July 4th is one of the most patriotic annual holidays in the United States, where Americans celebrate the nation's independence with fireworks, parades, and festivities. This year is no different, as people across the country show their devotion and support for their country.
A recent study by WalletHub, a financial analysis firm based in Miami, Florida, has ranked all 50 states based on their levels of patriotism. The rankings were determined by evaluating military and civic engagement.
Military engagement included factors such as the number of veterans per 1,000 civilian adults and the presence of active-duty military personnel. Civic engagement looked at the volunteer rate, participation in trials and grand juries, U.S. history education requirements, and the number of adults who voted in the 2020 presidential election.
WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe emphasised the importance of these factors. "The most patriotic states have a lot of residents who serve or have served in the armed forces, high voter turnouts during elections, and a high share of the population volunteering with national and local organisations," she said. Happe also noted that patriotism is widespread across the country, with top states found in various geographic regions.
Top 10 Most Patriotic States
1. Virginia
Virginia was named the most patriotic state, largely due to its high number of active-duty military personnel and veterans. WalletHub's report highlighted that nearly 1,900 active-duty military personnel per 100,000 civilians reside in Virginia, the third-highest in the country. Furthermore, 71.5% of Virginia's residents voted in the 2020 presidential election, significantly higher than the national average of 67%. The state also has one of the highest numbers of Peace Corps volunteers per capita and requires U.S. history or civics courses for high school graduation.
2. Alaska
3. Montana
4. Maine
5. Oregon
6. Colorado
7. New Hampshire
8. Washington
9. Maryland
10. Hawaii
Bottom-Ranked States
States at the bottom of the list included Florida, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, and Arkansas, which came in last place.
WalletHub also found that the highest number of military enlistees came from Georgia, while North Dakota had the lowest. Alaska had the highest number of veterans per capita, whereas New Jersey had the fewest. Despite this, New Jersey had the highest share of adults who voted in the 2020 presidential election.
The study revealed a trend where blue states tended to be more patriotic, with an average rank of 23.44 compared to red states' average rank of 27.56. The data for the study was collected in May 2024 from sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
