Recent Poll Says New York State Second-To-Last for Patriotism

Well, this isn't the ranking many New Yorkers will be proud of as we approach the 4th of July. But the data is the data, and according to a recent poll, when it comes to evaluating the most patriotic states in the USA, New York ranks near the bottom.

How Do You Define Patriotism?

Most people have their varied interpretations of patriotism.

For some, it may involve displaying an American Flag, serving in the US Military, standing for the anthem, exercising one's right to vote, volunteering, paying taxes, etc.

WalletHub, however, has its own set of criteria for judging patriotism.
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A recent WalletHub poll ranked all 50 states based on 13 indicators, including the number of military enlistees and veterans, the share of adults who voted in the 2024 presidential election, and AmeriCorps volunteers per capita.

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Where Does New York State Rank?

While I wouldn't expect New York to be in the top 5 or top 10, it's sad that we ranked 49th out of, you guessed it, 50 states. Only Arkansas had a worse rating.

But what makes a town, village, community, or an entire state patriotic?

Chip Lupo, a WalletHub analyst “The most patriotic states have a lot of residents who serve or have served in the armed forces, high voter turnouts during elections, and a high share of the population volunteering with national or local organizations. Patriotism also isn’t concentrated in any one particular area – the top states are located in vastly different geographic regions.”

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Why Did New York Rank So Poorly?

WalletHub says that Democratic states score higher than Republican states on average, but that didn't help New York State. According to metrics, the Empire State ranked second to last overall in military engagement and 45th in civic engagement, placing it 49th out of 50 states.

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Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, New York, and Arkansas were the five states with the lowest patriot score. Meanwhile, Oregon, Colorado, Vermont, Montana, and Virginia ranked from 5 to 1 when