New Jersey Is The Least Patriotic State

I don't think anyone would necessarily describe themselves as "un-patriotic". We may have issues with our country, with those in charge (on both sides, don't start a fight), with the rules we have...but I think wanting our country to grow and improve is the most patriotic thing there is. We are a nation built on protest and revolution and change, so what is more American that fighting for what you believe in?

Let me step off my soapbox and hit you with the facts. Based on a study by WalletHub, New Jersey is the least patriotic state in the USA.

WalletHub used metrics that included Military and Civilian Engagement. They looked at the number of active-duty personnel, those in the military reserves, and veterans. They also considered the percentage of residents who voted (in the 2016 Primary and the 2016 Presidential Elections), how many people volunteer, how many people participate in civic groups, and the local civic education.

After all that, they found the New Jersey ranked last in the country for patriotism. NJ was 48th in the Military Rank (only New York and Massachusetts were worse), and 43rd in Civics.

In case you're wondering, NJ ranked 50th, with New York coming in at 49 and California at 48. But, before you scream about "coastal liberal elites" or whatever, I was shocked to see Texas ranked 47th, and West Virginia rounded out the bottom five at 46th.

They broke down a few categories, and it's odd that NJ only showed up in the bottom five of one of them (I guess that just means our average was bad enough to drag us down without on specific). NJ ranked 49th in number of Veterans per capita. It's kind of an odd thing to hold against us, because we know NJ is notorious for people leaving the state in general; you would assume veterans are a bit older, and a bit fed up with NJ's tax situation, so it would be understandable if they were choosing to live elsewhere.

The most patriotic state? New Hampshire, followed by Wyoming, Idaho, Alaska, and Maryland.