I live in the strange position of loving both my home state of Texas and California, where many of my family members are.

That's like being a fan of the Longhorns and the Aggies. Yikes.

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Being in that position, I see many of the misconceptions and straight-up prejudices members of the two states can have for each other.

When I told coworkers I was visiting my grandmother in Los Angeles they all looked deeply concerned for my welfare.

While that's very sweet, it's also misguided, as my grandmother lives in a safe and lovely middle-class neighborhood. I feel just as secure there as I do anywhere else.

That isn't to say that Texas is solely guilty of this- I know many Californians who think Texas is a violent Wild West where everyone has a gun at their hip (not that there's anything wrong with responsibly carrying).

It got me wondering- where ARE you more likely to meet a violent demise? Which state murders most- California or Texas?

Looking at the number of murders reported by the CDC for 2022 (latest year stats are available) the answer is California, with 2,304 homicides to Texas' 2,281.

BUT...

If we adjust for population, the murders per capita, Texas has 7.6 murders per 100,000 people whereas California has 5.9 per 100k. So your odds of being murdered in Texas are actually higher. Oops.

Regardless of all that, both states are quite safe- at least compared to the states with the highest per capita homicides. If you're worried about meeting an untimely demise, be sure to avoid Mississippi, which has nearly 21 murders per 100k people.

Texas and California fall in about the middle for murders- there are plenty of more dangerous states- and plenty of states with very low homicide numbers. Again, if you are very worried about being murdered- move to New Hampshire.

I know many people don't want to hear it, but California and Texas have more in common than differences. And they are both full of lovely people, and the vast majority of them have no intention of murdering you.

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