How’s the identity theft problem where you live? According to yet another new study into identity theft, your zip code can determine your vulnerability to identity theft.

A new report by ID Analytics listed the top (and bottom) states and cities for identity theft, based on actual and attempted frauds reported by the financial industry between January 2005 and June 2006, although it didn’t study the cost or number of victims. What makes it different from other studies is that it was not based on reports by victims but on actual attempts to gain credit using a stolen or concocted identity.

The study also found that 10-15% of cases involved the theft of identities of actual consumers while the remainder involved thefts using a mixture of data, such as a real social security number but false name or address.

According to the study the ten states with the highest rates of identity fraud are:

1. New York

2. California

3. Nevada

4. Arizona

5. Illinois

6. Hawaii

7. Oregon

8. Michigan

9. Washington

10. Texas

The ten states with the lowest rates of identity fraud are:

1. Wyoming

2. Vermont

3. Montana

4. North Dakota

5. New Hampshire

6. Ohio

7. Maine

8. Iowa

9. West Virginia

10. South Dakota

The ten metropolitan areas with the highest identity fraud rates are:

1. New York, NY

2. Detroit, MI

3. Los Angeles, CA

4. Little Rock, AR

5. Greenville, MS

6. Atlanta, GA

7. Phoenix, AZ

8. Portland, OR

9. Dallas, TX

10. Springfield, IL