This state was ranked the least patriotic in America

As July 4th approaches, WalletHub recently conducted a survey to see which state’s residents have exhibited the most pride in being American. While the global health crisis and protests over systemic racism toward the Black community have cast a shadow over whatever patriotism Americans may feel this year. the personal finance website attempted to measure that pride through other metrics: namely military and civic engagement. Nine professors were consulted for the study and asked what characteristics make a good patriot. To gauge military engagement, WalletHub looked at the average number of military enlistees, veterans, active military personnel and the civilian adult population that is in the military reserves. As far as civic engagement is concerned, the website looked at the percentage of adults who voted in the 2016 presidential and primary elections. They also looked at volunteer rates, volunteer hours per resident, AmeriCorp volunteers, Peace Corps volunteers, and the number of residents who are involved in a civic organization. Using these measurements, WalletHub determined the “most patriotic” states are, in order, New Hampshire, Wyoming, Idaho, Alaska and Maryland. The country’s three most populous states — California, Texas and New York — ranked in the bottom four. The “least patriotic” state, however, was New Jersey, which ranked second- to-last in military engagement and in the bottom 10 in civic engagement