The 5 most patriotic states in America — and the 5 least patriotic
WalletHub looked at more than a dozen metrics to pick the states with the most (and least) patriotic residents
National pride has been declining since 2002, with a record-low 58% of U.S. adults saying they're “extremely” (41%) or “very” (17%) proud to be an American in 2025, according to Gallup.
In an effort to see how these feelings shake out across the U.S., WalletHub set out to rank the most- and least-patriotic states.
To assemble its list, the credit-score website looked at 13 metrics across two main categories: military and civic engagement. WalletHub considered factors such as voter turnout, military service, volunteer hours per resident, and civics education programs.
“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," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "Patriotism also isn’t concentrated in any one particular area – the top states are located in vastly different geographic regions.”
Continue reading to see which states made the list.
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5th most: Oregon
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Oregon came in fifth place thanks to high voter turnout, strong volunteering stats, and a civically engaged population.
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4th most: Colorado
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Colorado ranked fourth with a large share of the population serving in the military, high voter turnout, and engaged residents who like to volunteer.
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3rd most: Vermont
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Vermont ranked third thanks to its volunteering stats and eighth-highest share of military reserves.
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2nd most: Montana
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Montana took the second spot in part due to its high voter turnout. WalletHub said that "69.2% of the state’s voting population turned out for the 2024 presidential election, and nearly 46% voted in the 2020 primary election. It was also aided by a high volunteer rate.
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Most: Virginia
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"For every 100,000 civilians in Virginia, there are over 1,850 active-duty military personnel, the third-most in the country," WalletHub said. "And for every 1,000 civilians, there are over 103 veterans, the second-most in the country."
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5th least: Florida
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Florida ranked fifth in part because its population isn't very civically engaged, with lower volunteer and voter turnout rates than many states.
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4th least: Alabama
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Despite high rates of military service, Alabama lagged in its civic engagement, landing it in the fourth-to-last spot.
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3rd least: Louisiana
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Louisiana took third-to-last with low marks across the board, ranking 48th in voter turnout and 47th for volunteer hours per resident.
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2nd least: New York
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Like Louisiana, New York ranked second-to-last thanks to low scores in all categories, with poor voter turnout and low military participation.
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Least: Arkansas
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Arkansas came in dead last, suffering from the lowest voter turnout and low rates of civic engagement.