Breaking Not So Bad: Meth Lab Accidents More Than Halved In The Past Decade [Maps]

It's more likely that Walter White would do business out of Missouri rather than New Mexico, if you see the data from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that looked at the number of meth lab-related incidents across the United States.

Part of the Midwest's "meth belt," Missouri had 1,825 meth lab accidents in 2012, the highest in the United States. But that number was 37 percent lower than it was in 2004, when 2,913 meth lab accidents occurred in the state.

New Mexico had only 223 meth lab accidents in 2004, and that number fell even further, to a paltry 17, in 2012.

Meth lab accidents more than halved from 2004 to 2012 across the U.S., according to the data, falling the most in Washington, Oregon and Mississippi. The reasons include new laws blocking the sale of the key ingredient, pseudoephedrine.

However, the number of such accidents also increased in several states, including New York, Kentucky and Virginia.

Here is a map of all the meth lab-related incidents in the U.S., by state. A larger bubble indicated a higher number of incidents. Click on any bubble for more info:

Here’s a map that charts the decrease or increase in meth lab-related incidents in each state, from 2004 to 2012. Click on any state for more info: