MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesotans are known, rightly or wrongly, for their cool reserve, emotional understatement and disinclination to stand out or make a fuss. So it should come as little surprise that we are not a sinful lot when compared to folks from other states.
New research by the personal finance website WalletHub finds that Minnesota is the 10th-least sinful state, based on results from categories on sinful behaviors ranging from jealousy, greed and lust to excesses and vices. Researchers used 47 metrics, each graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the highest level of sinfulness.
Here are a few of the categorical rankings that push Minnesota to near-bottom of the sin scale.
Sinfulness of Minnesota (1=Most Sinful; 25=Avg.):
- 48th – Anger & Hatred
- 33rd – Jealousy
- 48th – Excesses & Vices
- 30th – Greed
- 38th – Lust
- 17th – Vanity
- 49th – Laziness
Minnesota does show up in the Avarice category, ranking second in share of population with gambling disorders.
It should come as little surprise that Nevada ranks numero uno in sinfulness, being as the state is home to Las Vegas, a community that is commonly referred to as "Sin City." California is ranked second, followed by Texas, Georgia and Florida. Apparently warm temps are required to be truly sinful.
Least sinful, according to WalletHub, is the state of Wyoming, followed by Idaho, Vermont, Utah and New Hampshire.
The authors of the study note that the cost of state sins is something we all pay for, asserting that gambling alone costs the U.S. about $5 billion per year. That’s nothing compared to the amount of money we lose from smoking, though – over $300 billion per year.
WalletHub also maintains that while many people want to quit their vices, it’s a difficult road even under normal circumstances, so the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic make moving towards life on the straight-and-narrow even more difficult.
For more on the study and how researchers came up with their rankings, check out the WalletHub website.
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