America’s Most Injury Prone States

Accidents and injuries are a fact of life, and, across America, countless emergency room visits occur daily. In fact, almost 140 million ER visits are reported yearly, which got us thinking … where do the odds stack up against you? Which states do you have the greatest chance of having an accident?

With this in mind, BetGeorgia.com - home to all things Georgia sports betting - decided to analyze the number of ER visits in each state since the year 2000. With 20+ years of data, we calculated the average annual ER visits per year, which revealed the states visiting the ER most frequently. However, with such differing populations, these figures were also normalized based on each state’s population size to create the ranking.

Along with outlining the top five injury prone states, we also jumped into the data surrounding Google search volumes for America’s top five most common injuries, as per a recent study from Hutzler Law. This allowed us to compare how each of these injuries placed amongst our highest-ranking states.

So, let’s delve into America’s most accident-prone states!

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1. District of Columbia – 658 annual visits (per 1,000 of population)

First up on our list is Washington, D.C, which annually averages 658 ER visits per 1,000 of the population. Taking a dive into the data, 2012 was the worst year for residents of Washington, D.C, with the annual ER visits reaching numbers of 788 per 1,000. In fact, nine of the top 10 most injury prone years across each state occurred in D.C, with just Maine (2015) entering the top 10 with 725 visits per 1,000.

With citizens being a particularly-injury prone bunch, moneyline odds of D.C residents ending up in the emergency room each year would sit at -192.

Of the five most common injuries, as per Hutzler Law, concussions in D.C contributed to 35% of the total search interest on Google, followed by muscle strains with 24%. The remaining percentage interests were made up of carpal tunnel syndrome (19%), shin splints (12%) and bursitis (10%).

2. West Virginia - 618 annual visits (per 1,000 of population)

Next, we have the injury prone state of West Virginia, which follows closely behind with a similarly high figure of 618 annual visits per 1,000 people. 2018 was West Virginia’s most injury prone year, with numbers reaching 683 per 1,000.

With the state having the second highest chance of injury, moneyline odds of West Virginians finding their way to the ER each year would be -162.

Like the District of Columbia, in West Virginia, concussion has the highest search interest with 28%, while there’s only a 7% search interest for shin splints (the lowest on our list, here). Muscle strain is another injury which is commonly searched (26%) along with carpal tunnel syndrome (24%) – while bursitis is also commonly Googled in West Virginia, with a 15% search interest.

3. Mississippi - 566 annual visits (per 1,000 of population)

The Southern state of Mississippi is another of America’s clumsiest places, with average annual visitor figures sitting at 566 per 1,000. Whilst 2016 experienced the highest annual figure of 607 visits per 1,000, Mississippi’s most prominent year for injuries is lower than all other locations in this top five.

Just like West Virginia, Mississippi has a high search interest for concussion and carpal tunnel syndrome (both coming in at 25%). However, the most searched-for injury in Mississippi is muscle strain (contributing 28% of Google searches of the top five injuries). Bursitis comes in fourth, with a search interest of 13%, and last up is shin splints with 9%!

4. Maine - 554 annual visits (per 1,000 of population)

With average annual visits to the ER being 554 per 1,000 of the population, Maine claims the penultimate spot on our list of injury prone American states. As mentioned, 2015 Maine was the tenth most injury prone month in any state since 2000, with 725 visits per 1,000 being recorded.

Despite having one of the most injury prone years in 2015, on average, Maine residents have a slightly lower chance of visiting the ER compared to that of the top three. This would result in odds of -124.

It’s clear that Maine residents are prone to accidents, as concussion has a search volume of 36%, the highest on our list. Meanwhile, muscle strain takes 23% of Google searches, ahead of carpel tunnel syndrome (19%)! Finally, bursitis comes in at 14%, and shin splints 8% (just slightly less than Mississippi).

5. Louisiana - 548 annual visits (per 1,000 of population)

Finally, we have another Southern state in Louisiana, whose average annual visits came to 548 per 1,000 locals. Similar to West Virginia, 2018 was also Louisiana’s most injury prone year, with numbers jumping up to 631 per 1,000 of the population.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, muscle strain and concussion top the list again, with search interests of 28% and 27%. In third, carpal tunnel syndrome scores 23% Google search interest, with bursitis in fourth with 13%. Finally for injury related search interest in Louisiana, shin splints score 9%! 

But What About Georgia?

As for residents of Georgia, injury rates seem to be far lower than many states. In the ranking, Georgia places low (28th), with just 405 annual visits per 1,000 of the population. Diving into Georgia’s most injury prone years, 2017 (455 per 1,000) and 2016 (447 per 1,000) lead the way, whilst 2022 is identified as the least clumsy (374 per 1,000).

With chances of injuries lower in Georgia compared to that of the top five, odds would lengthen, meaning a higher potential return. Therefore, Moneyline odds of Georgia residents visiting the emergency department sit at +147.

So, there we have it, America’s most injury prone states. Concussion and muscle strain have the highest search volumes in all of these places, but all five injuries are commonly Googled. So, whether it’s concussion, shin splints, or carpal tunnel syndrome, individuals in these US locations seem particularly susceptible to emergency room trips. 

Methodology

To create the ranking, we analyzed hospital emergency room visits per state per 1,000 population, between 2000 and 2023, as per AHA Annual Survey. This provided numbers for each year, which were averaged to find out which states have been the clumsiest since the turn of the century.