The 4th of July is almost here. We’re celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the feelings of patriotism across the US. There have been several articles written about what states may or may not be the most patriotic on this 250th anniversary.
You might find it odd, but I think the research done by Wallet Hub is actually Illuminating.
According to wallethub.com,
‘In order to determine where Americans have the most red, white and blue pride on Independence Day and during the rest of the year, WalletHub compared the states across 13 key indicators of patriotism. Our data set ranges from the state’s military enlistees and veterans to the share of adults who voted in the 2024 presidential election to AmeriCorps volunteers per capita.’
One thing that comes from this research is that states with a large number of citizens in the armed forces seem to have a higher Patriotism Quotient. You also find a higher percentage of people turning out to vote during elections and a larger share of the population volunteering with national and local organizations.
Where does Washington rank?
It turns out that Washington state ranks #7 in the list of most patriotic states in the United States of America. This is probably due in part to the number of military bases in Washington.
Looking at the top three.
#3, Vermont.
The state of Vermont shows up with the second highest volunteer rate. They also have the 8th largest share of military reserves.
#2, Montana.
Montana gets its ranking partly because of their relatively large voter turnout. They rank second in the nation for service in jury duty. 37% of the Montana population volunteer regularly, and there are nearly 101 veterans for every 1000 citizens.
#1, Virginia.
In Virginia, for every 100,000 citizens nearly 1761 of them are active-duty Military. Add to that 102 persons out of every 1000 are retired military personnel. Voter turnout in Virginia was high, 72% and their population likes to volunteer.
The scores for this list were based on military engagement and civic engagement.
Military engagement accounted for 25% of the total score. Civic engagement counted for 75% of the total score.
Red, White & Booze: Patriotic Cocktails
Gallery Credit: Chaz