Study ranks Virginia as 10th most patriotic state, with high marks for military engagement

VIRGINIA, Va. (WRIC) — The state of Virginia is home to numerous military bases and is the site of some of the most pivotal moments in American history. So it’s no surprise that the same state where America first won its independence receives high patriotic ratings.

According to a study done by WalletHub, Virginia is the 10th most patriotic state in the nation.

The study looks at both military engagement and civic engagement to determine an overall score with a variety of factors considered when doing the rankings. (See more about the methodology at the end of this article.)

Virginia falls behind states like Montana, Alaska, Maryland, Vermont and New Hampshire in the ranking. Many of the top-ranked states were heavy hitters in the civic engagement category. New York falls at the very bottom with low marks in both categories. The thing dragging down Florida’s rank is low civic engagement.

And New Jersey ranks 44th despite the study finding that the state had the highest percentage of adults who voted in the 2020 presidential election.

When looking at just military engagement, Virginia ranks 3rd in the nation. When looking at just civic engagement, Virginia ranks 22nd.

Virginia comes in the top five for two different categories – the Commonwealth ranks 2nd for most veterans per capita and 4th for most Peace Corps volunteers per capita.

THE LIST

Overall Rank	State	Total Score	Military Engagement	Civic Engagement
1	Montana	61.91	22	1
2	Alaska	56.64	1	19
3	Maryland	56.12	24	5
4	Vermont	55.29	42	2
5	New Hampshire	53.55	32	4
6	North Dakota	53.28	20	8
7	Wyoming	53.01	8	11
8	Minnesota	51.42	47	3
9	Oregon	50.07	34	6
10	Virginia	49.61	3	22
11	Utah	47.81	38	9
12	Idaho	46.79	16	12
13	Wisconsin	46.57	43	7
14	Washington	46.25	9	16
15	Arizona	44.22	17	18
16	Iowa	44.09	41	10
17	Kentucky	43.47	21	17
18	Missouri	43.33	26	15
19	South Carolina	42.76	4	34
20	Colorado	41.53	11	25
21	Delaware	41.49	25	20
22	Maine	41.19	35	13
23	Hawaii	40.79	2	47
24	Ohio	40.72	33	14
25	North Carolina	40.56	6	33
26	Nevada	40.11	18	28
27	Nebraska	38.83	27	24
28	New Mexico	36.95	13	31
29	Georgia	36.05	5	46
30	Tennessee	35.75	30	30
31	Kansas	35.50	14	40
32	Oklahoma	35.42	7	42
33	Indiana	35.22	37	26
34	Alabama	34.96	12	41
35	Pennsylvania	34.67	44	21
36	South Dakota	34.03	23	35
37	Louisiana	33.43	28	32
38	Rhode Island	33.19	40	27
39	Massachusetts	31.49	50	23
40	Mississippi	30.67	15	48
41	Texas	29.96	9	49
42	West Virginia	29.82	36	38
43	Arkansas	29.76	29	43
44	New Jersey	29.63	48	29
45	Illinois	28.53	39	36
46	California	27.75	31	44
47	Michigan	26.81	45	39
48	Connecticut	26.68	46	37
49	Florida	23.17	19	50
50	New York	21.64	49	45

METHODOLOGY

According to WalletHub, they evaluated military engagement and civic engagement using 13 factors that are listed below along with their corresponding weights. Each factor was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of patriotism.

Military Engagement – Total Points: 25

• Average Military Enlistees per 1,000 Civilian Adults Between 2013 & 2018 (No Prior Service): Triple Weight (~10.71 Points)
• Veterans per 1,000 Civilian Adults: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Active-Duty Military Personnel per 100,000 Civilian Adults: Double Weight (~7.14 Points)
• Share of Civilian Adult Population in Military Reserves: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)

Civic Engagement – Total Points: 75

• Share of Adults Who Voted in 2020 Presidential Election: Double Weight (~16.67 Points)
• Share of Adults Who Voted in 2020 Primary Elections: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
• Volunteer Rate: Half Weight (~4.17 Points)
• Volunteer Hours per Resident: Half Weight (~4.17 Points)
• AmeriCorps Volunteers per Capita: Half Weight (~4.17 Points)
• Peace Corps Volunteers per Capita: Half Weight (~4.17 Points)
• Trial- & Grand-Jury Participation per Civilian Adult Population: Double Weight (~16.67 Points)
• Share of Residents Who Participate in Groups or Organizations (Civic Life): Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
• Civics Education Requirement: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)

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