The United States Ranked by Sinfulness

Which of the 50 States are Sacred and Which are Profane?

There are so many factors to take into consideration when contemplating a move, especially to a new state. To help remove some of the confusion, personal finance website WalletHub has ranked each of the 50 by sinfulness level. Surprising no one, Wyoming clocks in as the most virtuous and Nevada takes the top as the most sinful. Guess which one pockets more tourist dollars.

Ranked in order from most to least sinful based on 55 indicators related to “immoral or illicit behavior” broken down into categories, the study covered a lot of ground. Potential vices included anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, lust, laziness, and excesses. These were further subdivided into more specific describers including the frequency of casinos, plastic surgeons, online porn searches, crime rates, and alcohol and tobacco consumption. From there, an even more specific criterion was considered. Number of hate groups, nail salons, barber shops, beauty salons, fast food joints, coffee shops, frequency of fraud, theft, legal and illegal sex work, drunk driving, time on porn sites, hours worked, time watching TV, and volunteer rates were all considered together.

Labeling Nevada the Most Sinful State may seem obvious, but it’s not because there are legal brothels. It’s the greed, the online anger, and the lack of interest in volunteering. Not far behind is Louisiana, and not just because Mardi Gras is even more popular than the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco. It’s the drunk drivers, Oxy freaks, obesity rate, and violent crime. Picking up the bronze for Sin is California. The state’s citizens search for porn more, get more plastic surgery done, and have a serious problem with angry outbursts as it relates to elder care and mass shootings.

Rounding out the top five Most Sinful States are Florida and Tennessee. The former is a state that appears to be riddled with jealous, lustful citizens. The latter isn’t much less Sinful, but its favorite vices are anger, hatred, drugs, not exercising, and indulging in online and non-legal purchases of sex or sexual content.

If greed and sex worker arrests aren’t what you’re looking for in a relocation, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Idaho, Maine, and Vermont await. The Cowboy State enjoys its second year in a row as the least Sinful state. WalletHub says it is populated by people who don’t spend a lot of time at the salon, and don’t waste that extra time being jealous, greedy, or violent. While some like to watch porn and over-indulge in intoxicants, the primary issues to work on are anger and hate. New Hampshire is low in crime, low in online porn interest, and high in good manners. If your preference is a more Virtuous life, every one of the New England states is a good bet. Idaho is the more Western, land-locked alternative, with a populace that’s even more chill than those of Maine or Vermont.

Ultimately, each state has its own special charm and its own special characters to complain about. Sometimes the city or town is more important than the state as a whole, but it’s good to plan ahead when able because not everybody wants to live near The Strip, the Bay Bridge, Times Square, Temple Square, or where the neighbors are too square.