ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Each of the 50 states has its own unique virtues and vices. To determine which states are most likely to give in to their sinful desires, WalletHub compared them across 47 key indicators of immoral behavior.
New York ranked number 13 on the list. Here’s a breakdown by all seven sinful behavior categories:
- 18th for anger and hatred
- 28th for jealousy
- 48th for excesses and vices
- 50th for greed
- 5th for lust
- 1st for vanity
- 17th for laziness
So, according to the new study, New Yorkers are very giving people- but we sure do love ourselves. The vanity ranking came primarily from the number of beauty salons per capita in each state, which New York has no shortage of.
The most sinful state, to little surprise, was the home of the Sin City itself- Nevada. Ranking dead last was the state of Idaho, although they were middle of the pack when it came to laziness. A full state-by-state breakdown is shown in the table below.
Rank | State | WalletHub Vice Index | Anger and Hatred | Jealousy | Excesses & Vices | Greed | Lust | Vanity | Laziness |
1 | Nevada | 57.17 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 27 | 4 |
2 | California | 54.07 | 12 | 16 | 38 | 24 | 2 | 2 | 25 |
3 | Texas | 51.85 | 30 | 12 | 37 | 29 | 1 | 6 | 24 |
4 | Florida | 50.90 | 38 | 9 | 44 | 41 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
5 | Louisiana | 50.14 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 25 | 12 | 34 | 3 |
6 | Tennessee | 50.02 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 21 | 21 |
7 | Pennsylvania | 49.96 | 34 | 29 | 22 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 23 |
8 | Georgia | 48.92 | 11 | 3 | 29 | 49 | 17 | 10 | 9 |
9 | South Carolina | 48.82 | 3 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 21 | 26 | 10 |
10 | Illinois | 48.77 | 10 | 11 | 32 | 46 | 11 | 7 | 15 |
11 | Washington | 48.46 | 44 | 2 | 42 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 35 |
12 | New Jersey | 47.45 | 45 | 31 | 47 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 31 |
13 | New York | 47.29 | 18 | 28 | 48 | 50 | 5 | 1 | 17 |
14 | Delaware | 46.34 | 37 | 5 | 16 | 2 | 33 | 38 | 7 |
15 | Oklahoma | 45.81 | 16 | 22 | 13 | 3 | 23 | 36 | 8 |
16 | Arkansas | 45.11 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 37 | 36 | 43 | 12 |
17 | North Carolina | 44.76 | 36 | 23 | 18 | 14 | 18 | 14 | 27 |
18 | Arizona | 44.42 | 23 | 13 | 35 | 33 | 10 | 17 | 18 |
19 | Ohio | 43.98 | 33 | 32 | 2 | 45 | 6 | 13 | 16 |
20 | Maryland | 43.94 | 31 | 15 | 28 | 32 | 9 | 12 | 32 |
21 | Colorado | 42.15 | 20 | 7 | 27 | 40 | 22 | 15 | 46 |
22 | Michigan | 42.12 | 15 | 39 | 11 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 26 |
23 | Virginia | 41.85 | 43 | 34 | 42 | 11 | 15 | 8 | 39 |
24 | Missouri | 41.64 | 6 | 21 | 10 | 31 | 34 | 25 | 20 |
25 | New Mexico | 41.11 | 17 | 17 | 31 | 27 | 16 | 44 | 6 |
26 | Alabama | 40.99 | 8 | 18 | 9 | 30 | 44 | 35 | 13 |
27 | Mississippi | 40.64 | 13 | 27 | 17 | 9 | 46 | 49 | 2 |
28 | Rhode Island | 39.90 | 39 | 20 | 34 | 7 | 39 | 32 | 14 |
29 | Kentucky | 39.34 | 25 | 40 | 5 | 18 | 27 | 37 | 5 |
30 | Massachusetts | 38.69 | 49 | 26 | 41 | 43 | 24 | 9 | 43 |
31 | Indiana | 38.33 | 14 | 37 | 3 | 42 | 20 | 22 | 22 |
32 | Kansas | 38.27 | 32 | 6 | 25 | 39 | 30 | 31 | 34 |
33 | West Virginia | 37.18 | 29 | 45 | 14 | 20 | 25 | 50 | 1 |
34 | Wisconsin | 37.11 | 22 | 43 | 20 | 19 | 26 | 20 | 37 |
35 | Oregon | 36.75 | 26 | 19 | 30 | 44 | 35 | 24 | 28 |
36 | Montana | 36.26 | 7 | 33 | 8 | 17 | 42 | 48 | 44 |
37 | Alaska | 36.06 | 5 | 30 | 33 | 10 | 48 | 39 | 41 |
38 | Hawaii | 35.32 | 48 | 25 | 26 | 23 | 50 | 29 | 29 |
39 | Maine | 33.99 | 27 | 36 | 19 | 22 | 38 | 42 | 40 |
40 | Connecticut | 33.42 | 47 | 38 | 45 | 35 | 40 | 19 | 38 |
41 | Nebraska | 33.41 | 24 | 41 | 24 | 28 | 29 | 33 | 42 |
42 | Utah | 32.64 | 42 | 24 | 50 | 47 | 28 | 23 | 50 |
43 | North Dakota | 32.63 | 40 | 42 | 40 | 4 | 32 | 40 | 49 |
44 | Minnesota | 32.22 | 46 | 35 | 49 | 34 | 45 | 18 | 48 |
45 | New Hampshire | 30.78 | 50 | 46 | 23 | 13 | 43 | 28 | 45 |
46 | Iowa | 30.71 | 28 | 49 | 15 | 36 | 47 | 30 | 36 |
47 | South Dakota | 30.54 | 19 | 48 | 46 | 26 | 31 | 47 | 33 |
48 | Vermont | 30.48 | 21 | 47 | 21 | 8 | 49 | 45 | 47 |
49 | Wyoming | 29.16 | 35 | 44 | 39 | 48 | 37 | 46 | 19 |
50 | Idaho | 28.03 | 41 | 50 | 36 | 38 | 41 | 41 | 30 |
Our differences aside, the cost of statewide sins is something we have to share as a nation. Gambling costs the United States around $5 billion per year, while over $300 billion funds smoking addictions nationwide. While many people have pledged to quit their vices, that task is easier said than done- especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Data used to create this ranking was collected by Wallethub from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Trade Commission, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, TransUnion, National Council on Problem Gambling, Corporation for National and Community Service, Esri’s Updated Demographics (2021 estimates), Parents For Megan’s Law Inc., The Crime Victims Center, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Wired, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Gun Violence Archive, Fraser Institute, PornHub, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Center of Education Statistics, United Health Foundation, Google Ads, Kars4Kids and The Southern Poverty Law Center.