Montana is the most patriotic state and New York is the least patriotic state, according to a new report that examined all 50 states on more than a dozen issues, including veterans per capita, Peace Corps volunteers and participation in elections.
The WalletHub report was released June 21 and ranked Montana No. 1 on the list of most patriotic states, followed by Alaska, Maryland, Vermont and New Hampshire. North Dakota was No. 6, with Wyoming, Minnesota, Oregon and Virginia rounding out the Top 10.
Overall, WalletHub’s report found that “red states are more patriotic than blue states,” even if the average score (25.32 for red states and 25.68 for blue states) was close. (Low scores correlated to a more patriotic state.)
“Americans may feel their patriotism dampened this year amid the recent surge in racial injustice, including police brutality and a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans,” the WalletHub report said. “Many people may find it hard to celebrate a country in which racist incidents persist. However, an expression of love for fellow citizens is patriotic in itself.”
The WalletHub ranking was based on 13 metrics: average military enlistees per 10,000 civilian adults; veterans per 1,000 civilian adults; active-duty military personnel per 100,000 civilian adults; share of civilian adult population in military reserves; share of adults who voted in the 2020 presidential election; share of adults who voted in the 2020 primaries; volunteer rate; volunteer hours per resident; AmeriCorps volunteers per capita; Peace Corps volunteers per capita; trial and grand jury participation; share of residents who participate in groups or organizations; and civics education requirement.
The report also found that:
- Alaska has the most veterans per 1,000 civilian adults (137), while New York has the fewest (51).
- New Jersey has the highest share of adults who voted in the 2020 presidential election. Arkansas finished last in that category.
- Utah has the highest volunteer rate, Florida the lowest.
Utah finished 11th in the overall survey, followed by Idaho, Wisconsin, Washington, Arizona, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina and Colorado.
The bottom five were California, Michigan, Connecticut, Florida and New York, at No. 50.
Photo courtesy: Heidi Walley/Unsplash
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
