EXCLUSIVE: Does a Serial Killer Live Near You? Horrifying Study Reveals Top Four States Where the Most Vile Murderers Were Breed
You may just be living near a serial killer according to a new map.
July 25 2025, Published 6:30 a.m. ET
A frightening new study has revealed the top four American states that appear to be breeding grounds for psychopaths: Nevada, New York, South Dakota, and Texas, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
In a fascinating glimpse into how human personalities develop, researchers at the University of Copenhagen assembled survey data from nearly 2 million people worldwide, including more than 144,000 Americans across all 50 states. The team's goal was to determine the prevalence of so-called dark personality traits, which consist of psychopathy, narcissism, and the desire or urge to exploit others.
According to experts, those unsavory qualities can sometimes conspire to produce psychopaths, sociopaths, and even serial killers.
Study Explained
Dark personality traits are most common in states plagued by crime and inequality.
The scientists ultimately discovered that areas with higher levels of poverty, crime, fraud, corruption, inequality, and violence are more likely to produce exploitative people and individuals with less empathy.
"The more adverse conditions in a society, the higher the level of the dark factor of personality among its citizens," lead study author Ingo Zettler told Newsweek.
"Aversive personality traits are associated with behaviors such as aggression, cheating, and exploitation – and thus with high social costs."
Sin City Problems
Nevada ranks highest for psychopathy while Vermont reports the lowest levels.
Interestingly, Nevada, which harbors the notorious Sin City of Las Vegas, as well as another legal gambling mecca in Reno, demonstrated the highest percentage of those with dark personality traits.
Meanwhile, bucolic Vermont had the least, with Utah and Maine clocking in at two and three on the list of most benign.
Mental health professionals told RadarOnline.com the study goes a long way toward settling the debate over whether personality traits are a matter of genetic predisposition or a product of an individual's environment.
"It's the age-old question of nature vs. nurture," said Dr. Gilda Carle, author of Real Men Don't Go Woke, who was not involved in the project. "It seems the findings support the notion that one's environment plays a large role in shaping one's personality.
Not So Cut... and Dry
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Experts link toxic environments to the development of exploitative behavior patterns.
"If someone witnesses exploitative behavior modeled on a consistent basis, they are more likely to consider that the norm and do it themselves."
However, Beverly Hills' Dr. Carole Lieberman, who was also not part of the research team, said the issue isn't so cut and dry.
"So much goes into the development of a human personality that I don't think the answer is either nature or environment necessarily," she said.
"People are born with certain temperaments, which are then shaped by their parents' interactions with them and their environments. It's not necessarily black and white, but a combination of both."
