States where the most Jan. 6 rioters have been arrested
Win McNamee // Getty Images
States where the most Jan. 6 rioters have been arrested
During the Capitol attack, Jacob Chansley, shirtless and wearing a horned helmet and a fur hat with his face painted in red, white, and blue, yells while holding an American flag with a spear attached top the end and a megaphone.
In his bid for reelection, former President Donald Trump is positioning the Jan. 6, 2021,
attack on the Capitol Building as a central component of his campaign.
The attack, which led to the deaths of five people and caused injury to an estimated 140 police officers, was the deadliest attack on the Capitol since 1998. While Trump denied involvement directly following the attack, he has since embraced it as an act of patriotism, going so far as to describe the pre-riot rally as a “love fest” in an interview with Fox News. Leading up to the election, he has promised to pardon those who have been “unfairly” arrested.
Since March 2024, Trump has publicly referred to the convicted rioters as hostages, thus altering the terminology to strengthen his campaign. This revisionist approach has fueled his supporters, many of whom now view those incarcerated as martyrs for the cause—some Trump followers have declared him a martyr as well after his surviving an assassination attempt on July 15.
In a statement, Judge Royce C. Lamberth warned not to let Jan. 6 become “a precedent for further violence against political opponents or governmental institutions.”
Right-wing terrorism in the U.S. has found tragic, deadly, and racist expression in crimes. Take the 2022 shooting in which a white nationalist murdered 10 Black people inside Tops Friendly Markets in Buffalo, New York. Or when, in 2023, three Black people died at the hands of a far-right 21-year-old inside a Dollar General in Jacksonville, Florida. A report by the Anti-Defamation League linked white supremacists to 21 of the 25 domestic-extremist-related murders in 2022.
As a singular event, the Jan. 6 riot was the culmination of years of political division and mounting activity and violence by right-wing extremists.
As far back as 2009, the Department of Homeland Security noted a cyclicality to the emergence of right-wing extremism, which was catalyzed in the 2000s by an economic downturn and the election of America’s first Black president.
To paint a picture of how widespread such activity has been across the U.S., Stacker investigated where the most Jan. 6 rioters have been arrested using data from the Department of Justice as of July 30, 2024. States are ranked by the number of rioters arrested in that state; ties are broken by rioters per million residents, though some ties remain.
Of the 1,297 arrests documented on the Department of Justice’s database, 104 were not included in the ranking because they did not include arrest locations. Wyoming and North Dakota were also excluded because the states reported no arrests.
An estimated 2,000 to 2,500 people entered the Capitol Building during the Jan. 6 riot. As of January 2024, the DOJ has charged more than 1,424 people in association with the riot, either for actions occurring that day or for having a connection to those who performed them. Of those, roughly 820 have pleaded guilty, and about 884 have been adjudicated and sentenced.
The DOJ is still actively pursuing cases; full details on all of the current cases associated with the Capitol siege are publicly available from a variety of sources. In July 2024, the Supreme Court voted 6-3 to narrow the obstruction charge for Joseph Fischer in Fischer v. United States. This decision affects the prosecution of 350 convicted defendants with the same charge in the Jan. 6 riots.
On July 1, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump is “entitled to some immunity” from the four felony counts to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 election and returned the case to the trial court. His trial is now delayed until after the 2024 election. In her dissent, which she read aloud from the bench, Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor wrote: “When he uses his official powers in any way, under the majority’s reasoning, he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution … With fear for our democracy, I dissent.”
Meanwhile, arrests related to the insurrection continue: William George Knight, a man with distinctive blonde dreadlocks and tattoos on his face, was arrested on May 26, 2024. He is accused of “ramming a giant metal-framed ‘TRUMP’ sign into a line of police officers” and then shoving an officer. Videos show him as one of the first to break through the barriers at the Capitol.
Read on to see where the most rioters have been arrested so far.
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#49. Mississippi
A parking garage and buildings in downtown Jackson.
– Number of rioters: 1
– Rioters per million people: 0.3
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#48. Nebraska
Train tracks as seen outside Omaha at night.
– Number of rioters: 1
– Rioters per million people: 0.5
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#47. Hawaii
The coastline and luxury hotels and apartments in Honolulu.
– Number of rioters: 1
– Rioters per million people: 0.7
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
#46. Vermont
Montpelier as the leaves change in autumn.
– Number of rioters: 1
– Rioters per million people: 1.5
Hank Shiffman // Shutterstock
#45. South Dakota
The western suburbs of Rapid City.
– Number of rioters: 2
– Rioters per million people: 2.2
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Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock
#44. Nevada
An aerial View of Carson City.
– Number of rioters: 4
– Rioters per million people: 1.3
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#43. New Mexico
Residential suburbs in Albuquerque.
– Number of rioters: 4
– Rioters per million people: 1.9
Ramunas Bruzas // Shutterstock
#42. Rhode Island
Building, boats, and docks at old harbor in Newport.
– Number of rioters: 4
– Rioters per million people: 3.6
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#41. Alaska
Boats and buildings in Sitka.
– Number of rioters: 4
– Rioters per million people: 5.5
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#40. Montana
Buildings in Billings with scenic hills in the background.
– Number of rioters: 5
– Rioters per million people: 4.4
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Trong Nguyen // Shutterstock
#39. Arkansas
A scenic suburb in Ozark.
– Number of rioters: 6
– Rioters per million people: 2.0
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#37. New Hampshire (tie)
The skyline in downtown Manchester at dusk.
– Number of rioters: 6
– Rioters per million people: 4.3
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#37. Maine (tie)
The waterfront in Portland.
– Number of rioters: 6
– Rioters per million people: 4.3
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#36. Delaware
An aerial view of downtown Wilmington.
– Number of rioters: 6
– Rioters per million people: 5.8
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#35. Louisiana
New Orleans near the water at dusk.
– Number of rioters: 7
– Rioters per million people: 1.5
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#34. Connecticut
A sailboat moored in front of a luxury waterfront estate in Greenwich.
– Number of rioters: 7
– Rioters per million people: 1.9
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#33. Idaho
Cars driving down Capitol Boulevard in Boise.
– Number of rioters: 7
– Rioters per million people: 3.6
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#32. Wisconsin
Madison as viewed from across the water on a bright, sunny day.
– Number of rioters: 9
– Rioters per million people: 1.5
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#31. Utah
Downtown Ogden as seen at night.
– Number of rioters: 9
– Rioters per million people: 2.6
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#30. Kansas
A night view of buildings along a river in Wichita.
– Number of rioters: 9
– Rioters per million people: 3.1
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#29. Iowa
An aerial view of Iowa City on a sunny day.
– Number of rioters: 10
– Rioters per million people: 3.1
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#28. Oregon
Portland at sunset with a mountain in the background.
– Number of rioters: 11
– Rioters per million people: 2.6
TLF Images // Shutterstock
#27. Oklahoma
Buildings along US Route 66 in Oklahoma.
– Number of rioters: 11
– Rioters per million people: 2.7
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#26. West Virginia
An aerial view of downtown Charleston at sunset.
– Number of rioters: 11
– Rioters per million people: 6.2
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#25. Minnesota
The downtown Minneapolis skyline as seen at night.
– Number of rioters: 13
– Rioters per million people: 2.3
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Brandon Burris // Shutterstock
#24. Arizona
A highway leading into downtown Phoenix.
– Number of rioters: 15
– Rioters per million people: 2.0
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#23. Massachusetts
An aerial view of downtown Boston at dusk.
– Number of rioters: 15
– Rioters per million people: 2.1
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#22. Maryland
Pedestrians strolling on a boardwalk in Ocean City.
– Number of rioters: 17
– Rioters per million people: 2.8
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#21. Alabama
The Mobile skyline as seen at dusk.
– Number of rioters: 18
– Rioters per million people: 3.5
PQK // Shutterstock
#20. South Carolina
The scenic river view and waterfront houses in North Myrtle Beach.
– Number of rioters: 19
– Rioters per million people: 3.5
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#19. Colorado
An aerial view of downtown Denver on a sunny day.
– Number of rioters: 20
– Rioters per million people: 3.4
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#18. Washington
An aerial view of Seattle with the Space Needle in the foreground.
– Number of rioters: 23
– Rioters per million people: 2.9
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#17. Michigan
An aerial view of downtown Deroit at dusk.
– Number of rioters: 26
– Rioters per million people: 2.6
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#16. Kentucky
Downtown Louisville as seen at night.
– Number of rioters: 26
– Rioters per million people: 5.7
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#15. North Carolina
An aerial view of Charlotte on a sunny day.
– Number of rioters: 29
– Rioters per million people: 2.7
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#14. Indiana
An aerial view of Iowa City on a sunny day.
– Number of rioters: 29
– Rioters per million people: 4.2
ESB Professional // Shutterstock
#13. Georgia
A view of Atlanta’s skyline from Lake Meer in Piedmont Park.
– Number of rioters: 31
– Rioters per million people: 2.8
Nolichuckyjake // Shutterstock
#12. Tennessee
Johnson City, Tennessee.
– Number of rioters: 31
– Rioters per million people: 4.3.
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#11. New Jersey
An aerial view of Jersey City at sunset.
– Number of rioters: 33
– Rioters per million people: 3.6
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#10. Missouri
The St. Louis Gateway Arch in Missouri.
– Number of rioters: 33
– Rioters per million people: 5.3
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#9. Illinois
Skyscrapers and Lake Michigan in Chicago.
– Number of rioters: 43
– Rioters per million people: 3.4
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
#8. Washington, D.C.
The Washington Monument being reflected in the Reflection Pool at dawn.
– Number of rioters: 44
– Rioters per million people: 64.8
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#7. Virginia
The skyline of Richmond at sunset.
– Number of rioters: 63
– Rioters per million people: 7.2
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#6. Ohio
The river leading into Columbus at night.
– Number of rioters: 69
– Rioters per million people: 5.9
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#5. California
A road leading into Silicon Valley.
– Number of rioters: 72
– Rioters per million people: 1.8
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GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock
#4. New York
A cityscape view of Lower Manhattan in New York CIty.
– Number of rioters: 79
– Rioters per million people: 4.0
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
#3. Pennsylvania
The Pittsburgh skyline as viewed from the hills.
– Number of rioters: 93
– Rioters per million people: 7.2
Roschetzky Photography // Shutterstock
#2. Texas
An aerial view of Austin and Lady Bird Lake.
– Number of rioters: 101
– Rioters per million people: 3.3
FotosForTheFuture // Shutterstock
#1. Florida
An aerial view of Boca Raton’s coastline.
– Number of rioters: 107
– Rioters per million people: 4.7
Additional writing and story editing by Shannon Luders-Manuel. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn.
