It's the biggest holiday of the American summer, and flags are waving. As Americans light their grills and prepare to watch the Fourth's fireworks, WalletHub susses out which states are the most patriotic. To figure out where citizens are most likely to be decked out in their red, white, and blue, the site examined more than a dozen metrics in two main categories: military engagement, which includes the number of those enlisted and considered active duty, as well as veterans and civilians in the reserves; and civic engagement, which looks at such factors as the share of voters, volunteer rate, and participation rate in such things as jury duty and local organizations. Virginia emerged victorious as the most patriotic state, while Arkansas came in last. Another finding: States that lean blue barely eke out a win for patriotism over their red-state counterparts. The rankings:
Most Patriotic
- Virginia
- Montana
- Alaska (No. 1 in "Military Engagement" category)
- North Dakota
- Maine
- Vermont (No. 1 in "Civic Engagement" category)
- Oregon
- Colorado
- Wyoming
- New Hampshire
Least Patriotic - Connecticut
- Pennsylvania
- Alabama
- Wisconsin
- Indiana
- Florida
- New York
- Rhode Island
- Massachusetts (last in "Military Engagement" category)
- Arkansas (last in "Civic Engagement" category)
See how other states fared
here. (
These states are doing their best to keep the US economy humming.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
