Americans may feel their patriotism dampened this year in the face of societal issues like relentless high inflation and mass shootings. Many people may find it hard to celebrate a country where countless people are struggling and frequent violence persists. However, an expression of love for fellow citizens is patriotic in itself.
In order to determine where Americans have the most red, white and blue pride, WalletHub compared the states across 13 key indicators of patriotism. Our data set ranges from the state’s military enlistees and veterans to the share of adults who voted in the 2024 presidential election to AmeriCorps volunteers per capita.
Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst
Most Patriotic States in the U.S.
| Overall Rank | State | Total Score | Military Engagement Rank | Civic Engagement Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | 70.54 | 3 | 6 |
| 2 | Montana | 67.75 | 20 | 2 |
| 3 | Vermont | 66.49 | 42 | 1 |
| 4 | Colorado | 64.70 | 10 | 5 |
| 5 | Oregon | 62.27 | 37 | 3 |
| 6 | Washington | 61.09 | 15 | 11 |
| 7 | North Dakota | 60.39 | 11 | 12 |
| 8 | Maryland | 59.84 | 19 | 10 |
| 9 | Minnesota | 58.73 | 47 | 4 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | 57.85 | 33 | 7 |
| 11 | Alaska | 56.55 | 1 | 41 |
| 12 | Utah | 56.40 | 35 | 9 |
| 13 | Kansas | 56.23 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | Wyoming | 55.73 | 7 | 24 |
| 15 | Iowa | 54.50 | 41 | 8 |
| 16 | Idaho | 53.38 | 22 | 18 |
| 17 | Hawaii | 53.24 | 2 | 44 |
| 18 | Nebraska | 53.21 | 27 | 14 |
| 19 | Kentucky | 52.07 | 18 | 23 |
| 20 | Delaware | 51.55 | 25 | 20 |
| 21 | New Mexico | 50.94 | 8 | 28 |
| 22 | Georgia | 49.73 | 5 | 33 |
| 23 | Missouri | 49.61 | 28 | 22 |
| 24 | North Carolina | 48.38 | 6 | 36 |
| 25 | South Carolina | 47.77 | 4 | 43 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | 47.37 | 43 | 16 |
| 27 | Maine | 46.97 | 39 | 21 |
| 28 | Michigan | 46.02 | 46 | 17 |
| 29 | Connecticut | 45.82 | 44 | 19 |
| 30 | South Dakota | 45.57 | 24 | 31 |
| 31 | Massachusetts | 44.94 | 50 | 15 |
| 32 | Nevada | 44.93 | 17 | 34 |
| 33 | Oklahoma | 44.63 | 9 | 40 |
| 34 | Arizona | 44.42 | 23 | 32 |
| 35 | Tennessee | 43.91 | 31 | 29 |
| 36 | Ohio | 43.86 | 34 | 26 |
| 37 | Pennsylvania | 43.32 | 45 | 25 |
| 38 | Illinois | 42.94 | 40 | 27 |
| 39 | Mississippi | 42.15 | 14 | 42 |
| 40 | California | 39.65 | 30 | 39 |
| 41 | West Virginia | 39.23 | 32 | 37 |
| 42 | Rhode Island | 38.45 | 38 | 35 |
| 43 | New Jersey | 38.33 | 48 | 30 |
| 44 | Indiana | 37.73 | 36 | 38 |
| 45 | Texas | 37.53 | 13 | 47 |
| 46 | Florida | 36.59 | 21 | 46 |
| 47 | Alabama | 34.23 | 16 | 49 |
| 48 | Louisiana | 32.42 | 26 | 48 |
| 49 | New York | 28.65 | 49 | 45 |
| 50 | Arkansas | 28.12 | 29 | 50 |
Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.
- Highest
- 1. Georgia
- 2. Alaska
- 3. Texas
- 4. Hawaii
- 5. South Carolina
- Lowest
- 46. Massachusetts
- 47. Rhode Island
- 48. Minnesota
- 49. Vermont
- 50. North Dakota
- Most
- 1. Alaska
- 2. Virginia
- 3. Wyoming
- 4. Montana
- 5. Hawaii
- Fewest
- 46. Connecticut
- 47. Massachusetts
- 48. California
- 49. New Jersey
- 50. New York
- Most
- 1. Vermont
- 2. New Hampshire
- 3. Oregon
- 4. Colorado
- 5. Virginia
- Fewest
- 46. Alabama
- 47. Louisiana
- 48. West Virginia
- 49. Mississippi
- 50. North Dakota
- Highest %
- 1. Minnesota
- 2. Oregon
- 3. Virginia
- 4. New Jersey
- 5. Michigan
- Lowest %
- 46. Alabama
- 47. Hawaiii
- 48. Louisiana
- 49. Texas
- 50. Arkansas
- Highest
- 1. Utah
- 2. Vermont
- T-3. Minnesota
- T-3. Nebraska
- 5. Kansas
- Lowest
- 46. Florida
- 47. New Mexico
- 48. Alabama
- 49. Nevada
- 50. Rhode Island
In-Depth Look at the Most Patriotic States
Virginia
Virginia is 2025’s most patriotic state. For every 100,000 civilians in Virginia, there are over 1,850 active-duty military personnel, the third-most in the country. And for every 1,000 civilians, there are over 103 veterans, the second-most in the country.
Old Dominion is also patriotic on the civic side. It has a high voter turnout rate, with 72.9% of residents having voted in the 2024 presidential election, compared to the national average of 66%. To top things off, Virginia has the fifth-highest number of peace corps volunteers per capita, and it is one of the many states that require standalone course in civics for high school graduation.
Montana
Montana is the second-most patriotic state, in part because it has a relatively large voter turnout. 69.2% of the state’s voting population turned out for the 2024 presidential election, and nearly 46% voted in the 2020 primary election (the highest primary turnout in the country).
Montana ranks second in the nation for jury service, a result of its notably high participation rate, it also has the second-highest number of Americorps volunteers, and over 37% of residents volunteer for some sort of organization in general. For comparison, in only 10 states, the volunteer rate is above 35%.
In addition, Montana has 102 veterans for every 1,000 civilians, the fourth-highest number in the country.
Vermont
Vermont is the third-most patriotic state, with the second-highest volunteer rate, showing residents who volunteered for organizations in general and the highest Peace Corps volunteers per capita. Additionally, the Green Mountain State has the eighth-highest share of military reserves. Together, these rankings highlight Vermont’s strong commitment to civic engagement and community service.
Many Vermonters have also fulfilled their patriotic duty of jury service, with the state having the highest number of people per capita who served as jurors over the past year. In addition, Vermont has the highest Americorps volunteers per capita, so plenty of residents show their patriotism by serving others in need.
Blue States vs. Red States
Ask the Experts
Patriotism can be a complex subject, depending on who’s involved in the discussion. For insight, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:
- What are the characteristics of a good patriot?
- What are the best ways for an individual to show patriotism?
- What is the relative influence of economic incentives versus patriotic intentions when deciding whether or not to join the military? Has this changed over time?
- Should we be raising our children as global citizens first or as Americans first?
- What measures should schools and local authorities undertake in order to promote patriotism among citizens?
Ask the Experts
Professor & Director, Museums, Archives & Public History; Director, Center for Public History, Nazareth University
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Popular Culture Librarian Texas Tech University and editor of Captain America and the Struggle of the Superhero
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Inaugural Chair, Professor, Department of African & African American Studies - Louisiana State University
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Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies Emeritus – Cornell University
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Ph.D. – Distinguished Professor and Professor of Political Science Emeritus, School of Public Service – Elizabethtown College
Read More
Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Political Science – Penn Arts & Sciences
Read More
Methodology
In order to determine the most patriotic states, WalletHub compared the 50 states across two key dimensions, “Military Engagement” and “Civic Engagement.”
We evaluated those dimensions using 13 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of patriotism.
Finally, we determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.
Military Engagement – Total Points: 25
- Average Military Enlistees per 1,000 Civilian Adults Between 2016 & 2021 (No Prior Service): Double Weight (~8.33 Points)
- Veterans per 1,000 Civilian Adults: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Active-Duty Military Personnel per 100,000 Civilian Adults: Double Weight (~8.33 Points)
- Share of Civilian Adult Population in Military Reserves: Full Weight (~4.17 Points)
Civic Engagement – Total Points: 75
- Share of Adults Who Voted in 2024 Presidential Election: Triple Weight (~25.00 Points)
- Share of Adults Who Voted in 2020 Primary Elections: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
- Volunteer Rate: Half Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Volunteer Hours per Resident: Half Weight (~4.17 Points)
- AmeriCorps Volunteers per Capita: Half Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Peace Corps Volunteers per Capita: Half Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Trial- & Grand-Jury Participation per Civilian Adult Population: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
- Share of Residents Who Participate in Any Groups, Organizations or Associations in the Past Year (Civic Life): Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
- Civics Education Requirement: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of May 19, 2025 from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Defense Manpower Data Center, Peace Corps, Military OneSource, United States Elections Project, Administrative Office of the United States Courts, AmeriCorps and iCivics.
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