Special Report

States Where Bullying Is the Biggest Problem

Evan Comen

Published: September 21, 2018 5:59 pm

Last Updated: January 11, 2020 5:31 pm

The rise in school shootings and suicidal behavior among teenagers who have been victims of bullying in recent years has put a national spotlight on childhood bullying. Additionally, the rise in social media usage has likely led to an uptick in cyberbullying. While bullying is rarely the primary cause of suicide, peer-on-peer aggression can have serious and long-lasting effects on child development.

The prevalence of bullying varies heavily throughout the United States and may be correlated with factors such as child obesity, poverty, and mental stress. States also may be able to prevent bullying with effective anti-bullying legislation and programs.

To determine the states with the most bullies, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the share of high schoolers who were bullied on school property in the past year with data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey for the 46 states with available data. The four states without available data — Minnesota, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington — were not included in the analysis.

Click here to see the full list of states with the most bullies.
Click here to see our detailed findings and methodology.

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46. Delaware
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 14.1%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 10.1% (3rd lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 27.6% (12th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 85.5% (25th highest)

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45. Florida
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 14.3%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 11.6% (4th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 27.9% (13th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 80.7% (14th lowest)

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44. Massachusetts
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 14.6%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 13.6% (9th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 27.5% (11th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 87.5% (13th highest)

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43. Virginia
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 15.7%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 12.6% (5th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 29.5% (24th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 86.7% (20th highest)

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42. Nevada
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 16.1%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 13.0% (6th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 35.5% (6th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 73.6% (2nd lowest)

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41. Rhode Island
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 17.3%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 14.2% (15th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 29.4% (22nd lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 82.8% (20th lowest)

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40. California
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 17.9%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 13.6% (8th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 32.1% (12th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 83.0% (21st lowest)

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39. Colorado
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 18.0%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 14.5% (16th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 31.3% (17th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 78.9% (6th lowest)

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38. Maryland
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 18.2%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 14.1% (14th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 29.9% (23rd highest)
> High school graduation rate: 87.6% (12th highest)

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37. Hawaii
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 18.4%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 14.6% (17th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 29.5% (25th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 82.7% (19th lowest)

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36. Indiana
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 18.7%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 15.7% (25th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 29.4% (21st lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 86.8% (19th highest)

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35. New Mexico
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 18.7%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 14.0% (13th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 35.8% (5th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 71.0% (the lowest)

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34. North Carolina
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 18.7%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 13.9% (12th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 29.4% (24th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 85.9% (22nd highest)

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33. Texas
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 18.9%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 14.7% (18th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 34.2% (8th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 89.1% (5th highest)

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32. Connecticut
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 18.9%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 15.8% (24th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 26.9% (7th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 87.4% (15th highest)

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31. Alabama
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 19.0%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 13.5% (7th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 29.3% (20th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 87.1% (16th highest)

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30. Arizona
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 19.2%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 15.2% (22nd lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 36.4% (3rd highest)
> High school graduation rate: 79.5% (8th lowest)

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29. Utah
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 19.4%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 18.0% (13th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 33.0% (10th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 85.2% (24th lowest)

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28. Mississippi
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 19.5%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 15.5% (23rd lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 29.5% (25th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 82.3% (17th lowest)

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27. Georgia
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 19.5%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 13.9% (11th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 28.0% (15th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 79.4% (7th lowest)

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26. Kansas
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 19.8%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 15.8% (25th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 24.8% (3rd lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 85.7% (23rd highest)

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25. Tennessee
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 20.3%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 15.6% (24th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 31.1% (19th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 88.5% (8th highest)

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24. Ohio
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 20.9%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 15.1% (21st lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 25.8% (6th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 83.5% (22nd lowest)

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23. Kentucky
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 21.2%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 18.2% (12th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 29.2% (19th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 88.6% (7th highest)

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22. Oklahoma
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 21.3%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 16.1% (22nd highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 31.8% (14th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 81.6% (15th lowest)

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21. New Jersey
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 21.3%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 14.8% (19th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 28.7% (16th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 90.1% (2nd highest)

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20. New Hampshire
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 21.4%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 19.0% (8th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 28.0% (14th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 88.2% (9th highest)

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19. Illinois
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 21.4%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 17.3% (20th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 32.3% (11th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 85.5% (25th highest)

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18. South Carolina
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 21.5%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 13.6% (10th lowest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 33.2% (9th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 82.6% (18th lowest)

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17. Montana
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 21.6%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 17.6% (16th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 31.0% (20th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 85.6% (24th highest)

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16. South Dakota
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 21.6%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 18.4% (10th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 25.4% (5th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 83.9% (23rd lowest)

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15. New York
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 21.7%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 17.6% (17th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 30.4% (22nd highest)
> High school graduation rate: 80.4% (13th lowest)

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14. Pennsylvania
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 21.7%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 17.3% (21st highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 29.4% (23rd lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 86.1% (21st highest)

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13. Maine
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 21.8%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 17.8% (15th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 27.4% (10th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 87.0% (17th highest)

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12. Nebraska
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 22.4%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 17.5% (19th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 27.0% (8th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 89.3% (4th highest)

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11. Michigan
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 22.8%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 19.6% (5th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 37.3% (2nd highest)
> High school graduation rate: 79.7% (11th lowest)

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10. Iowa
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 23.3%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 18.0% (13th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 29.2% (18th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 91.3% (the highest)

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9. Alaska
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 23.3%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 19.8% (3rd highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 36.1% (4th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 76.1% (4th lowest)

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8. Missouri
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 23.3%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 19.4% (6th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 31.3% (18th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 89.0% (6th highest)

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7. West Virginia
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 23.7%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 19.3% (7th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 32.0% (13th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 89.8% (3rd highest)

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6. Wyoming
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 23.8%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 17.5% (18th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 30.8% (21st highest)
> High school graduation rate: 80.0% (12th lowest)

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5. Louisiana
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 23.8%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 21.3% (the highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 31.7% (15th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 78.6% (5th lowest)

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4. Wisconsin
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 24.3%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 18.3% (11th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 27.0% (9th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 88.2% (9th highest)

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3. North Dakota
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 24.3%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 18.8% (9th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 28.9% (17th lowest)
> High school graduation rate: 87.5% (13th highest)

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2. Idaho
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 25.8%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 20.3% (2nd highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 35.0% (7th highest)
> High school graduation rate: 79.7% (11th lowest)

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1. Arkansas
> High schoolers bullied on school property: 26.6%
> High schoolers cyberbullied: 19.7% (4th highest)
> High schoolers feeling sad or hopeless: 40.2% (the highest)
> High school graduation rate: 87.0% (17th highest)

Detailed Findings

There are several factors that correlate with bullying. Children who are perceived as being different from their peers are more likely to experience bullying. Overweight children are one of the most commonly targeted groups, and students in states with higher rates of childhood obesity are more likely to report bullying overall. In six of the 10 states with the highest prevalence of high school bullying, the share of students who are obese is greater than the 14.8% national rate.

Children are also less likely to engage in bullying if they have high self-esteem and are more involved in school. Additionally, studies have shown that high levels of aggression tend to correspond with low levels of academic achievement. In nine of the 10 states with the most bullies, the share of high schoolers who have scored a 3 out of 5 or higher on AP exams is below the 20.0% national average.

A 2015 report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that bullying victimization rates are nearly twice as high in rural areas than in suburban areas. Rural youth experience higher rates of stress, social isolation, and reduced access to prevention programs. Additionally, children in rural areas may spend more time aboard student transportation, where a large share of bullying incidents takes place. In all of the 10 worst states for bullying, the share of the population living in rural areas is greater than the 19.3% national share.

Children who are bullied are more likely to experience depression and anxiety, feelings of sadness and loneliness, loss of interest in activities, physical health issues, and decreased academic achievement. Many of the same factors that may increase the likelihood of bullying victimization also contribute to high rates of mental stress. In eight of the 10 states with the lowest prevalence of bullying, the share of high schoolers who report feeling sad or hopeless so much that they stop engaging in their usual activities is less than the 31.5% national share.

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education released a study analyzing 120 anti-bullying laws enacted by state legislatures and identified 11 key components shared by the most effective legislation. An October 2015 study published by The Journal of the American Medical Association found that students in states with at least one legislative component recommended by the DOE were 24% less likely to report bullying and 20% less likely to report cyberbullying. According to the study, some of the components most likely to reduce the prevalence of bullying include having a description of prohibited behaviors and having requirements for school districts to establish local policies.

Methodology

To determine the states with the most bullies, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the share of high schoolers who were bullied on school property in the past year with data from 2009 to 2017 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System for the 46 states with available data. Data on the share of students who were cyberbullied and the share of students who reported feeling sad or hopeless every day for two weeks or more in a row and stopped doing some usual activities also came from the high school YRBSS. The four-year adjusted cohort public high school graduation rate for the 2015-16 school year came from the National Center for Education Statistics. All data is for the most recent period available.