Maps

Mapped: U.S. States With the Most Guns

Published

1 week ago

January 7, 2025

Bruno Venditti

Graphics/Design:

Anna Diederichs

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Mapped: U.S. States With the Most Guns

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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.

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%
Vermont	50.5%
South Carolina	49.4%
Georgia	49.2%
Kansas	48.9%
Missouri	48.8%
Nevada	47.3%
Maine	46.8%
Utah	46.8%
Arizona	46.3%
New Mexico	46.2%
North Carolina	45.8%
Texas	45.7%
Wisconsin	45.3%
Nebraska	45.2%
Colorado	45.1%
Indiana	44.8%
Virginia	44.6%
Iowa	43.6%
Minnesota	42.8%
Washington	42.1%
New Hampshire	41.1%
Pennsylvania	40.7%
Michigan	40.2%
Ohio	40.0%
Florida	35.3%
Delaware	34.4%
Maryland	30.2%
California	28.3%
Illinois	27.8%
Connecticut	23.6%
New York	19.9%
Hawaii	14.9%
Rhode Island	14.8%
New Jersey	14.7%
Massachusetts	14.7%

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.