2018’s Most Patriotic States in America

Expressions of American patriotism come in many forms — from setting off fireworks during Fourth of July and buying American-made goods to paying taxes and serving in the armed forces. But some states are better than others at showing their national pride.

So in order to determine where Americans bleed the most red, white and blue, WalletHub compared the states across 13 key indicators of patriotism. Our data set ranges from share of enlisted military population to share of adults who voted in the 2016 presidential election to AmeriCorps volunteers per capita. Read on for our findings, expert commentary and a full description of our methodology

 

Main Findings

 

Most Patriotic States in America

Overall Rank (1 = Most Patriotic)	State	Total Score	‘Military Engagement’ Rank	‘Civic Engagement’ Rank
1	Virginia	70.48	5	10
2	Alaska	69.98	1	34
3	Wyoming	66.28	9	5
4	South Carolina	64.67	3	26
5	Idaho	62.99	8	11
6	Colorado	62.39	11	9
7	Hawaii	61.18	2	43
8	Washington	59.57	14	13
9	North Carolina	58.95	6	21
10	Georgia	58.76	4	41
11	Maine	58.02	28	3
12	South Dakota	56.57	21	16
13	New Hampshire	55.52	30	7
14	Oklahoma	55.28	7	31
15	Kansas	54.00	16	20
16	Maryland	53.86	26	12
17	Nebraska	53.80	25	14
18	Arizona	52.84	13	29
19	Vermont	52.21	40	1
20	Mississippi	52.15	15	28
21	Utah	51.64	37	2
22	Nevada	51.45	19	27
23	Montana	50.70	17	32
24	New Mexico	50.30	20	30
25	Missouri	50.16	22	23
26	Alabama	50.10	10	44
27	North Dakota	50.09	33	15
28	Wisconsin	49.05	41	4
29	Iowa	48.05	39	8
30	Florida	47.87	18	40
31	Texas	47.81	12	47
32	Ohio	44.51	34	22
33	Minnesota	43.58	46	6
34	Arkansas	43.54	24	46
35	Louisiana	42.60	31	35
36	Tennessee	42.27	27	45
37	Kentucky	42.20	29	42
38	Oregon	41.94	32	37
39	Indiana	41.85	35	33
40	West Virginia	41.83	36	24
41	Delaware	41.24	23	48
42	Pennsylvania	39.81	45	17
43	Michigan	38.74	43	19
44	California	36.66	38	39
45	Connecticut	35.30	47	18
46	New York	29.82	50	25
47	Illinois	27.76	44	49
48	Rhode Island	27.24	42	50
49	New Jersey	26.70	49	36
50	Massachusetts	26.60	48	38

Blue States vs. Red States

 

Ask the Experts: Taking Our Patriotic Pulse

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:

1. What are the characteristics of a good patriot?
2. What is the relative influence of economic incentives versus patriotic intentions when deciding whether to join the military? Has this changed over time?
3. Is there a link between socio-economic class and level of patriotism?
4. When evaluating the most patriotic states in America, what are the top five indicators?
5. Has there been a shift in the way younger generations perceive and express their patriotism?
6. Should we be raising our children as global citizens first or as Americans first?
7. What measures should schools and local authorities undertake in order to promote patriotism among citizens?

Methodology

To determine the most patriotic states, WalletHub compared the 50 states across two key dimensions, including “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 city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Military Engagement – Total Points: 50

• Average Military Enlistees per 1,000 Civilian Adults Between 2011 & 2016 (No Prior Service): Triple Weight (~25.00 Points)
• Veterans per 1,000 Civilian Adults: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
• Active-Duty Military Personnel per 100,000 Civilian Adults: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
• Share of Civilian Adult Population in Military Reserves: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)

Civic Engagement – Total Points: 50

• Share of Adults Who Voted in 2016 Presidential Election: Double Weight (~10.26 Points)
• Share of Adults Who Voted in 2016 Primary Elections: Full Weight (~5.13 Points)
• Volunteer Rate: Full Weight (~5.13 Points)
• Volunteer Hours per Resident: Full Weight (~5.13 Points)
• AmeriCorps Volunteers per Capita: Full Weight (~5.13 Points)
• Peace Corps Volunteers per Capita: Half Weight (~2.56 Points)
• Trial- & Grand-Jury Participation per Civilian Adult Population: Full Weight (~5.13 Points)
• Frequency of Google Searches for American Flags: Quarter Weight (~1.28 Points)
  Note: This metric was adjusted for the total number of searches.
• Civics Education Requirement: Double Weight (~10.26 Points)

 

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Veterans Affairs, Defense Manpower Data Center, Corporation for National & Community Service, Peace Corps, Military OneSource, United States Elections Project, Administrative Office of the United States Courts, and Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement.