Patriotism, by this measure, is not geographically concentrated
On the nation's birthday, a personal finance company offered America a mirror — not of flags and fireworks, but of ballots cast, uniforms worn, and hours volunteered. WalletHub's ranking of Virginia as the most patriotic state invites a deeper question that the data cannot fully answer: whether civic participation and patriotism are the same thing, or merely neighbors. The exercise, covering all fifty states across thirteen indicators, reveals that love of country — when measured — tends to look less like sentiment and more like showing up.
- Virginia sits atop the ranking with nearly 1,761 active-duty military per 100,000 civilians and a voter turnout nearly seven points above the national average — a combination that proved difficult for any other state to match.
- Montana, Vermont, Colorado, and Oregon trail closely behind, suggesting that the most measurably patriotic states span regions and political identities that rarely share the same headline.
- At the bottom, Arkansas, New York, and Louisiana raise uncomfortable questions about what low scores actually mean — disengagement, distrust, or simply different expressions of belonging.
- The survey's most provocative finding cuts against political expectation: blue states that voted for Harris in 2024 averaged higher patriotism scores than the thirty-one states that went for Trump, unsettling the cultural shorthand that equates patriotism with any single party.
- Analysts acknowledge the method's limits — military service and voter turnout are visible, countable acts, but they cannot measure the quieter, harder-to-quantify ways Americans feel and fulfill their obligations to one another.
A personal finance company set out to measure patriotism across America, and the portrait it produced defies easy political or geographic categorization. WalletHub's mid-June ranking placed Virginia first among all fifty states, combining data on military service, voter participation, and volunteer work into a single composite score.
Virginia's lead is grounded in striking numbers: nearly 1,761 active-duty military personnel per 100,000 civilians, roughly 103 veterans per 1,000 residents, and a 72.9 percent voter turnout in the 2024 presidential election — nearly seven points above the national average. The state also ranks fifth in Peace Corps volunteers per capita and mandates a standalone civics course for high school graduation.
Montana claimed second place on the strength of electoral engagement, including the highest primary turnout in the country four years prior. Vermont, Colorado, and Oregon rounded out the top five — a geographically and politically diverse group. WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo noted that top-ranked states consistently share high military or veteran populations, strong voter turnout, and robust volunteerism.
At the other end, Arkansas finished last, followed by New York and Louisiana. The three largest states that voted for Harris — Illinois, California, and New York — all ranked in the bottom half. Yet in aggregate, the nineteen Harris states averaged higher patriotism scores than the thirty-one Trump states, a finding that quietly challenges the cultural assumption that patriotism belongs to any one political identity.
The ranking ultimately illuminates both the power and the poverty of measurement. Voting, serving, and volunteering are real and meaningful acts — but they are proxies, not the thing itself. What the survey captures is where Americans are most visibly engaged with the formal structures of democratic and military life. What it cannot capture is everything else that makes a country feel like home.
A personal finance company has attempted to measure patriotism across America, and the results offer a portrait of civic engagement that defies easy geographic or political categorization. WalletHub released its ranking in mid-June, positioning Virginia at the top of the list by combining data on military service, voter participation, and volunteer work into a composite score across all fifty states.
Virginia's first-place finish rests on concrete numbers. The state hosts nearly 1,761 active-duty military personnel for every 100,000 civilians—the third-highest concentration in the nation. Its veteran population is even more striking: roughly 103 veterans per 1,000 residents, second only to one other state. On the civic side, 72.9 percent of Virginia residents voted in the 2024 presidential election, a margin of nearly seven percentage points above the national average of 66 percent. The state also ranks fifth nationally in Peace Corps volunteers per capita and requires a standalone civics course for high school graduation.
Montana claimed the second position, driven largely by strong electoral participation. Nearly 70 percent of the state's voting population turned out for the 2024 presidential election, and it achieved the highest primary turnout in the country four years earlier, with 46 percent participation. Montana also ranked second nationally in jury service participation, second in AmeriCorps volunteers, and reported that 37 percent of residents volunteer with some organization. Vermont, Colorado, and Oregon rounded out the top five.
WalletHub's methodology incorporated thirteen separate indicators of patriotic engagement. The company's analyst, Chip Lupo, noted that the most patriotic states share common traits: substantial populations with military service or veteran status, high voter turnout during elections, and robust volunteer participation in national or local organizations. He also observed that patriotism, by this measure, is not geographically concentrated—the top states span vastly different regions of the country.
At the opposite end of the ranking, Arkansas finished in 50th place, followed by New York, Louisiana, and Alabama. The three largest blue states that voted for Kamala Harris in 2024—Illinois, California, and New York—all ranked relatively low, placing 37th, 40th, and 49th respectively. Yet the survey's aggregate findings showed that the nineteen blue states that voted for Harris in 2024 averaged higher patriotism scores than the thirty-one states that went for President Donald Trump, a conclusion that invites scrutiny of what the survey actually measures and what patriotism itself means when reduced to metrics.
The exercise reveals both the appeal and the limits of quantifying civic virtue. Military service, voting, and volunteering are measurable proxies for engagement with national institutions and community life. But they cannot capture the full texture of how Americans understand their obligations to one another or their relationship to the country. Still, the rankings offer a useful snapshot of where Americans are most actively participating in the formal structures of democratic and military life—and where they are not.
Citas Notables
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.— Chip Lupo, WalletHub analyst
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
What does WalletHub actually mean by patriotism here? It seems like they're measuring participation, not belief.
Exactly. They're not asking people how patriotic they feel. They're counting active-duty soldiers, veterans, voters, and volunteers. It's institutional engagement, not sentiment.
So Virginia comes out on top because it has military bases and people show up to vote. That's different from saying Virginians are more patriotic than Arkansans.
Right. Virginia has structural advantages—it's home to major military installations, which skews the numbers. But the voting turnout is real and harder to dismiss. 72.9 percent is genuinely high.
The finding that blue states scored higher on average seems politically loaded. Did WalletHub set out to prove that?
The methodology was set before the results. But you're right to be skeptical. The survey measures specific behaviors that happen to correlate with higher-density, more educated, more urban populations—which tend to vote Democratic. It's not rigged, but it's not neutral either.
What about the states at the bottom? Why does New York rank so low when it's a major population center?
Turnout. New York's voter participation in 2024 was lower than the national average. In a state with 20 million people, that's a lot of non-voters. The survey doesn't ask why—just counts the behavior.
Does this ranking actually tell us anything useful?
It tells us where Americans are most engaged with voting, military service, and volunteering. That's worth knowing. But it doesn't tell us about sacrifice, community care, or what people actually believe. It's a useful data point, not a moral judgment.