2016’s States with the Best Elder-Abuse Protections

Abuse happens every day and takes many forms. Anyone can become a victim of abuse, but vulnerable older Americans — especially those who are women, have disabilities and rely on others for care or other type of assistance — are among the easiest targets for such misconduct. By one estimate, elder abuse affects as many as 5 million people per year, and 96 percent of all cases go unreported.

Unless an aggressive course of action is taken to prevent further abuse, the problem will grow as America becomes an increasingly aging nation. The U.S. Census Bureau expects the population aged 65 and older to nearly double from 43.1 million in 2012 to 83.7 million in 2050, much to the credit of aging Baby Boomers who began turning 65 in 2011.

Fortunately, states recognize that elder abuse is a real and growing issue. But sadly, only some are fighting hard enough to stop it. WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia based on 10 key indicators of elder-abuse protection. The data set ranges from “share of elder-abuse, gross-neglect and exploitation complaints” to “financial elder-abuse laws.” Continue reading below for WalletHub’s findings, expert commentary and a full description of their methodology.

Main Findings

States with the Best Elder-Abuse Protections

Overall Rank	State	Total Score	‘Prevalence’ Rank	‘Resources’ Rank	‘Protection’ Rank
1	District of Columbia	71.46	25	2	4
2	Nevada	70.92	2	3	27
3	Massachusetts	66.62	10	8	12
4	Wisconsin	66.14	12	4	33
5	Missouri	65.22	11	15	8
6	Tennessee	60.14	16	16	16
7	Iowa	59.78	8	20	18
8	Louisiana	59.76	1	14	42
9	Vermont	59.59	6	21	19
10	Hawaii	58.78	5	49	3
11	New York	58.44	9	48	1
12	Pennsylvania	58.33	4	32	13
13	Georgia	57.68	19	12	35
14	West Virginia	57.59	28	10	24
15	Maryland	55.56	33	6	21
16	North Carolina	55.25	18	31	9
17	Maine	53.23	23	27	14
18	Kansas	52.59	21	43	11
19	New Hampshire	51.79	3	36	38
20	Washington	50.63	31	35	10
21	Delaware	50.53	26	30	23
22	Arizona	50.05	36	5	46
23	Texas	50.00	15	45	29
24	Indiana	49.85	13	47	28
25	Minnesota	49.08	17	33	36
26	Connecticut	49.03	29	23	32
27	Oregon	48.70	40	11	15
28	Mississippi	48.25	27	18	49
29	Oklahoma	46.06	35	28	17
30	Ohio	45.47	30	24	39
31	Michigan	45.33	7	46	48
32	Montana	45.17	44	1	20
33	Colorado	44.69	34	25	30
34	Arkansas	44.57	38	37	5
35	Utah	43.78	37	13	50
36	Virginia	43.64	22	44	44
37	Alaska	43.62	43	19	6
38	Florida	43.34	14	50	47
39	Illinois	43.09	32	34	31
40	New Mexico	42.76	39	17	41
41	Nebraska	42.23	24	51	40
42	Alabama	41.91	20	41	51
43	Kentucky	39.98	42	9	43
44	Idaho	34.70	41	38	34
45	North Dakota	33.61	47	22	2
46	New Jersey	29.72	45	40	22
47	South Dakota	28.37	46	29	25
48	Rhode Island	28.31	49	7	26
49	California	18.93	50	42	7
50	Wyoming	18.18	48	26	45
51	South Carolina	12.49	50	39	37