Most Sinful Cities in America

Adam McCann, Financial WriterNov 18, 2019

Adam McCann, Financial Writer
Nov 18, 2019

Las Vegas isn’t the only “Sin City” in America. In other cities, bad things happen and stay there, too. From beer-loving Milwaukee to hedonistic New Orleans, the U.S. is filled with people behaving illicitly. No place is innocent. We all have demons.

But at some point, we all have to pay for our vices. Gambling addiction, for instance, leads to over $100 billion in losses for U.S. consumers every year. In 2018, identity theft and fraud took a toll of $14.7 billion. And every year, smoking burns an over $300 billion hole in Uncle Sam’s wallet.

Luckily for the saints among us, all American sins are not created, or distributed, equally. In order to identify the darkest corners of America, WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 39 key indicators of evil deeds. Our data set ranges from violent crimes per capita to excessive drinking to adult entertainment establishments per capita. Read on to see the baddest of the bad cities, the full ranking, and additional insight from a panel of experts.

In addition, to help spread awareness about HIV/AIDS, WalletHub assembled an interesting infographic exploring the impact of the disease as well as what folks are doing to fight back.

1Main Findings 2Ask the Experts

3Methodology

Main Findings

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Most Sinful Cities in America

Overall Rank*	City	WalletHub Vice Index	‘Anger & Hatred’ Rank	‘Jealousy’ Rank	‘Excesses & Vices’ Rank	‘Greed’ Rank	‘Lust’ Rank	‘Vanity’ Rank	‘Laziness’ Rank
1	Las Vegas, NV	60.80	22	13	34	9	9	4	5
2	Los Angeles, CA	56.50	34	56	163	103	1	1	61
3	St. Louis, MO	56.17	1	27	1	61	20	28	20
4	Houston, TX	53.87	56	31	88	86	3	5	91
5	Atlanta, GA	53.12	29	1	114	179	4	9	51
6	Philadelphia, PA	52.62	8	76	20	50	6	23	55
7	Chicago, IL	52.18	41	80	74	87	5	6	62
8	New York, NY	51.50	53	147	151	99	2	3	31
9	Miami, FL	51.07	79	7	135	114	21	7	4
10	Denver, CO	50.86	40	64	22	51	8	16	77
11	Orlando, FL	50.62	13	8	57	162	22	11	37
12	North Las Vegas, NV	49.99	103	35	49	9	55	31	3
13	Dallas, TX	48.89	43	22	102	145	10	8	94
14	Baton Rouge, LA	48.29	7	47	18	116	100	37	14
15	Washington, DC	48.27	5	67	33	26	15	54	128
16	New Orleans, LA	48.06	15	21	9	95	16	81	11
17	San Francisco, CA	48.02	70	10	167	96	7	13	92
18	Columbia, SC	47.73	33	6	16	26	145	43	24
19	Cleveland, OH	47.69	11	34	28	111	38	42	19
20	Detroit, MI	47.49	3	18	7	135	26	118	7
21	Baltimore, MD	47.47	9	58	10	109	14	67	40
22	Portland, OR	47.11	93	32	97	21	13	21	165
23	Memphis, TN	46.80	10	4	70	149	31	98	39
24	Phoenix, AZ	46.61	51	59	54	141	11	18	72
25	Charleston, WV	45.40	14	36	38	26	58	126	12
26	Little Rock, AR	45.36	6	17	47	136	66	94	35
27	Cincinnati, OH	45.25	27	71	3	85	112	24	74
28	Tucson, AZ	44.52	36	19	51	143	53	36	44
29	San Diego, CA	44.38	153	137	152	68	18	2	105
30	Wichita, KS	44.27	19	52	101	8	63	63	96
30	Mobile, AL	44.27	57	45	19	26	70	74	41
32	Austin, TX	44.25	82	78	115	71	25	12	147
33	Tampa, FL	44.23	119	97	67	123	12	14	33
33	Henderson, NV	44.23	162	43	105	9	64	71	13
35	Seattle, WA	44.05	30	41	161	59	28	19	177
36	Pittsburgh, PA	43.80	17	121	31	69	113	15	155
37	Shreveport, LA	43.38	37	37	29	106	57	112	10
38	San Antonio, TX	43.27	116	82	44	127	19	20	52
39	Knoxville, TN	43.21	61	91	6	79	133	26	115
40	Fort Lauderdale, FL	43.18	50	2	157	170	83	33	17
41	Birmingham, AL	43.17	12	12	30	167	79	58	53
42	Reno, NV	43.13	111	136	60	2	54	52	76
43	Billings, MT	43.01	39	84	75	3	86	111	143
44	Sacramento, CA	42.71	90	132	108	24	87	17	47
45	Richmond, VA	42.70	55	113	23	97	45	34	49
46	Gulfport, MS	42.61	94	70	43	7	32	160	34
47	Charlotte, NC	42.56	106	28	58	107	40	22	167
48	Kansas City, MO	42.55	4	66	26	105	50	93	151
49	Wilmington, DE	42.54	16	15	41	49	160	117	42
50	Jacksonville, FL	42.33	81	24	4	181	49	32	22
51	Springfield, MO	42.31	31	55	13	129	82	62	122
52	San Bernardino, CA	42.02	20	53	145	62	59	143	9
53	Indianapolis, IN	42.02	24	75	17	163	27	39	99
54	Missoula, MT	41.99	78	23	15	3	164	138	160
55	Chattanooga, TN	41.71	18	29	68	26	140	89	100
56	Albuquerque, NM	41.67	60	11	11	169	105	48	93
57	Columbus, GA	41.54	91	3	76	146	42	130	112
58	Minneapolis, MN	41.20	99	106	136	18	37	30	174
59	Tulsa, OK	40.92	74	62	84	75	84	60	36
60	Jackson, MS	40.87	45	50	118	1	135	156	25
61	Spokane, WA	40.82	28	16	56	60	147	80	145
62	Scottsdale, AZ	40.66	150	103	140	52	99	10	141
63	Columbus, OH	40.52	32	100	35	128	56	46	95
64	Fayetteville, NC	40.51	68	44	37	26	65	87	156
65	Bakersfield, CA	40.49	124	49	12	144	35	50	130
66	Nashville, TN	40.17	49	69	21	153	30	49	121
67	Fort Smith, AR	40.10	63	120	62	26	17	127	28
68	Anchorage, AK	40.03	2	77	96	118	119	103	149
69	Tempe, AZ	39.82	127	39	120	92	103	45	54
70	Dover, DE	39.81	54	14	36	108	138	120	56
71	Louisville, KY	39.80	64	90	5	154	61	41	89
72	Tacoma, WA	39.52	52	38	65	67	155	65	136
73	Juneau, AK	39.20	25	5	59	26	162	168	8
74	Montgomery, AL	38.78	75	26	103	137	73	121	30
75	Oklahoma City, OK	38.76	35	115	71	168	48	55	38
76	Fresno, CA	38.73	120	85	64	121	33	61	78
77	Oakland, CA	38.69	65	9	168	89	92	76	102
78	Buffalo, NY	38.54	71	94	61	88	144	85	18
79	Newark, NJ	38.53	38	133	148	16	130	166	2
79	Rapid City, SD	38.53	21	156	112	13	43	153	101
81	Huntington, WV	38.51	42	124	14	26	126	149	6
82	Huntsville, AL	38.20	76	54	85	26	110	106	81
83	Colorado Springs, CO	38.12	108	89	24	91	114	51	129
84	Milwaukee, WI	37.86	26	125	25	122	77	84	131
85	Glendale, AZ	37.84	126	40	69	130	88	75	60
86	Providence, RI	37.80	138	143	48	5	89	158	23
87	Aurora, CO	37.77	100	87	46	19	142	131	82
88	Akron, OH	37.72	48	93	42	171	47	102	73
89	Lubbock, TX	37.71	44	96	32	113	76	108	154
90	Amarillo, TX	37.67	59	99	109	26	36	104	164
91	Charleston, SC	37.55	66	135	40	26	123	64	144
92	Salt Lake City, UT	37.45	67	30	149	166	75	27	176
93	Tallahassee, FL	37.31	95	25	81	173	172	77	63
94	Riverside, CA	37.29	146	95	91	62	125	57	48
95	Boston, MA	37.14	47	158	99	23	62	70	138
96	Long Beach, CA	37.12	128	57	166	117	44	53	79
97	Toledo, OH	37.07	98	119	2	156	46	128	50
98	St. Petersburg, FL	37.06	92	46	83	157	120	83	27
99	Fort Worth, TX	37.06	121	48	116	155	60	38	98
100	Salem, OR	36.78	135	116	72	15	93	92	84
101	Vancouver, WA	36.73	131	104	86	76	137	44	172
102	Hialeah, FL	36.31	166	20	155	148	121	136	1
103	Omaha, NE	35.85	115	128	53	110	74	66	134
104	Augusta, GA	35.69	89	105	73	146	78	129	16
105	Raleigh, NC	35.63	107	65	139	74	107	40	179
106	Gilbert, AZ	35.33	144	138	55	92	68	73	118
107	Rochester, NY	35.31	83	110	93	176	128	35	111
108	Stockton, CA	35.27	58	72	132	142	95	133	80
109	Greensboro, NC	35.10	102	86	45	140	111	78	163
110	St. Paul, MN	34.96	139	131	144	20	101	86	170
111	Grand Rapids, MI	34.65	23	159	52	182	97	72	83
112	Modesto, CA	34.64	96	114	121	72	115	105	104
113	Sioux Falls, SD	34.62	73	170	92	13	149	122	139
114	Huntington Beach, CA	34.60	172	74	180	53	161	29	159
115	Chandler, AZ	34.56	158	109	82	101	109	68	114
116	Arlington, TX	34.55	132	42	146	131	117	99	88
117	Mesa, AZ	34.44	140	111	77	92	127	79	67
118	Ontario, CA	34.17	136	118	138	62	85	148	28
119	Garland, TX	34.15	101	51	141	152	41	164	64
120	Nampa, ID	34.06	72	140	123	26	98	161	59
121	Cheyenne, WY	33.94	84	88	111	115	96	150	113
122	Santa Clarita, CA	33.70	145	108	164	53	116	96	107
123	Irving, TX	33.67	142	60	143	131	72	137	71
124	Anaheim, CA	33.56	168	61	165	53	94	115	106
125	Casper, WY	33.26	80	166	63	26	80	157	75
126	Lexington-Fayette, KY	33.18	85	152	8	180	81	101	140
127	Pembroke Pines, FL	33.11	178	33	159	151	146	141	15
128	Warwick, RI	33.09	181	173	50	5	174	119	148
129	El Paso, TX	33.04	109	175	124	104	29	100	103
130	Peoria, AZ	32.90	143	117	66	124	71	142	110
131	Grand Prairie, TX	32.76	157	68	128	131	34	172	70
132	Corpus Christi, TX	32.66	110	142	89	98	52	151	120
133	San Jose, CA	32.46	152	112	181	172	51	25	117
134	Jersey City, NJ	32.45	148	144	170	16	134	165	26
135	Boise, ID	32.45	69	153	133	138	141	91	97
136	Santa Ana, CA	32.43	161	73	156	53	159	124	65
137	Fort Wayne, IN	32.40	130	148	27	158	122	88	124
138	Winston-Salem, NC	32.32	122	123	79	26	118	146	126
139	Honolulu, HI	32.11	154	160	171	102	67	47	119
140	Durham, NC	32.05	77	83	142	26	154	134	178
141	New Haven, CT	32.03	46	81	117	173	170	171	68
142	Lincoln, NE	31.95	62	168	131	26	152	109	166
143	Garden Grove, CA	31.81	156	63	175	53	158	147	87
144	Oceanside, CA	31.73	149	127	162	77	157	110	90
145	Brownsville, TX	31.72	151	151	147	26	39	180	21
146	Overland Park, KS	31.56	104	154	173	22	171	95	173
147	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	31.56	170	134	169	119	69	97	58
148	Des Moines, IA	31.49	97	98	119	158	129	139	142
149	Chula Vista, CA	31.35	167	150	150	70	131	132	69
150	Glendale, CA	31.33	180	92	178	112	124	82	86
151	Manchester, NH	31.28	86	129	78	125	176	116	132
152	Fargo, ND	31.16	129	164	160	12	173	125	136
153	Fontana, CA	30.88	163	149	134	62	104	167	32
154	Moreno Valley, CA	30.84	164	101	90	120	148	173	45
155	Las Cruces, NM	30.56	123	145	127	158	23	169	125
156	Bismarck, ND	30.47	88	174	137	90	136	123	116
157	Plano, TX	30.18	174	79	172	131	156	69	171
158	Nashua, NH	29.66	117	163	107	84	169	163	135
159	Aurora, IL	29.19	165	157	106	78	165	178	66
160	Norfolk, VA	28.87	112	179	39	80	106	144	168
161	Irvine, CA	28.85	182	102	182	53	150	107	161
162	Portland, ME	28.67	87	172	100	26	179	145	181
163	Oxnard, CA	28.59	147	130	129	150	139	159	108
164	Santa Rosa, CA	28.27	159	165	158	72	177	59	133
165	Worcester, MA	28.21	133	167	87	100	167	135	109
166	Cedar Rapids, IA	28.07	141	139	154	158	151	114	158
167	Yonkers, NY	28.01	155	162	176	126	178	113	46
168	West Valley City, UT	27.97	105	107	125	164	108	181	175
169	Cape Coral, FL	27.95	176	146	130	177	91	152	43
170	Fremont, CA	27.63	175	122	179	25	168	154	152
171	Laredo, TX	27.47	171	178	104	139	24	176	57
172	Lewiston, ME	27.09	114	177	126	26	102	175	146
173	Newport News, VA	26.67	118	180	122	80	90	155	162
174	Madison, WI	26.62	134	161	113	165	163	90	180
175	Bridgeport, CT	26.28	125	155	153	173	175	174	85
176	Columbia, MD	26.28	179	126	174	62	180	162	157
177	Burlington, VT	26.14	113	176	94	26	181	177	127
178	Port St. Lucie, FL	25.95	177	141	80	178	143	170	123
179	Virginia Beach, VA	25.81	169	182	110	80	153	56	169
180	Chesapeake, VA	24.42	137	181	95	80	166	140	153
181	South Burlington, VT	24.34	160	171	98	26	182	179	182
182	Pearl City, HI	23.05	173	169	177	26	132	182	150

*No. 1 = Most Sinful

Ask the Experts

The sins people commit every day lead many to wonder what incites them, whether certain evil acts are worse than others and how people can conquer their inner demons. We posed these questions to a panel of experts. Below, you can read their bios and thoughts on the following key questions:

To what extent is sinful behavior innate versus influenced by your surroundings?
What makes some cities more sinful than others? Laws? Culture?
Is cheating within marriage becoming more or less common over time?
Should government play a role in trying to reduce greed and consumerism?
What are some effective strategies for combating addiction and domestic violence?

Ask the Experts

: Dan Perlman
Professor, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Read More

: Dan Moen
Ph.D., LMFT, CFLE – Associate Professor, Department of Family Consumer Science - Child Development and Family Studies, Minnesota State University Mankato
Read More

: Suzanne Bartle-Haring
Ph.D. – Professor, Program Director, Couple and Family Therapy, College of Education and Human Ecology Human Sciences, Ohio State University
Read More

Methodology

In order to determine the most sinful cities in America, WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across seven key dimensions: 1) Anger & Hatred, 2) Jealousy, 3) Excesses & Vices, 4) Greed, 5) Lust, 6) Vanity and 7) Laziness.

We examined those dimensions using 39 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 sinfulness. Please note that data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available at the state level only. For metrics marked with two asterisks (**), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

Finally, we calculated each city’s weighted average across all metrics to determine its overall score, or WalletHub Vice Index, and used the resulting scores to rank-order the cities.

Anger & Hatred – Total Points: 14.3

Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)
Sex Offenders per Capita: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)
Aggravated Assault Offenses Known to Law Enforcement per 1,000 Residents: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)
Bullying Rate*: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)
Hate-Crime Incidents per Capita: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)
Hate Groups per Capita: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)
Deaths due to Firearms per Capita: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)
Number of Mass Shootings: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)
Presence of Terrorist Attacks: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)
Note: This is a binary metric:

Jealousy – Total Points: 14.3

Thefts per 1,000 Residents: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)
Identity-Theft Complaints per Capita: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)
Fraud & Other Complaints per Capita: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)

Excesses & Vices – Total Points: 14.3

Share of Obese Adults: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)
Fast-Food Establishments per Capita**: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)
Excessive Drinking: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)
Note: This metric measures the age-adjusted prevalence of binge and heavy drinking among the adult population.
DUI-Related Fatalities per Capita: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)
Share of Adult Smokers: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)
Share of Adult Coffee Drinkers: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)
Note: This metric measures the share of adults who drank ready-to-drink coffee in the past six months.
Share of Population Using Marijuana: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)
Note: This metric measures the share of residents aged 12 years and older who used marijuana in the past month.
Retail Opioid Prescriptions Dispensed per 100 Persons: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)
Drug Overdose Deaths: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)
Note: This metric measures the number of deaths due to drug poisoning per 100,000 residents.
Debt-to-Income Ratio: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)

Greed – Total Points: 14.3

Casinos per Capita**: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)
Charitable Donations as Share of Income: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)
Share of Adults with Gambling Disorders*: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)

Lust – Total Points: 14.3

Adult Entertainment Establishments per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
Erotic/Burlesque Events per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
Google Search Interest Index for “XXX Entertainment”: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
Note: This metric measures search interest for online adult entertainment.
“Most Active Tinder Users” Ranking: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
Teen Birth Rate: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
Note: This metric measures the number of births per 1,000 female residents aged 15 to 19 years.

Vanity – Total Points: 14.3

Beauty Salons per Capita**: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)
Tanning Salons per Capita**: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)
Google Search Interest Index for “Top 5 Plastic Surgeries”: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)
Note: This metric measures search interest for the five most common plastic surgery procedures (breast augmentation, liposuction, rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty and facelift) as a share of the national average.

Laziness – Total Points: 14.3

Share of Adults Not Exercising: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Average Weekly Hours Worked: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Volunteer Rate: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Average Daily Time Spent Watching TV*: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
High School Dropout Rate: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Note: This metric was adjusted by the poverty rate.
Disconnected Youth (16-24) Rate: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)
Note: Disconnected youth are teenagers and young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither in school nor working.

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Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Advameg, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Trade Commission, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, County Health Rankings, TransUnion, Yelp, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, National Council on Problem Gambling, Corporation for National and Community Service, Esri's Updated Demographics (2019 estimates), The Southern Poverty Law Center, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Wm. Robert Johnston, Gun Violence Archive, Eventbrite, Google Ads and Tinder.

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