Most Sinful Cities in America

Adam McCann, Financial WriterDec 7, 2020

Adam McCann, Financial Writer
Dec 7, 2020

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 2019, identity theft and fraud took a toll of $16.9 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 37 key indicators of evil deeds. Our data set ranges from violent crimes per capita to excessive drinking to adult entertainment establishments per capita.

Table of Contents

Main Findings Ask the Experts Methodology

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	59.59	32	24	52	9	13	3	6
2	Los Angeles, CA	54.76	24	49	169	102	1	2	87
3	St. Louis, MO	52.52	1	12	1	61	36	40	60
4	Houston, TX	52.38	52	15	146	91	2	5	104
5	Atlanta, GA	52.37	34	2	86	179	4	7	73
6	Miami, FL	51.94	98	4	113	115	12	9	7
7	Philadelphia, PA	51.24	12	60	21	50	14	17	56
8	Denver, CO	50.52	26	81	29	51	5	14	90
9	Washington, DC	49.99	5	29	41	26	17	37	142
10	New York, NY	49.85	28	138	175	114	3	4	28
11	Cleveland, OH	49.40	7	21	20	111	27	32	21
12	Orlando, FL	48.90	18	11	106	151	19	13	40
13	Chicago, IL	48.77	38	89	129	86	6	8	67
14	New Orleans, LA	48.10	21	10	7	95	21	92	12
15	Dallas, TX	48.10	40	26	128	150	9	6	93
16	Memphis, TN	47.96	9	3	39	147	31	125	25
17	Baltimore, MD	47.85	11	17	15	107	18	82	34
18	Baton Rouge, LA	47.50	6	35	8	116	105	45	5
19	North Las Vegas, NV	47.34	112	37	55	9	70	30	2
20	Columbia, SC	46.80	37	5	13	26	136	69	19
21	San Diego, CA	46.41	138	134	160	70	16	1	129
22	Detroit, MI	46.32	2	46	5	139	26	146	10
23	Charleston, WV	46.11	3	32	61	26	73	113	11
24	Little Rock, AR	46.05	14	7	22	133	37	105	44
25	San Francisco, CA	45.51	45	20	165	97	15	15	138
26	Phoenix, AZ	45.47	77	68	100	141	8	16	48
27	Knoxville, TN	44.69	17	93	2	80	134	20	74
28	Mobile, AL	44.38	44	34	14	26	85	67	17
29	Wichita, KS	44.33	55	58	46	8	65	38	45
30	Portland, OR	44.31	97	38	84	23	11	31	160
31	Fort Lauderdale, FL	44.19	58	1	141	152	69	58	26
32	Shreveport, LA	44.00	43	14	12	105	71	115	3
33	Pittsburgh, PA	43.84	33	92	26	71	101	10	148
34	Cincinnati, OH	43.59	42	85	4	85	81	25	63
35	Birmingham, AL	43.55	10	13	10	168	76	86	32
36	San Antonio, TX	43.20	115	72	85	132	10	18	38
37	Chattanooga, TN	43.13	13	36	31	26	118	102	59
38	Henderson, NV	42.99	164	51	83	9	77	68	18
39	Tampa, FL	42.98	119	100	48	122	7	22	50
40	Sacramento, CA	42.52	72	87	114	21	72	23	70
41	Austin, TX	42.47	90	73	124	59	38	12	150
42	Indianapolis, IN	42.39	23	70	11	164	20	42	82
43	Wilmington, DE	42.34	15	25	30	49	150	128	51
44	Richmond, VA	42.07	30	67	9	98	67	52	69
45	Kansas City, MO	41.84	4	84	34	104	44	93	144
46	Jacksonville, FL	41.79	82	33	6	181	23	35	24
47	Charlotte, NC	41.73	96	31	71	106	24	29	141
48	Minneapolis, MN	41.40	103	75	153	18	28	21	178
49	Reno, NV	41.35	124	115	54	2	55	66	68
50	Columbus, OH	41.24	48	90	28	120	35	34	89
51	Springfield, MO	41.20	25	48	18	126	91	55	111
52	Albuquerque, NM	41.08	31	28	35	170	78	62	31
53	Nashville, TN	40.99	59	63	19	155	25	33	101
54	Tucson, AZ	40.93	41	96	56	143	57	39	27
55	Fort Smith, AR	40.92	63	83	38	26	32	119	30
56	San Bernardino, CA	40.71	16	52	105	62	123	127	20
57	Jackson, MS	40.70	50	61	118	1	108	163	9
58	Seattle, WA	40.66	27	64	163	58	33	24	181
59	Billings, MT	40.59	67	111	27	3	112	87	173
60	Fayetteville, NC	40.59	54	39	17	26	64	114	125
61	Gulfport, MS	40.27	130	74	42	7	52	152	23
62	Tulsa, OK	40.23	83	59	43	60	50	65	83
63	Louisville, KY	39.98	51	97	16	156	47	36	58
64	Montgomery, AL	39.61	61	30	47	134	79	130	13
65	Milwaukee, WI	39.09	22	120	32	121	56	72	97
66	Charleston, SC	38.84	56	110	44	26	97	47	137
67	Huntsville, AL	38.78	66	42	80	26	120	116	35
68	Scottsdale, AZ	38.47	154	126	139	68	93	11	120
69	Spokane, WA	38.46	36	27	62	76	138	98	149
70	Tempe, AZ	38.40	136	57	98	93	109	43	33
71	Oklahoma City, OK	38.20	39	108	72	169	30	46	78
72	Buffalo, NY	38.18	68	112	58	87	131	74	16
73	Columbus, GA	38.02	99	6	110	144	63	138	105
74	Newark, NJ	37.89	65	127	136	15	98	162	4
75	Providence, RI	37.64	149	145	95	5	66	157	15
76	Huntington, WV	37.56	73	141	36	26	87	110	8
77	Fort Worth, TX	37.51	127	45	103	157	34	28	114
78	Salt Lake City, UT	37.45	71	22	149	167	43	26	180
79	Akron, OH	37.40	62	113	23	171	51	77	53
80	Dover, DE	37.37	78	19	67	108	135	120	109
81	Anchorage, AK	37.28	8	103	69	117	127	95	175
82	Toledo, OH	37.24	86	121	3	158	60	104	29
83	Boston, MA	37.20	49	159	131	24	42	53	159
84	Tacoma, WA	37.17	53	40	96	79	148	76	151
85	Bakersfield, CA	37.02	109	88	24	149	46	48	154
86	Colorado Springs, CO	36.96	94	78	33	92	102	64	127
87	Lubbock, TX	36.89	35	98	40	112	94	96	143
88	Salem, OR	36.86	110	125	60	14	100	71	76
89	Rapid City, SD	36.78	29	160	115	12	59	154	113
90	Fresno, CA	36.65	93	77	121	137	45	61	96
91	Tallahassee, FL	36.57	108	18	37	173	161	90	66
92	Omaha, NE	36.30	102	124	51	109	75	50	91
93	Amarillo, TX	36.19	100	129	53	26	49	94	133
94	Riverside, CA	36.14	131	102	66	62	126	51	71
95	Greensboro, NC	35.95	74	55	65	138	110	84	135
96	Oakland, CA	35.73	19	16	174	89	167	132	130
97	Hialeah, FL	35.68	178	8	123	146	119	153	1
98	Juneau, AK	35.58	20	23	89	26	170	144	102
99	Missoula, MT	35.58	75	99	70	3	164	133	182
100	St. Petersburg, FL	35.57	79	44	77	159	117	111	39
101	Augusta, GA	35.45	76	104	45	144	68	134	36
102	Rochester, NY	35.19	60	91	63	176	151	49	94
103	Arlington, TX	35.17	137	41	117	128	54	118	95
104	Vancouver, WA	35.09	126	106	82	77	147	44	172
105	Long Beach, CA	35.05	132	50	159	118	86	56	98
106	Glendale, AZ	34.69	134	76	79	127	103	107	41
107	Stockton, CA	34.28	47	79	108	140	116	135	110
108	Corpus Christi, TX	34.25	114	130	59	99	39	148	79
109	Aurora, CO	34.10	117	109	99	19	145	131	103
110	Mesa, AZ	34.06	155	128	75	93	114	70	46
111	St. Paul, MN	34.06	157	114	152	20	104	80	155
112	Norfolk, VA	33.97	87	69	68	81	95	147	152
113	Huntington Beach, CA	33.87	156	66	176	52	163	27	170
114	Ontario, CA	33.54	125	133	102	62	96	150	42
115	Irving, TX	33.40	161	53	132	128	61	139	65
116	El Paso, TX	33.26	121	181	97	103	22	88	85
117	Raleigh, NC	33.19	128	135	133	75	106	41	168
118	Modesto, CA	33.00	89	131	101	73	80	121	156
119	Sioux Falls, SD	32.92	80	166	119	12	154	108	161
120	Newport News, VA	32.91	64	107	90	81	107	148	165
121	Jersey City, NJ	32.88	111	118	172	15	132	161	55
122	Pembroke Pines, FL	32.87	180	9	151	152	149	165	22
123	Warwick, RI	32.85	182	178	87	5	176	100	92
124	Lexington-Fayette, KY	32.85	84	148	25	180	88	75	123
125	Chandler, AZ	32.80	166	122	112	88	121	78	86
126	Garland, TX	32.79	113	47	137	154	58	166	61
127	Grand Prairie, TX	32.61	163	65	122	128	48	169	64
128	Gilbert, AZ	32.47	152	151	92	142	83	60	84
129	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	32.39	150	147	145	62	84	109	75
130	Fort Wayne, IN	32.39	142	156	50	160	82	63	77
131	Des Moines, IA	32.35	88	119	73	160	113	112	132
132	Santa Ana, CA	32.33	123	62	154	52	143	151	100
133	Santa Clarita, CA	32.27	172	101	156	52	130	57	128
134	Cheyenne, WY	32.11	70	139	116	113	115	124	131
135	Anaheim, CA	32.09	160	54	164	52	90	122	136
136	Nampa, ID	31.70	91	167	120	26	74	143	107
137	Grand Rapids, MI	31.69	46	177	57	182	99	59	118
138	New Haven, CT	31.47	81	86	91	173	162	174	49
139	Winston-Salem, NC	31.45	118	105	74	26	128	159	121
140	Manchester, NH	31.39	69	146	76	125	173	117	112
141	Casper, WY	31.13	57	170	130	26	89	156	108
142	Overland Park, KS	31.08	101	155	173	22	169	85	157
143	Glendale, CA	30.99	168	82	162	96	129	123	106
144	Fontana, CA	30.87	145	157	111	62	122	167	52
145	Durham, NC	30.87	104	71	142	26	160	142	163
146	Peoria, AZ	30.86	162	132	81	124	92	155	80
147	San Jose, CA	30.80	135	136	182	172	62	19	153
148	Brownsville, TX	30.79	170	162	143	26	40	178	14
149	Oceanside, CA	30.61	147	123	157	78	158	101	115
150	Nashua, NH	30.39	105	172	104	57	171	140	119
151	Virginia Beach, VA	30.35	173	142	109	81	137	54	177
152	Las Cruces, NM	30.25	120	137	135	160	41	177	81
153	Lincoln, NE	30.15	107	176	125	26	157	97	122
154	Honolulu, HI	30.13	146	158	167	101	53	106	116
155	Chesapeake, VA	29.89	139	116	88	81	159	136	147
156	Chula Vista, CA	29.88	158	149	158	72	141	141	99
157	Lewiston, ME	29.46	95	180	107	26	125	168	57
158	Fargo, ND	29.17	141	169	140	17	174	126	140
159	Garden Grove, CA	29.08	167	56	171	110	133	164	117
160	Laredo, TX	28.96	175	182	49	136	29	171	37
161	Moreno Valley, CA	28.93	153	117	94	119	155	179	72
162	Irvine, CA	28.80	179	94	180	52	139	83	174
163	Cedar Rapids, IA	28.51	143	140	127	160	156	79	162
164	Yonkers, NY	28.06	165	153	177	123	178	73	47
165	Plano, TX	28.03	177	80	166	128	152	103	166
166	Portland, ME	28.02	85	165	138	26	179	145	164
167	Burlington, VT	27.99	92	174	148	26	181	175	54
168	West Valley City, UT	27.81	106	95	150	165	124	172	169
169	Aurora, IL	27.77	169	161	134	69	168	180	88
170	Boise, ID	27.38	116	173	144	135	146	99	179
171	Bismarck, ND	27.34	122	179	170	90	142	91	158
172	Worcester, MA	27.33	148	171	78	100	165	129	126
173	Santa Rosa, CA	26.88	133	175	155	73	177	81	145
174	Oxnard, CA	26.65	151	150	147	148	144	137	134
175	Columbia, MD	26.61	181	43	179	62	180	160	139
176	Madison, WI	26.58	140	163	93	166	166	89	176
177	Cape Coral, FL	26.11	174	164	126	177	111	158	43
178	Port St. Lucie, FL	25.64	171	143	64	178	153	170	124
179	Fremont, CA	24.91	159	144	181	25	172	173	167
180	Bridgeport, CT	24.00	144	152	168	173	175	176	62
181	South Burlington, VT	23.99	129	154	161	26	182	182	171
182	Pearl City, HI	22.17	176	168	178	26	140	181	146

*No. 1 = Most Sinful
artwork 2020 most sinful cities

Ask the Experts

The sins people commit every day lead many to wonder what incites them, whether certain 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?
Recent data suggests that Americans are doubling down on their worst habits (e.g., unnecessary spending, excessive drinking and eating, binge-watching etc.) to cope with the stress of the current crisis. What are some strategies that might help people steer clear of temptations during the pandemic and maintain their health?

Ask the Experts

: Alicia Walker
Ph.D. – Assistant Professor of Sociology – Missouri State University
Read More

: Luke Tse
Ph.D. – Chair & Professor of Psychology – Cedarville University
Read More

: Steven C. Hayes
Foundation Professor, Behavior Analysis Program – University of Nevada
Read More

: Joel Block
Ph.D., ABPP – Diplomate, American Bd of Professional Psychology; Assistant Clinical Professor, Psychology/Psychiatry – Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell
Read More

: Howard J. Markman
Distinguished Professor of Psychology – University of Denver
Read More

: Tia Navelene Barnes
Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences – University of Delaware
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 37 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 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 (~3.58 Points)
Google Search Interest Index for “XXX Entertainment”: Full Weight (~3.58 Points)
Note: This metric measures search interest for online adult entertainment.
“Most Active Tinder Users” Ranking: Full Weight (~3.58 Points)
Teen Birth Rate: Full Weight (~3.58 Points)
Note: This metric measures the number of births per 1,000 female residents aged 15 to 19.

Vanity – Total Points: 14.3

Tanning Salons per Capita**: Full Weight (~7.15 Points)
Google Search Interest Index for “Top 3 Plastic Surgeries”: Full Weight (~7.15 Points)
Note: This metric measures search interest for the three most common plastic surgery procedures (breast augmentation, rhinoplasty 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.

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 (2020 estimates), The Southern Poverty Law Center, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Wm. Robert Johnston, Gun Violence Archive, Google Ads and Tinder.

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