Think Florida is a ‘sinful’ place to live? You’re right, according to this new study
Surprise, surprise. Not.
Florida has been ranked high on the most sinful list.
Nevada — the home of actual Sin City, Las Vegas — was ranked first in WalletHub’s latest study.
But the Sunshine State, which was tops last year, slid in next, at the No. 2 spot.
Showbiz capital California came in at No. 3.
The personal finance website used seven key rankings to figure out just how sinful Americans are.
“To determine where the U.S. has the most moral growing to do,” WalletHub says it compared the 50 states based on seven so-called bad behaviors. They were anger and hatred, jealousy, excesses and vices, greed, lust, vanity, and laziness.
If those indicators sound like the seven deadly sins to you, you’d be correct. (Refresher for those who did not see the 1995 Brad Pitt horror movie: pride, greed, lust, wrath, gluttony, envy and sloth.)
“Some states are more well-behaved than others,” reads the study. “Our data set ranges from violent crimes per capita to excessive drinking to share of the population with gambling disorders.”
This report is actually pretty in depth.
Data used to create the rankings was collected from such organizations as the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
So what makes us No. 2 exactly?
“Florida has one of the largest shares of hostile internet comments (8.6 percent), and the highest number of mass shootings,” WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez told the Miami Herald. “Your state also recorded the second most identity thefts per capita, and the most fraud complaints in the country.”
That’s not all.
When it comes to lust, Florida has the fourth highest Google search interest for “XXX entertainment” and one of the largest numbers of people arrested for prostitution per capita.
Vanity is another category where our state ranked high: We have the second most beauty salons per capita, and recorded the highest search interest for plastic surgery procedures.
Don’t feel too bad, especially if you enjoy going out in selfie and bikini capital of South Beach. There are frizz issues there and residents constantly have to expose more of their bodies due to the elements.
Which state is the least sinful, you ask?
Drumroll ... Vermont.
So if you want to be a better person, or surrounded by better people, prepare to live half the year or more in cold, ice and snow (and no beauty salons for miles).
All joking aside, bad behavior is pricey.
“Every state is known for its own virtues and vices,” concludes the survey. “But harmful behavior on the individual level can result in staggering economic costs, considering that gambling addiction costs the U.S. $5 billion per year.”
Your move, Nevada.
This story was originally published February 20, 2019 at 1:18 PM.
