lowest)
Annual Economic Output Per Capita: $161
Annual Economic Output: $997.5 million

43. Connecticut

Gun Control Law Grade: A-
Estimated Firearm Ownership Rate: 18.8% of households
Gun Deaths for 2022: 6.9 per 100,000, or 252 people (6th lowest)
Annual Economic Output Per Capita: $412
Annual Economic Output: $1.5 billion

42. Illinois

Gun Control Law Grade: A-
Estimated Firearm Ownership Rate: 22.6% of households
Gun Deaths for 2022: 14.4 per 100,000, or 1,798 people (20th lowest)
Annual Economic Output Per Capita: $291
Annual Economic Output: $3.7 billion

41. Florida

Gun Control Law Grade: C-
Estimated Firearm Ownership Rate: 14.5% of households
Gun Deaths for 2022: 14 per 100,000, or 3,232 people (18th lowest)
Annual Economic Output Per Capita: $174
Annual Economic Output: $3.8 billion

40. Washington

Gun Control Law Grade: B+
Estimated Firearm Ownership Rate: 32.1% of households
Gun Deaths for 2022: 12.4 per 100,000, or 1,022 people (15th lowest)
Annual Economic Output Per Capita: $253
Annual Economic Output: $2.0 billion

39. Nevada

Gun Control Law Grade: C+
Estimated Firearm Ownership Rate: 32.9% of households
Gun Deaths for 2022: 18.9 per 100,000, or 618 people (16th highest)
Annual Economic Output Per Capita: $255
Annual Economic Output: $802.3 million

Nevada has an estimated firearm ownership rate of 32.9% of households. 2021 gun deaths are 19.8 per 100,000 people (633 total), 15th highest of the 50 states. Their gun control law grade is a C+, with an annual economic output of the firearm industry at $802.3 million or $255 per capita (the 19th highest in 50 states).