The Best and Worst Qualities of All 50 States
By:
Every state has its pros and cons — some things that residents can be proud of and others that they'd rather not talk about. Thrillist took those opposing qualities and turned them into two maps, showing the best and worst parts of all 50 states.
The best part of each state in the U.S.
Thrillist - thrillist.com
For some states, the "best" quality might seem less laudable than others.
Thrillist - thrillist.com
Take Wyoming for example, which has the lowest rate of syphilis in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Thrillist - thrillist.com
Or Alabama, which ranks highest in the number of concealed carry permits.
Thrillist - thrillist.com
There are also a handful of state superlatives that might surprise you: cats apparently live longest in Montana; Texas leads in wind energy; and in Florida, more four-year-olds are enrolled in preschool than any other state in the country.
The worst part of each state in the U.S.
Thrillist - thrillist.com
While Wisconsin residents can take pride in the fact that their state holds the record for highest cheese production in the U.S., they'd likely prefer to distance themselves from the state's incarceration rate, which disproportionately affects Black people.
Thrillist - thrillist.com
And as much as South Carolina would probably like to think of itself as the most polite state — which it is, according to the data analytics and research company Marchex — residents also have to reconcile that with its reputation as the state with the most violent crime, per U.S. Census data.
Thrillist - thrillist.com
There are lighter "worst" qualities, however, such as Washington, where Justin Beiber fans are famously underrepresented.
Thrillist - thrillist.com
A state-by-state study of Facebook trends also found that Utah is the "nerdiest state" in the country.
All things considered, these maps should give us all a reason to smile (and then frown) about our individual state, and they should encourage us to improve where we fall short. Unless you live in Washington. You aight, Washington.
[h/t Thrillist]
