Most dangerous states: Crime rankings for 2010

Better lock your doors! The results of CQ Press's annual State Crime Rankings are in and, for some states, the results aren't pretty. For nearly two decades, these rankings have shown how the 50 states compare against the national average for six crimes: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft.

According to CQ Press, the six categories are compared to the national reported crime rates and then indexed (with each of the crimes carrying equal weight) to create a summary score and ranking. Larceny-theft, which accounts for 59% of all reported crimes in America, is not included as part of this report because the FBI and other criminologists concluded in 2004 that this was no longer a true indicator of crime.

In this year's ranking, Delaware saw the biggest increase in crime -- falling 10 places from the 17th most dangerous state last year to the 7th most dangerous this year. Other states that have become more dangerous include Rhode Island (it fell nine places in the rankings) and Connecticut (now six places lower). The states that saw the biggest improvements over the past year include Michigan and Alaska. Each rose seven spots in the rankings. Poor Nevada, however, can't seem to catch a break. The state has the dubious honor of topping CQ's list of most dangerous states for the seventh year in a row.

How did the other states fare? Join us as we reveal which 15 states were ranked as the most dangerous for 2010.

Did your state make the list?