Key Highlights
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Florida’s firearm death rate sits below the national average, yet the Sunshine State ranks 7th in the nation with a composite severity score of 53.11 on the Gun Violence Severity Index. That ranking is built not on lethality but on volume: 1,450 total gun violence incidents and 31 mass shootings per 100,000 residents make Florida one of America’s most incident-dense states, outpacing ten of its Southern neighbors. In Florida, gun violence does not simply kill at an elevated rate; it fires more often, and in more ways, than the death toll alone can reveal.
The study conducted by Ladah Injury and Car Accident Lawyers Las Vegas analysed three per-100,000-resident metrics across all 50 states: total gun violence incidents from the Gun Violence Archive and The Trace (2025 year-to-date), firearm deaths from CDC mortality records (2024), and mass shooting incidents, weighted at 35, 35, and 30 percent respectively into a composite score out of 100.
Florida in the National Top 10: Overall Gun Violence Severity Scores 2025
| Rank | State | Incidents per 100K | Firearm Deaths per 100K | Mass Shootings per 100K | Composite Score (/100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 2,426 | 13.9 | 50 | 78.69 |
| 2 | Illinois | 1,987 | 12.4 | 57 | 74.17 |
| 3 | California | 2,256 | 7.0 | 49 | 67.09 |
| 4 | Georgia | 1,591 | 17.6 | 29 | 60.22 |
| 5 | Louisiana | 1,123 | 22.9 | 28 | 59.56 |
| 6 | North Carolina | 1,541 | 16.3 | 21 | 53.66 |
| 7 | Florida | 1,450 | 12.7 | 31 | 53.11 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 1,378 | 11.9 | 34 | 52.65 |
| 9 | Mississippi | 637 | 28.0 | 14 | 51.56 |
| 10 | Ohio | 1,573 | 14.6 | 19 | 50.94 |
Florida sits seventh among the nation’s most severe states, separated by just 0.55 composite points from sixth-ranked North Carolina. Among the top seven states, California records the lowest firearm death rate at 7.0 per 100,000, while Florida’s 12.7 is the third lowest in that group, confirming that incident volume and mass shooting frequency, not lethality, cement its position. Four of the seven highest-ranked states record firearm death rates below the national average of 14.51, and Florida is one of them.
Looking at the Study, Ramzy Ladah, Founder and CEO of Ladah Injury and Car Accident Lawyers Las Vegas, Commented:
“These findings reveal that the states with the most severe overall gun violence are not always the ones with the highest death rates. Florida is a prime example: its death rate sits below the national average, yet its composite score places it firmly in the top seven. The sheer volume of incidents and mass shootings is what keeps Florida in that tier, and that distinction matters enormously when communities try to understand the full scope of the problem they face.”
Florida vs Southern States: Gun Violence Severity Rankings 2025
| Rank | State | Incidents per 100K | Firearm Deaths per 100K | Mass Shootings per 100K | Composite Score (/100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 2,426 | 13.9 | 50 | 78.69 |
| 4 | Georgia | 1,591 | 17.6 | 29 | 60.22 |
| 5 | Louisiana | 1,123 | 22.9 | 28 | 59.56 |
| 6 | North Carolina | 1,541 | 16.3 | 21 | 53.66 |
| 7 | Florida | 1,450 | 12.7 | 31 | 53.11 |
| 9 | Mississippi | 637 | 28.0 | 14 | 51.56 |
| 11 | Tennessee | 1,175 | 19.8 | 17 | 50.65 |
| 12 | Alabama | 859 | 23.7 | 16 | 50.44 |
| 13 | South Carolina | 886 | 19.5 | 20 | 47.68 |
| 18 | Virginia | 797 | 12.8 | 20 | 38.02 |
Florida ranks 5th among all Southern states, scoring 6.37 points above the South’s regional average of 46.74 and outranking Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, and Virginia by at least 2.4 composite points. Its mass shooting rate of 31 per 100,000 exceeds every Southern neighbor except Texas, making it the region’s most mass-shooting-intensive state outside the Lone Star State. The South averages 46.74 on the composite index, more than 13 points above the national average of 33.73.
Florida Ranks 5th Nationally for Mass Shooting Frequency
| Rank | State | Mass Shooting Incidents per 100K | Composite Score (/100) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | 57 | 74.17 |
| 2 | Texas | 50 | 78.69 |
| 3 | California | 49 | 67.09 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | 34 | 52.65 |
| 5 | Florida | 31 | 53.11 |
| 5 | New York | 31 | 37.11 |
| 7 | Georgia | 29 | 60.22 |
| 8 | Louisiana | 28 | 59.56 |
| 9 | Michigan | 25 | 40.12 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 21 | 53.66 |
Florida ties New York at 31 mass shooting incidents per 100,000 yet scores 16 composite points higher, because its total incident volume and firearm death rate both exceed New York’s by a wide margin. Only Illinois, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania record higher mass shooting rates, placing Florida in the nation’s top tier for this metric. Florida’s mass shooting rate of 31 per 100,000 is 2.4 times the national average of 12.74, making it a critical driver of the overall severity score.
Florida in the Top 10 for Total Gun Violence Incident Rates
| Rank | State | Total Incidents per 100K | Composite Score (/100) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 2,426 | 78.69 |
| 2 | California | 2,256 | 67.09 |
| 3 | Illinois | 1,987 | 74.17 |
| 4 | Georgia | 1,591 | 60.22 |
| 5 | Ohio | 1,573 | 50.94 |
| 6 | North Carolina | 1,541 | 53.66 |
| 7 | Florida | 1,450 | 53.11 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 1,378 | 52.65 |
| 9 | Tennessee | 1,175 | 50.65 |
| 10 | Louisiana | 1,123 | 59.56 |
Florida’s 1,450 incidents per 100,000 place it seventh for total incident volume, sitting in a tightly bunched cluster between 1,100 and 1,600 incidents where composite scores ranging from 50.65 to 60.22. The top three states each exceed 1,900 incidents per 100,000, forming a distinct tier nearly 400 incidents above fourth-ranked Georgia at 1,591. Incident volume is the strongest single predictor of composite severity, and Florida’s position keeps it firmly among the nation’s most severe states.
Florida at a Glance: Key Metrics vs National Averages
| Metric | Florida | National Average |
|---|---|---|
| Composite Score (/100) | 53.11 | 33.73 |
| Incidents per 100K | 1,450 | 616.36 |
| Firearm Deaths per 100K | 12.7 | 14.51 |
| Mass Shootings per 100K | 31 | 12.74 |
| National Rank (out of 50) | 7th | |
| South Region Rank (out of 15) | 5th |
Florida’s composite score of 53.11 is 57.5% above the national average of 33.73, yet its firearm death rate of 12.7 per 100,000 sits 12.5% below the national average of 14.51. Its mass shooting rate of 31 per 100,000 is 2.4 times the national average of 12.74, and its total incident count of 1,450 per 100,000 is more than twice the national mean of 616.36.
Methodology
The Gun Violence Severity Index ranks all 50 U.S. states using three per-100,000-resident metrics: total gun violence incidents from the Gun Violence Archive and The Trace (2025 year-to-date), firearm deaths from CDC mortality records (2024), and mass shooting incidents. Each variable was min-max normalized and weighted at 35 percent for incidents, 35 percent for deaths, and 30 percent for mass shootings into a composite score out of 100. All Florida figures are drawn directly from the national dataset. The index is descriptive and does not establish causal relationships between any variable and state-level outcomes.
Data Sources
- Gun Violence Archive, 2025 Mass Shooting Data: https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting?year=2025
- The Trace, Gun Violence Map 2025: https://projects.thetrace.org/gun-violence-map/?interval=year
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Firearm Mortality by State, 2024: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/state-stats/deaths/firearms.html
- Research Database: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fMB9fuouLRQx1-To6xVfCHaJVUTrk4QcFRPM3pA5HuI/edit?usp=sharing
- Study By: https://www.ladahlaw.com/
About Ladah Injury and Car Accident Lawyers Las Vegas
Ladah Injury and Car Accident Lawyers Las Vegas is a personal injury and car accident law firm based in Las Vegas, Nevada, serving injured individuals throughout the state. The firm produces public-facing safety research and data resources as part of its commitment to community transparency and public awareness.
