10 Most Sinful States In The US 2023: New York Is Just 10th

Credit analyst app WalletHub has released its "2023's Most Sinful States in America" list, ranking all 50 states based on the population's illicit behaviors categorized by anger, jealousy, excess, greed, lust, vanity and laziness.

The company determined the least and most sinful states based on 47 key indicators across the seven broad categories, including violent crimes per capita, excessive drinking and the share of the population with gambling disorders.

Surprisingly, New York is only 10th among the most sinful states, with the top 1 being Nevada – America's gambling land.

Without further ado, here are WalletHub's 10 most sinful states:

1. Nevada

Nevada had the highest WalletHub vice index at 58.36. The state topped all 50 states in terms of greed, having the highest share of the population with gambling disorder, along with Mississippi, Minnesota, Kansas and New Jersey. The rank did not come as a surprise since gambling is legal in the state. Nevada also topped the laziness category, with the percent number of adults not exercising being the highest in the state. The state also ranked fourth in jealousy and lust.

2. California

Following Nevada is California, with a vice index of 57.87, topping all states in terms of lust and coming in second for vanity. The state had the highest total combined score of teen birth rate, time spent on adult entertainment sites and Google search interest index for "XXX Entertainment," according to WalletHub. California also came in second for the total score from the number of beauty salons per capita, searches for plastic surgeries and household consumer expenditures on personal care products.

3. Louisiana

Louisiana, meanwhile, came in third, with a vice index of 57.12, topping all states when it comes to jealousy and excesses and vices. The state had the highest number of thefts per capita, per WalletHub. For excesses and vices, the state's total cost from its share of obese adults, fast-food establishments, excessive drinking, smokers, marijuana users and drug overdose deaths, among others, ranked first out of all 50 states.

4. Florida

Florida had a vice index of 57.12, per WalletHub. The state ranked third in terms of vanity, sixth in jealousy and seventh in lust. Florida had the second-highest number of beauty salons per capita, according to the report. On the bright side, the state came in second to last in gambling disorder.

5. Pennsylvania

Coming in for Top 5 is Pennsylvania, with a WalletHub vice index of 52.16. The state ranked fourth for vanity and ninth for greed. The state had the third-highest number of beauty salons per capita.

6. Texas

Texas is 6th with an index of 52.01. The state came in second in terms of lust, sixth for vanity and 10th for jealousy.

7. Tennessee

Meanwhile, Tennessee had a vice index of 51.43, ranking second for hatred, fourth for vices, fifth for greed and eighth for lust. The state came in first for violent crimes per capita, along with Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana and New Mexico.

8. Illinois

Illinois is 8th with an index of 50.38, ranking seventh for both vanity and anger and hatred. The latter category tallied the states' number of violent crimes and sex offenders per capita, as well as the bullying rate, hate crimes, hate groups, dating violence, maltreatment, road rage and discrimination cases, among others.

9. South Carolina

South Carolina had a total vice index of 50.19, coming in third for anger and hatred and seventh for jealousy. The state had the fifth-highest number of thefts per capita, according to the report.

10. New York

The last entry on the Top 10 list is New York, which had a vice index of 48.51 and topped all states in terms of vanity. The state also had the highest number of beauty salons per capita, according to Wallethub.

Experts said that sinfulness could be rooted in a lot of factors, even on a macro-level.

"I think the sinfulness of a city is rooted in those macro-level factors, like employment, law, and culture," said Micah E. Johnson, assistant professor at the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy at the University of South Florida.

"Let's target the root causes of obesity. Again, macro-level factors are critical. Culture, stress, isolation, etc. I think access to healthcare, parity between physical and mental health, and mental and physical health integration will be a more effective, genuine, and humane approach than a soda tax," he added.