Virginia is the most patriotic state in the nation.
That’s according to personal-finance website WalletHub, which released its report on 2024’s Most Patriotic States in America in advance of the July 4 holiday.
“For every 100,000 civilians in Virginia, there are nearly 1,900 active-duty military personnel, the third-most in the country,” said WalletHub Analyst Cassandra Happe. For every 1,000 civilians, Virginia has around 107 veterans, the second-most in the country.”
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. The data ranged from the state’s military enlistees and veterans to the share of adults who voted in the 2020 presidential election to AmeriCorps volunteers per capita.
Virginia’s voter turnout rate was 71.5 percent in the 2020 presidential election, compared to the national average of 67 percent, Happe said.
Virginia is followed in the rankings by Alaska, Montana, Maine and Oregon.
“Patriotism also isn’t concentrated in any one particular area – the top states are located in vastly different geographic regions,” said Happe.
There are many different ways to express patriotism, from hanging up a flag or attending a parade to voting, joining the military or actively University Professor Emeritus Glenn Altschuler.working to improve conditions for your fellow Americans, said Cornell
“An individual can ‘live’ patriotism by treating others with respect; staying informed about public affairs; reading essays and listening to podcasts by people across the ideological spectrum; weighing his or her personal interests against the interests of all Americans; speaking up and speaking out; voting; and respecting the outcome of elections and our system of justice,” he said.
According to the survey, Florida, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York and Arkansas are the least patriotic states in the nation.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.