Most Sinful Cities in America

Adam McCann, Financial WriterDec 11, 2021

Adam McCann, Financial Writer
Dec 11, 2021

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 2020, identity fraud and identity fraud scams took a toll of $56 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

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Most Sinful Cities in America

Overall Rank*	City	WalletHub Vice Index	Anger & Hatred	Jealousy	Excesses & Vices	Greed	Lust	Vanity	Laziness
1	Las Vegas, NV	60.98	28	24	66	2	3	4	6
2	St. Louis, MO	53.40	1	8	1	101	38	48	11
3	Houston, TX	53.26	30	10	143	70	1	5	101
4	Los Angeles, CA	51.13	24	86	170	99	2	1	74
5	Denver, CO	51.01	18	28	33	66	9	14	72
6	Philadelphia, PA	49.60	13	39	47	67	7	18	81
7	Atlanta, GA	49.22	35	4	85	179	5	9	63
8	Miami, FL	48.98	96	9	131	87	11	8	17
9	Chicago, IL	48.79	48	12	124	114	13	6	91
10	Memphis, TN	48.36	10	2	39	135	31	122	24
11	Cleveland, OH	48.09	6	32	9	155	20	30	21
12	Dallas, TX	47.89	38	31	120	123	4	7	110
13	North Las Vegas, NV	47.70	129	33	63	2	91	26	3
14	Little Rock, AR	47.41	17	1	24	159	40	93	38
15	Baltimore, MD	47.10	12	18	15	103	16	67	46
16	Baton Rouge, LA	47.03	8	20	8	148	107	39	1
17	New York, NY	47.02	31	134	174	137	8	3	26
18	New Orleans, LA	46.72	15	22	12	97	33	82	10
19	Orlando, FL	46.55	16	25	83	168	15	12	57
20	Birmingham, AL	45.90	7	11	11	124	96	89	20
21	Detroit, MI	45.29	2	87	7	151	21	144	9
22	Wichita, KS	45.20	59	3	54	105	58	35	131
23	Washington, DC	44.97	3	46	82	5	32	64	155
24	Kansas City, MO	44.49	5	16	59	117	50	77	67
25	Phoenix, AZ	44.19	58	68	92	147	6	15	88
26	Seattle, WA	44.13	29	7	166	52	27	20	179
27	Reno, NV	44.11	122	73	61	1	34	55	55
28	Billings, MT	44.10	27	64	35	7	44	85	143
29	Mobile, AL	43.63	56	38	19	138	39	61	13
30	Knoxville, TN	43.52	21	89	2	141	130	16	93
31	Wilmington, DE	43.41	11	26	32	59	175	70	52
32	Portland, OR	43.23	78	41	86	46	12	34	174
33	Cincinnati, OH	42.95	39	102	4	111	82	21	69
34	Charleston, WV	42.84	4	67	38	61	81	103	39
35	San Diego, CA	42.80	145	149	159	83	19	2	116
36	Shreveport, LA	42.42	32	15	23	164	90	105	2
37	Pittsburgh, PA	42.13	37	109	18	95	99	11	168
38	Nashville, TN	42.06	57	59	16	128	35	36	97
39	Tampa, FL	41.93	89	126	44	146	10	19	53
40	Austin, TX	41.86	85	63	136	80	17	13	146
41	Minneapolis, MN	41.64	72	55	152	25	25	24	162
42	Fort Lauderdale, FL	41.55	63	6	144	107	93	62	37
43	Jacksonville, FL	41.49	83	49	17	169	26	28	29
44	Rapid City, SD	41.47	25	130	68	33	18	152	27
45	Springfield, MO	41.46	33	43	21	162	75	51	25
46	San Antonio, TX	41.43	107	91	95	93	14	25	45
47	Fort Smith, AR	41.26	43	52	71	81	36	124	15
48	Sacramento, CA	41.22	71	107	97	37	79	27	48
49	Indianapolis, IN	41.19	36	74	14	175	24	37	51
50	Tucson, AZ	41.07	54	65	31	132	43	46	62
51	San Bernardino, CA	41.00	14	111	79	41	72	128	19
52	San Francisco, CA	40.96	66	44	138	112	23	22	128
53	Huntington, WV	40.93	44	138	3	60	95	107	18
54	Charlotte, NC	40.82	91	51	117	51	29	23	126
55	Richmond, VA	40.63	41	99	30	104	62	50	60
56	Louisville, KY	40.57	62	78	5	174	47	33	61
57	Columbia, SC	40.46	40	14	27	116	145	92	49
58	Montgomery, AL	40.36	61	19	41	173	46	125	4
59	Henderson, NV	40.34	166	40	133	2	129	114	16
60	Albuquerque, NM	40.32	26	36	43	160	67	68	50
61	Jackson, MS	40.24	50	42	42	20	134	163	12
62	Chattanooga, TN	40.10	9	29	13	178	136	101	84
63	Tacoma, WA	40.06	64	5	114	78	140	80	144
64	Oklahoma City, OK	39.40	47	69	78	156	30	42	98
65	Milwaukee, WI	39.38	19	115	28	150	42	79	82
66	Gulfport, MS	39.32	121	84	52	17	60	150	23
67	Charleston, SC	39.14	34	104	62	35	103	38	165
68	Dover, DE	39.12	60	47	40	110	173	104	41
69	Colorado Springs, CO	38.75	55	56	72	119	73	57	117
70	Columbus, OH	38.52	51	94	55	152	48	45	113
71	Huntsville, AL	38.20	52	35	70	121	120	116	33
72	Spokane, WA	38.08	86	13	73	109	70	100	150
73	Providence, RI	37.72	160	45	118	8	74	161	8
74	Akron, OH	37.60	80	95	22	157	52	69	78
75	Fayetteville, NC	37.54	49	62	45	126	61	117	127
76	Juneau, AK	37.35	23	88	60	18	156	143	106
77	Rochester, NY	37.35	46	77	34	167	135	41	99
78	Salt Lake City, UT	37.32	84	17	160	166	28	32	173
79	Tulsa, OK	37.20	75	37	64	161	64	65	135
80	Missoula, MT	37.03	88	83	65	6	121	151	176
81	Tempe, AZ	36.93	134	50	113	76	115	44	64
82	Fort Worth, TX	36.92	133	53	106	140	54	29	124
83	Buffalo, NY	36.83	73	110	57	134	116	78	22
84	Toledo, OH	36.78	79	147	6	154	63	110	43
85	Scottsdale, AZ	36.61	162	120	163	74	102	10	160
86	Salem, OR	36.58	119	125	56	24	132	76	94
87	Lubbock, TX	36.56	42	105	20	143	59	113	167
88	Bakersfield, CA	36.48	114	92	58	139	49	43	136
89	Anchorage, AK	36.32	22	112	135	91	85	108	132
90	Boston, MA	36.08	53	100	123	54	119	74	140
91	Aurora, CO	35.98	116	57	88	13	142	132	79
92	Sioux Falls, SD	35.91	74	171	110	23	141	115	47
93	Newark, NJ	35.81	111	132	129	10	124	168	5
94	Riverside, CA	35.65	132	114	96	41	125	52	66
95	Greensboro, NC	35.58	70	70	50	144	114	88	120
96	Fresno, CA	35.54	103	108	100	106	69	66	95
97	Vancouver, WA	35.38	94	76	125	92	108	49	171
98	Tallahassee, FL	35.38	87	34	26	163	161	91	107
99	Lewiston, ME	35.30	81	162	29	36	170	169	28
100	Amarillo, TX	35.26	82	117	37	115	57	84	153
101	Oakland, CA	35.01	20	23	173	102	174	142	123
102	Long Beach, CA	34.98	113	66	162	120	105	56	87
103	Omaha, NE	34.73	109	136	48	127	65	53	170
104	Norfolk, VA	34.67	76	98	46	62	83	149	158
105	Warwick, RI	34.56	182	90	87	8	181	96	73
106	St. Paul, MN	34.45	149	96	142	34	110	81	137
107	Glendale, AZ	34.42	123	80	74	136	106	102	70
108	Stockton, CA	34.37	65	118	112	94	111	134	77
109	Hialeah, FL	34.14	179	27	139	131	133	145	7
110	Huntington Beach, CA	34.13	135	103	179	27	169	17	166
111	Raleigh, NC	34.11	112	122	150	48	94	40	157
112	Corpus Christi, TX	34.08	101	137	51	113	41	157	111
113	Cheyenne, WY	34.00	67	113	69	153	56	120	164
114	Columbus, GA	33.98	99	21	75	181	51	135	121
115	Fort Wayne, IN	33.94	127	161	25	158	77	59	59
116	El Paso, TX	33.80	125	181	105	79	22	106	90
117	Irving, TX	33.76	152	58	127	55	86	148	75
118	Honolulu, HI	33.72	141	127	158	69	45	118	108
119	Arlington, TX	33.65	131	61	130	55	122	123	109
120	St. Petersburg, FL	33.58	95	72	67	176	123	98	56
121	Mesa, AZ	33.54	153	119	76	76	109	72	85
122	Des Moines, IA	33.43	90	131	36	98	101	112	163
123	Manchester, NH	33.43	77	158	99	73	171	119	92
124	Garland, TX	33.41	106	60	122	133	71	166	80
125	Newport News, VA	33.37	69	129	94	62	97	146	148
126	Ontario, CA	33.21	136	153	80	41	117	156	32
127	Portland, ME	33.13	108	128	103	16	151	137	133
128	Grand Prairie, TX	33.06	159	81	111	55	66	165	76
129	New Haven, CT	32.72	93	93	115	71	153	175	30
130	Worcester, MA	32.47	126	135	98	15	158	133	114
131	Modesto, CA	32.46	100	168	108	40	84	121	141
132	Lexington-Fayette, KY	32.37	105	146	10	172	87	111	154
133	Augusta, GA	32.31	118	106	49	180	68	130	36
134	Overland Park, KS	32.28	97	71	169	19	168	86	181
135	Grand Rapids, MI	32.13	45	174	53	182	89	58	96
136	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	32.08	151	163	147	41	100	109	68
137	Nampa, ID	32.07	92	176	134	50	113	127	71
138	Oceanside, CA	32.01	130	144	149	96	126	95	103
139	Anaheim, CA	31.90	155	75	156	27	104	131	125
140	Gilbert, AZ	31.74	154	156	109	149	80	54	130
141	Chandler, AZ	31.60	168	123	128	88	138	71	134
142	Jersey City, NJ	31.46	102	139	178	10	149	162	40
143	Santa Ana, CA	31.46	144	97	145	27	159	141	86
144	Fontana, CA	31.38	148	173	77	41	144	153	34
145	Pembroke Pines, FL	31.31	181	30	157	107	146	158	31
146	Bismarck, ND	31.21	128	167	154	118	76	83	118
147	Fargo, ND	31.18	146	155	107	49	167	129	138
148	Las Cruces, NM	31.12	117	121	84	125	55	176	122
149	Durham, NC	30.83	104	85	141	53	166	147	149
150	Santa Clarita, CA	30.82	177	148	164	27	139	63	119
151	Aurora, IL	30.81	167	54	121	89	157	178	89
152	Casper, WY	30.79	68	178	116	72	88	154	151
153	Virginia Beach, VA	30.76	170	152	126	62	112	47	175
154	San Jose, CA	30.54	138	143	176	165	78	31	139
155	Boise, ID	30.51	98	175	137	129	98	75	147
156	Winston-Salem, NC	30.37	110	160	89	82	137	159	112
157	Lincoln, NE	30.35	115	170	81	75	143	94	178
158	Nashua, NH	30.34	139	179	119	47	179	140	105
159	Peoria, AZ	30.09	161	140	91	130	91	155	129
160	Glendale, CA	30.09	169	116	167	90	128	126	100
161	Chula Vista, CA	30.08	147	166	151	86	127	139	83
162	Chesapeake, VA	30.01	142	141	104	62	147	136	142
163	Santa Rosa, CA	29.93	137	177	146	14	176	87	115
164	Garden Grove, CA	29.66	163	82	161	27	165	173	104
165	Burlington, VT	29.61	124	169	155	21	162	179	54
166	Brownsville, TX	29.43	171	180	168	39	53	177	14
167	Moreno Valley, CA	29.43	158	142	102	122	131	180	65
168	Oxnard, CA	29.08	157	165	140	84	150	138	102
169	Cedar Rapids, IA	28.66	143	164	90	100	152	73	182
170	Plano, TX	28.52	174	101	175	55	160	97	172
171	Madison, WI	28.52	140	154	132	142	155	99	159
172	Laredo, TX	28.22	173	182	148	85	37	172	42
173	Irvine, CA	27.96	176	124	182	27	148	90	169
174	Yonkers, NY	27.95	164	159	177	145	178	60	44
175	West Valley City, UT	27.90	120	79	153	171	154	164	161
176	South Burlington, VT	27.61	156	151	172	21	164	182	180
177	Bridgeport, CT	27.15	150	157	165	68	180	174	35
178	Pearl City, HI	26.93	178	145	171	12	172	181	145
179	Cape Coral, FL	26.85	175	172	101	170	118	160	58
180	Columbia, MD	25.44	180	48	180	38	182	167	177
181	Fremont, CA	25.15	165	133	181	26	177	171	156
182	Port St. Lucie, FL	24.71	172	150	93	177	163	170	152

Note: *No. 1 = Most Sinful
With the exception of “WalletHub Vice Index,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that city, where a rank of 1 represents the worst conditions for that metric category.

artwork 2021 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?
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

Randall M. Kessler
Esq. – BIO/Legal Experience; Author: Divorce, Protect Yourself; Trial Professor, Emory Law School – Emory University
Read More

Murray Fortner
Ph.D. – Professor and Chair of Sociology, Psychology, Mental Health – Tarrant County College Northeast Campus
Read More

Amanda Miller
Ph.D. – Professor and Chair Department of Sociology, Director of Faculty Development; Special Issue Editor: Social Sciences- Cohabitation: Race, Class, Gender, and Nonmarital Unions – University of Indianapolis
Read More

The Rev. Donald Paul Sullins
MDiv., Ph.D. – Research Associate Professor of Sociology – The Catholic University of America and Senior Research Associate, The Ruth Institute; Director, Leo Institute for Catholic Social Research
Read More

Vicky L. Elias
Associate Professor of Sociology – Texas A&M University – San Antonio
Read More

Jonathan White
Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Bentley Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Center – Bentley University. Co-Author of The Engaged Sociologist, Sociologists in Action, and Sociologists in Action on Inequalities
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:
1 – There was a terrorist attack or related incident in the city.
0 – There wasn’t a terrorist attack or related incident in the city.

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.
Google Search Traffic for the Term “Tinder” : Full Weight (~3.58 Points)
Note: This metric was used as a proxy for the cities that search Tinder the most.
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 5 Plastic Surgeries”: Full Weight (~7.15 Points)
Note: This metric measures search interest for the five most common plastic surgery procedures (rhinoplasty, blephaoplasty, facelift, liposuction and breast augmentation) 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 (2021 estimates), The Southern Poverty Law Center, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Wm. Robert Johnston, Gun Violence Archive, Google Ads and Tinder.

Supporting Video Files:

Questions & Answers(3 questions)

Drinking coffee is as sinful as dui? Really? Maybe personal choice that hurts no one is not the same as putting others in danger.

Upvotes

How would Springfield, IL rank as well as Naples, FL?

Upvotes

Is this based on corporate limits or metropolitan statistical areas?

Upvotes

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