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The 25 Most Patriotic States in the U.S

Which states are the most devoted to the red, white, and blue? The ranking below is based on voting, military service, and volunteering.
ByCaLea Johnson|
Virginia tops the list.
Virginia tops the list. | Flashpop/GettyImages

People express patriotism in different ways, whether through voting, volunteering, or other civic duties. To determine which U.S. states show the highest levels of national pride, the personal finance company WalletHub conducted a nationwide analysis.

  1. America’s Most Patriotic States

The researchers considered two main categories when evaluating each state: military service and civic engagement. WalletHub measured both dimensions using 13 weighted metrics, including the number of veterans per 1000 adults and residents who engaged in groups, organizations, or associations in the past year. After grading each factor on a 100-point scale, analysts calculated the average for each state and ranked the final scores. 

Virginia comes out on the top of the list below. The Southern state’s ranking is partially due to it having the second-highest number of veterans per capita. Virginians also demonstrate patriotism through high voter turnout; in 2024, 72.9 percent of residents cast their ballots in the presidential election, approximately 7 percent above the national average.

The second-most patriotic state, Montana, had an even higher voter turnout of 69.2 percent last year. It also boasts 102 military veterans for every 1000 civilians.

Vermont rounds out the top three most patriotic states in the nation. The state’s civic engagement level is the highest in the country, with the most Peace Corps volunteers per capita and the nation’s second-highest volunteer rate.

Here are the rest of the top 20 most patriotic states in America:

America’s Most Patriotic States

  1. Virginia
  2. Montana
  3. Vermont
  4. Colorado
  5. Oregon
  6. Washington
  7. North Dakota
  8. Maryland
  9. Minnesota
  10. New Hampshire
  11. Alaska
  12. Utah
  13. Kansas
  14. Wyoming
  15. Iowa
  16. Idaho
  17. Hawaii
  18. Nebraska
  19. Kentucky
  20. Delaware
  21. New Mexico
  22. Georgia
  23. Missouri
  24. North Carolina
  25. South Carolina

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