The U.S. has more guns than people, with nearly 400 million in civilian possession.
In this map, we rank states by the highest percentage of gun ownership for adults, based on data from the Pew Research Center compiled by Data Pandas as of 2024.
By Bruno Venditti for Visual Capitalist
High Gun Ownership in Northwestern America
Montana tops the ranking of the states with the highest percentage of gun ownership, with 66.3% of the adult population owning firearms. The state has some of the most relaxed gun control laws in America. No state permit is required to purchase or possess a rifle, shotgun, or handgun.
The state is followed on our list by its neighbor, Wyoming, where 66.2% of adults own a firearm. Alaska comes in third, with 64.5%.
| State | Gun Ownership Rate |
|---|---|
| Montana | 66.3% |
| Wyoming | 66.2% |
| Alaska | 64.5% |
| Idaho | 60.1% |
| West Virginia | 58.5% |
| Arkansas | 57.2% |
| Mississippi | 55.8% |
| Alabama | 55.5% |
| South Dakota | 55.3% |
| North Dakota | 55.1% |
| Oklahoma | 54.7% |
| Kentucky | 54.6% |
| Louisiana | 53.1% |
| Tennessee | 51.6% |
| Oregon | 50.8% |
On the other side of the spectrum, New Jersey and Massachusetts share the lowest gun ownership rate in the country, both at 14.7%.
Two other states with very low ownership rates include Hawaii (14.9%) and Rhode Island (14.8%).
The Number of Firearms is Increasing
According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), U.S. gun manufacturing and imports have increased by about 10% annually over the last decade.
In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic spurred record demand for firearms, 17 million guns entered the domestic market.
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Huh, interesting. 4 states over 60% and how many shootings happen in those 4 total? Criminals prey on gun free zones, or low gun ownership areas. What’s the percentage of criminals that own guns?