Independence Day is coming soon, and for those of us in North Carolina, being patriotic seems to be second nature.
But it turns out, maybe Tarheels aren’t as patriotic as we though.
Our friends at WalletHub say that North Carolina actually comes in at No. 22 when it comes to the most patriotic states. That’s a drop from being 17th in patriotism last year.
North Carolina still ranks highly in military engagement, coming in at sixth overall. But civic engagement dropped from 32 to 38 in the last year.
WalletHub measured 13 key patriotic indicators for the study, including military enlistees, veteran population, voting percentages, and even AmeriCorps volunteer numbers.
“Patriotism can be expressed in many ways and there should be no imposed standard. We are a nation of individuals,” Donald Critchlow, a professor at Arizona State University, said in the study. “Critical to any expression of patriotism needs to begin with the understanding that our experiment in democracy is unique in human history and fragile. Patriotic Americans understand the sacrifice of life and limb that has been given by our soldiers to protect our freedoms; our first responders, including police on the street, protect us and make it safe.”
Here’s the way that WalletHub measured everything to determine this list. Take a look below for the top 5 and bottom 5 states in the patriotic rankings for 2023.
Military Engagement – Total Points: 25
- Average Military Enlistees per 1,000 Civilian Adults Between 2014 & 2019 (No Prior Service): Triple Weight (~10.71 Points)
- Veterans per 1,000 Civilian Adults: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
- Active-Duty Military Personnel per 100,000 Civilian Adults: Double Weight (~7.14 Points)
- Share of Civilian Adult Population in Military Reserves: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
Civic Engagement – Total Points: 75
- Share of Adults Who Voted in 2020 Presidential Election: Double Weight (~16.67 Points)
- Share of Adults Who Voted in 2020 Primary Elections: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
- Volunteer Rate: Half Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Volunteer Hours per Resident: Half Weight (~4.17 Points)
- AmeriCorps Volunteers per Capita: Half Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Peace Corps Volunteers per Capita: Half Weight (~4.17 Points)
- Trial- & Grand-Jury Participation per Civilian Adult Population: Double Weight (~16.67 Points)
- Share of Residents Who Participate in Groups or Organizations (Civic Life): Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
- U.S. History/Civics Education Requirement: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
1. Virginia
The Virginia Cavaliers marching band performs as an American flag is displayed to commemorate 9/11. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
Total Score: 61.01
Military Engagement: 3
Civic Engagement: 8
