When it comes to states with the highest levels of debauchery, sloth, and avarice, Wyoming comes in dead last as the least sinful state in the nation, according to a new survey.
Meanwhile, Nevada, California, and Texas topped the list as most sinful.
The Feb. 15 WalletHub survey compared states across 47 key indicators of immoral or illicit behavior, including violent crimes per capita, excessive drinking, gambling, anger and hatred, jealousy, excesses and vices, greed, lust, and more.
A panel of six university professors in social services, science, religion, and ethics looked at various variables such as how much people exercised, obesity rates, legal gambling venues, the number of hate crimes, human trafficking cases, and thefts as well as the number of teen pregnancies and beauty salons (vanity) among a long list of criteria.
Metrics were graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of sinfulness based on population size. Wyoming came in the lowest with a total rating of 25.19 compared to Nevada’s 55.69.
Also scoring low on vices was Utah, Vermont, and Idaho in the bottom three slots, respectively, behind Wyoming.
The survey found that most states had their own unique virtues and vices, with Missouri having the worst drug use problem and Nevada, not surprisingly, topping the charts with its gambling woes, which costs the nation about $5 billion a year, per the survey.
The survey found that Wyomingites tend not to be greedy or jealousy with the state ranking 47th in both categories. The Cowboy State fell shortest in areas of lust, anger, and hatred, scoring in 35th and 37th place, respectively.