Winter Safety Warning: The most injury-prone states this winter

February 12, 2025

Winter Safety Warning: The most injury-prone states this winter

Vermont is the most injury–prone state in the winter, based on a new study analyzing search volume. The state came out on top with 426 monthly searches per 100,000 people relating to injuries.

Georgia is the second most injury–prone state, with 390 monthly searches per 100,000 people.

The most searched–for injury in the US was an ankle injury.

According to a new study, Vermont is the most injury–prone US state in the winter.

Florida personal injury lawyers Anidjar & Levine investigated which state is searching the most for terms and keywords relating to injuries. The research was done by compiling the search volume in each state for various terms such as ‘have I dislocated my wrist’, ‘injury symptoms’, ‘signs of [injury]’, and ‘slip on ice injury’. The average monthly search volume was then calculated, and the final ranking was determined by the number of monthly searches per 100,000 people.

1. Vermont – 426 monthly searches per 100,000 people

Vermont is the most injury-prone state in the winter, with a monthly average of 426 searches per 100,000 people.

The most searched-for term in Vermont was ‘signs of concussion’, with a monthly average of 110 searches. The second most searched-for term in the state was ‘broken toe’, with an average of 78 searches per month.

2. Georgia – 390 monthly searches per 100,000 people

Georgia is the second most injury-prone state in the winter, with a monthly average of 390 searches per 100,000 people.

The most searched term in Georgia is ‘back injured’, with a monthly average of 7,260 searches. The second most searched term is ‘injured neck’, with an average of 6,480 searches per month.

3. Wyoming – 373 monthly searches per 100,000 people

The third most injury–prone state in the winter is Wyoming, with a monthly average of 373 searches per 100,000 people.

The most searched–for term in Wyoming is ‘signs of concussion’, with an average of 58 searches per month. The second most searched–for injury is ‘broken toe’, with a monthly average of 56 searches.

4. North Dakota – 361 monthly searches per 100,000 people

North Dakota is the fourth most injury–prone state in the winter, with a monthly average of 361 searches per 100,000 people.

The most searched–for injury in the state is ‘signs of concussion’, with a monthly average of 98 searches. The second most searched–for term is ‘broken toe’, with an average of 94 searches per month.

5. Hawaii – 352 monthly searches per 100,000 people

The fifth most injury–prone state in the winter is Hawaii, with a monthly average of 352 searches per 100,000 people.

The most searched–for injury in the state is ‘broken toe’, with a monthly average of 202 searches. The second most searched–for term is ‘signs of concussion’, with an average of 170 searches per month.

6. New Hampshire – 349 monthly searches per 100,000 people

New Hampshire is the sixth most injury-prone US state, with a monthly average of 349 searches per 100,000 people.

The most searched-for injury in New Hampshire is ‘signs of concussion’, with an average of 220 searches per month. The second most searched-for term is ‘broken toe’, with a monthly average of 178 searches.

7. Rhode Island – 344 monthly searches per 100,000 people

Rhode Island is the seventh most injury-prone state, with a monthly average of 344 searches per 100,000 people.

The most searched-for injury in Rhode Island is ‘signs of concussion’, with an average of 146 per month. The second most searched-for term is ‘broken toe’, with a monthly average of 134 searches.

8. Colorado and Delaware – 339 monthly searches per 100,000 people

The eighth most injury–prone states in the winter are Colorado and Delaware, with a monthly average of 339 searches per 100,000 people. Massachusetts ranks as the ninth most injury-prone state, with 332 monthly searches.

The most searched–for injury in Colorado and Delaware is ‘signs of concussion’, with a monthly average of 928 searches in Colorado, and there were 122 searches in Delaware for this search term. There were 928 monthly searches for ‘signs of concussion in Massachusetts.

10. Alaska – 328 monthly searches per 100,000 people

Rounding out the top 10 in this list is Alaska, with 328 monthly searches per 100,000 people.

The most searched-for injury in Alaska is ‘signs of concussion’, with an average of 82 per month. The second most searched-for term is ‘broken toe’, with a monthly average of 60 searches.

Most Injury prone US states in the winter – Top 10

	State	Average monthly searches per 100,000	Most searched–for injury
1.	Vermont	426	‘Signs of concussion’
2.	Georgia	390	‘Back injured’
3.	Wyoming	373	‘Signs of concussion’
4.	North Dakota	361	‘Signs of concussion’
5.	Hawaii	352	‘Broken toe’
6.	New Hampshire	349	‘Signs of concussion’
7.	Rhode Island	344	‘Signs of concussion’
=8.	Colorado	339	‘Signs of concussion’
=8.	Delaware	339	‘Signs of concussion’
9.	Massachusetts	332	‘Broken toe’
10.	Alaska	328	‘Signs of concussion’

A spokesperson for Anidjar & Levine commented on these findings,

“Winter can be a dangerous time for many due to changing weather conditions that can cause accidents, resulting in injuries. For many people, the internet is the first place to go when seeking the cause of any aches and pains, with data suggesting that over a third of Americans self-diagnose when faced with a health concern.

“Despite the internet providing helpful information, it should not be the resource you ultimately use to find out what injury or health problem you may have, always seek medical advice to confirm a diagnosis.”

https://www.anidjarlevine.com/

Sources:

Google Keyword Planner, National Library of Medicine

Methodology:

Monthly average search volume data was taken from Google Keyword Planner based on searches over the months of January 2023, October 2023, November 2023, December 2023, and January 2024 to reveal the rankings with average monthly search volumes per 100,000 population.

The top states searching about injuries during winter the most according to Google were analyzed based on searches for terms such as:

Ankle fractured

Have I dislocated my wrist

How to treat broken knee at home

The combined search volume was calculated and then used to rank the states from highest number of average monthly searches to lowest.

Most injury prone US states in the winter – full ranking

	State	Average monthly searches per 100,000	Most searched–for injury
1.	Vermont	426	‘Signs of concussion’
2.	Georgia	390	‘Back injured’
3.	Wyoming	373	‘Signs of concussion’
4.	North Dakota	361	‘Signs of concussion’
5.	Hawaii	352	‘Broken toe’
6.	New Hampshire	349	‘Signs of concussion’
7.	Rhode Island	344	‘Signs of concussion’
8.	Colorado	339	‘Signs of concussion’
9.	Delaware	339	‘Signs of concussion’
10.	Massachusetts	332	‘Broken toe’
11.	Alaska	328	‘Signs of concussion’
12.	Maine	325	‘Signs of concussion’
13.	South Dakota	316	‘Signs of concussion’
14.	Connecticut	311	‘Signs of concussion’
15.	New York	309	‘Broken toe’
16.	Maryland	304	‘Broken toe’
17.	Washington	302	‘Signs of concussion’
18.	Nevada	301	‘Broken toe’
19.	Oregon	299	‘Signs of concussion’
20.	Utah	299	‘Signs of concussion’
21.	Montana	299	‘Signs of concussion’
22.	Illinois	299	‘Broken toe’
23.	Nebraska	298	‘Signs of concussion’
24.	Virginia	297	‘Broken toe’
25.	Minnesota	294	‘Signs of concussion’
26.	Pennsylvania	293	‘Signs of concussion’
27.	Arizona	284	‘Broken toe’
28.	California	283	‘Broken toe’
29.	West Virginia	282	‘Signs of concussion’
30.	New Jersey	279	‘Broken toe’
31.	North Carolina	278	‘Broken toe’
32.	Missouri	273	‘Signs of concussion’
33.	New Mexico	269	‘Signs of concussion’
34.	Wisconsin	268	‘Signs of concussion’
35.	Kansas	267	‘Signs of concussion’
36.	Ohio	267	‘Signs of concussion’
37.	Iowa	264	‘Signs of concussion’
38.	Florida	263	‘Broken toe’
39.	Michigan	258	‘Signs of concussion’
40.	Tennessee	257	‘Broken toe’
41.	Idaho	253	‘Signs of concussion’
42.	Texas	251	‘Broken toe’
43.	Indiana	249	‘Signs of concussion’
44.	South Carolina	243	‘Broken toe’
45.	Alabama	241	‘Broken toe’
46.	Kentucky	241	‘Broken toe’
47.	Oklahoma	231	‘Signs of concussion’
48.	Arkansas	226	‘Broken toe’
49.	Louisiana	218	‘Broken toe’
50.	Mississippi	205	‘Broken toe’

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