With the Fourth of July and the 241st birthday of the United States rapidly approaching, it's the time of year a lot of us pause to reflect upon the blessings and freedoms we enjoy in this great nation of ours.

That feeling of pride in America is what patriotism is all about, and in South Dakota, our love of the red, white, and blue is among the best in the country.

The Mount Rushmore State is 12th in a new WalletHub ranking of the most patriotic states in America. WalletHub assembled a group of eight different university professors from around the U.S. to come up with the most accurate formula to gauge patriotism among the states.

South Dakota scored high in a number of the categories:

  • 1st – Civics Education Requirement
  • 2nd – Volunteer Rate
  • 3rd – Volunteer Hours per Resident
  • 9th – Veterans per 1,000 Civilian Adult Population
  • 18th – Active-Duty Military Personnel per 1,000 Civilian Adult Population
  • 21st – Peace Corps Volunteers per Capita
Source: WalletHub

Top Ten Most Patriotic States:

  1. Virginia
  2. Alaska
  3. Wyoming
  4. South Carolina
  5. Colorado
  6. Washington
  7. Hawaii
  8. Idaho
  9. Georgia
  10. North Carolina

The least patriotic states were New Jersey (50th), Illinois (49th), and Massachusetts (48th).

So let's celebrate with pride this Fourth of July, South Dakota.

We've earned it!


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