Most ‘Sinful’ States 2020: How Minnesota Compares To Wisconsin

MINNESOTA — Whether it’s booze, smoking or gambling, there is no shortage of possible vices in the United States. America is a land of diversity, though, and each of the 50 states has its own propensity for certain sins.

Minnesota was ranked as the 42nd most “sinful” state in the country, according to a new report from the personal-finance website WalletHub.

Minnesota:

• Anger & Hatred Rank: 48
• Jealousy Rank: 37
• Excesses & Vice Rank: 46
• Greed Rank: 34

Neighbor Wisconsin ranks several spots higher on the “sinful” scale.

Wisconsin:

• Overall ranking: 35th-most “sinful”
• Anger & Hatred Rank: 28
• Jealousy Rank: 44
• Excesses & Vice Rank: 34
• Greed Rank: 26

Nevada lived up to its reputation and ranked as the most sinful state in the nation for 2020, according to WalletHub, followed by Texas and Florida.

At the other end of the spectrum, Vermont finished as the least sinful state in the United States. The bottom five were rounded out by Wyoming, Idaho, Maine and New Hampshire.

Overall, harmful behavior on the individual level can result in staggering annual economic costs, according to WalletHub, considering that gambling addiction costs the United States about $5 billion annually, which is paltry compared to the $300 billion that smoking costs the country per year.

Methodology

WalletHub compared the 50 states across 47 key indicators of “immorality,” including violent crimes per capita, the amount of excessive drinking per capita and the population with a gambling addiction.

Each relevant metric was then listed with its corresponding weight, and the states were subsequently graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most sinful state possible.

Here are the top 10 most sinful states:

1. Nevada: 55.99
2. Texas: 55.53
3. Florida: 55.05
4. California: 55.02
5. Georgia: 53.76
6. Tennessee: 51.88
7. Louisiana: 50.42
8. Illinois: 49.00
9. South Carolina: 48.46
10. Mississippi: 46.46

The 10 least sinful states are:

41. North Dakota: 30.87
42. Minnesota: 30.72
43. Utah: 30.58
44. Iowa: 30.26
45. South Dakota: 30.03
46. New Hampshire: 29.41
47. Maine: 29.14
48. Idaho: 28.30
49. Wyoming: 27.74
50. Vermont: 25.67

The full report on the most sinful states in the nation is available on WalletHub.