Which U.S. states have the highest concentration of active right-wing extremist groups?
Executive summary
Contemporary analyses and government reviews point to a geographic concentration of active right‑wing extremist groups in Texas and across parts of the West, Midwest and South rather than evenly across the country, but measurements vary depending on whether researchers count formal groups, memberships, incidents of violence or online networks [1] [2] [3] [4]. Experts caution that raw counts of organizations do not map neatly onto lethality or near‑term threat — violence is often concentrated in specific movements and loose networks rather than within large, stable organizations [4] [3].
1. The map the data draws: Texas, the Mountain West, Midwest and the South
Longstanding government research and reporting identify the geographic “center” of right‑wing extremist activity in the West, Midwest and South, with Texas repeatedly flagged for a large membership footprint among paramilitary and anti‑government networks such as the Oath Keepers in leaked member data [1] [2]. Nonprofit and media tabulations that compile active hate and extremist groups also show higher concentrations in several southern and interior states, reflecting a pattern where states with large rural areas and certain political dynamics host more organized cells and chapters [5] [3].
2. Why counts disagree: groups versus violence versus networks
Scholars and journalists emphasize a key distinction: counting active organizations produces a different picture than counting violent incidents or plotting where attacks occur; the number of groups is “skewed toward the right,” but that does not automatically equate to uniformly higher violence everywhere those groups exist [4] [6]. The ADL and academic studies note that most domestic attacks are carried out by small cells or lone actors connected to networks rather than by entire organizations acting en masse, which complicates any simple state‑by‑state ranking [3] [7].
3. Law enforcement surveys and historical patterns reinforce regional clustering
Surveys of state law enforcement and multi‑decadal research identify recurring regional patterns: far‑right movements have historically clustered in interior and Western states where militia, survivalist and white‑supremacist groups found roots, and 85% of state law enforcement agencies report presence of right‑wing extremist groups in their jurisdictions in past studies [8] [1]. The George Washington University Program on Extremism shows that white supremacists, militias and anti‑government networks have surged and localized in ways that map onto those regional trends, including incidents tied to the Mountain West and Midwest [9] [3].
4. Recent reporting and datasets: what they add — and their limits
Contemporary databases and media lists (including nonprofit compilations cited by outlets such as 24/7 Wall St.) give state rankings for “hate” or extremist groups that often place interior and southern states near the top on a per‑capita basis, but methodologies differ and some datasets include newer civic organizations and single‑issue groups that critics argue should not be equated with violent extremists [5]. Analysts warn that much of the visible activity today also occurs online, blurring state boundaries and making offline chapter counts an imperfect proxy for influence or danger [10] [6].
5. How to read competing narratives and policy implications
Coverage that foregrounds group counts can push calls for broad suppression, while incident‑focused research channels resources toward prevention of specific threats; both perspectives are valid but carry implicit agendas — advocacy groups often emphasize documentary counts to mobilize policy change, whereas some government analyses stress incident lethality to prioritize counterterrorism resources [4] [3]. Given the evidence, the most defensible short answer is that Texas and multiple states across the West, Midwest and South host the highest concentrations of active right‑wing extremist groups, while violence itself remains concentrated within particular movements and networks rather than evenly distributed across those states [2] [1] [4].