Saintly Utah Vs Sinful Nevada
The rankings are in and, well, Utah, we didn't do so well. Maybe it's a good thing. Wallet Hub has released the rankings of the Most Sinful States in America for 2024 and Utah was not near the top. We came in at 44th in the sin ranking.
However, for all you sin seekers out there, it's not too much of a drive from southern Utah to get to the state ranked as the most Sinful State in America. It's our neighbor Nevada.
I'm sure you may be thinking it's all about Las Vegas, after all it's called Sin City. And certainly some of the activities most associated with Las Vegas were a contribution to the ranking.
For example, Nevada ranks as the number one state for greed and some of that may be attributed to people flocking to the casinos in search of the elusive big jackpot (which you'll probably never see). Nevada also has one of the largest gambling arrests per capita in the U.S.
But in a bit of a surprise, Nevada is not the state with the highest share of population with a gambling disorder. That honor goes to Mississippi. And Nevada isn't even in the top 5 of states that spend time on Adult Entertainment sights. Again, it is Mississippi that tops the list in this category.
Perhaps you are thinking it's all that drinking that goes on in Nevada that puts them at the top of the list. Well, not so much. It seems that the state with the most excessive drinking is the Big Sky State of Montana. And with the winters up there it's understandable. By the way, Utah was at number 50 in this category.
Nevada was also not top of the list in violent crimes per capita. New Mexico (!), Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee all tied to top that category.
But, still overall, if you're looking to sin, a quick trip to Nevada should be able to fulfill your lusts, even though Texas top the list in the “lust” category.
As for Utah? Not much here. As I mentioned, we're dead last in the excessive drinking category, we place 49th in the “excesses and vices” category and 49th in the in the “greed” category. We were also 49th in the percent of adults not exercising category.
So, if it's sin you want, Utah is probably not the place, and you'll need to take that 2 to 3 hour road trip to Nevada. Still, don't get to cocky, Utah. Six more states in America are less sinful than you. We see how much Diet Coke you're drinking.
Ranking the States That Eat the Healthiest Food
Gallery Credit: Billy Jenkins