IL Leads Nation In Mass Shooting Frequency: Study

Illinois, which led second-place Texas by 14 percent for the calendar year of 2025, is the Midwest’s sole entry in the national top 10.

Posted Tue, Apr 28, 2026 at 1:22 pm CT

It’s the type of ranking Illinois residents won’t be bragging about anytime soon as the state leads the entire nation in mass shooting frequency, according to a new study. "The Land of Lincoln" registered 57 mass shootings per 100,000 residents in 2025 to top the list that was compiled by data from the Gun Violence Severity Index.

That number puts Illinois 14 percent above second-place Texas.

In addition, the state ranks second nationally with a gun violence composite score of 74.17 out of 100, which is driven by the mass shooting rate.

The study, conducted by Las Vegas-based law firm, took 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.

According to Ladah Injury and Car Accident Lawyer Las Vegas, Illinois is the Midwest’s sole entry in the national top ten; removing it from the regional calculation drops the Midwest average from 33.57 to 29.88, a reduction of 3.69 composite points.

Interestingly, despite posting 1,987 total gun violence incidents per 100,000 (3rd highest in the U.S.), Illinois records a firearm death rate of just 12.4 per 100,000, sitting below the national average of 14.51, a sharp divergence between volume and lethality, the study says.

The top 10 states for mass shooting incidents per 100,000, including Illinois, are:

1. Illinois — mass shooting incidents per 100,000 (57), composite score out of 100 (74.17)

2. Texas — mass shooting incidents per 100,000 (50), composite score out of 100 (78.69)

3. California — mass shooting incidents per 100,000 (49), composite score out of 100 (67.09)

4. Pennsylvania — mass shooting incidents per 100,000 (34), composite score out of 100 (52.65)

5. Florida — mass shooting incidents per 100,000 (31), composite score out of 100 (53.11)

5. New York — mass shooting incidents per 100,000 (31), composite score out of 100 (37.11)

7. Georgia — mass shooting incidents per 100,000 (29), composite score out of 100 (60.22)

8. Louisiana — mass shooting incidents per 100,000 (28), composite score out of 100 (59.56)

9. Michigan — mass shooting incidents per 100,000 (25), composite score out of 100 (40.12)

10. North Carolina — mass shooting incidents per 100,000 (21), composite score out of 100 (53.66)

Following a mass shooting at the Highland Park Independence Day parade in 2022, state leaders vowed to reduce gun violence in Illinois.

On Jan. 10, 2023, Governor JB Pritzker signed the Protect Illinois Communities Act (Public Act 102-1116), immediately banning the sale, manufacture, and distribution of assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and "switches" in Illinois. The law allowed existing owners to keep their weapons but required registration by Jan. 1, 2024.

Pritzker argued at the time that the ban was a crucial step to reducing mass shootings.

"We hold opioid manufacturers accountable. Vaping companies accountable. Predatory lenders accountable," Pritzker said. "Gun manufacturers shouldn’t get to hide from the law—and now, they won’t be able to. Here’s to an Illinois where everyone feels safe in every corner of our great state."

Pritzker is seeking a third term as governor this November, facing off against Republican nominee Darren Bailey, who said at the time of the law’s passage he would not comply.

"I’ll die on my front porch before anyone takes my guns away," Bailey said.