Is Florida the most patriotic state? Study puts it towards bottom of its ranking
Red, White and … bleh? When it comes to showing off one's patriotism, some are more flashy and proud than others.
Just weeks before the most patriotic day of the year on July 4, WalletHub released its annual ranking of the "Most Patriotic States in America."
Spoiler alert: Florida is nowhere close to first place; or anywhere in the middle, for that matter.
What makes a state more patriotic than another?
Experts compared the 50 states across two key categories, “Military Engagement” and “Civic Engagement.” The score for those categories were evaluated using 13 relevant metrics and were graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of patriotism.
Here are some of the metrics WalletHub included:
Average Military Enlistees
Veterans per 1,000 Civilian Adults
Share of Adults Who Voted in 2020 Presidential Election
AmeriCorps Volunteers per Capita
U.S. History/Civics Education Requirement
“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 or local organizations," Cassandra Happe, WalletHub analyst, said.
"Patriotism also isn’t concentrated in any one particular area – the top states are located in vastly different geographic regions.”
Where does Florida rank for most patriotic states?
So where is Florida's position in the most America-loving states? Residents will have to look towards the bottom of the ranking.
According to WalletHub, Florida is the 46th-most patriotic state, or better know as the the fifth-least patriotic state, in the entire country. The state saw an overall score of roughly 34, with its civic engagement at 49 and military engagement even lower, at 22.
Who beat Florida for the least patriotic state?
Arkansas was dubbed the least patriotic state of all 50, scoring 26 out of 100. It's military engagement score is 29, while its civic engagement score is 50.
Here are the top 10 least patriotic states, according to WalletHub's study:
Arkansas
New York
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
Florida
Indiana
Louisiana
Alabama
Connecticut
West Virginia
What is the most patriotic state in the country?
Source: WalletHub
Virginia was crowned the most patriotic state, with an overall score of 64.
For every 100,000 civilians in Virginia, there are nearly 1,900 active-duty military personnel, the third-most in the country. And for every 1,000 civilians, there are around 107 veterans, the second-most in the country.
It also saw high civic engagement scores.
"It has a high voter turnout rate, with 71.5% of residents having voted in the 2020 presidential election, compared to the national average of 67%. To top things off, Virginia has the seventh-highest number of peace corps volunteers per capita, and it is one of the many states that require courses in U.S. history or civics for high school graduation," WalletHub's study said.
Here are the top 10 most patriotic states, according to WalletHub's study:
Virginia
Alaska
Montana
Maine
Oregon
Colorado
New Hampshire
Washington
Maryland
Hawaii
What day is July 4th, 2024?
The July 4 holiday falls on a Thursday this year.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Florida deemed one of top five least patriotic states, study says