Oregon Ranked Among Least Patriotic States in U.S.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017
GoLocalPDX Lifestyle Team

Oregon ranks as one of the least patriotic states in the country. 

According to a recent study completed by WalletHub, Oregon is ranked 39th out of 50 states when it comes to patriotism. 

“Expressions of American patriotism come in many forms — from setting off fireworks during Fourth of July and buying American-made goods to paying taxes and serving in the armed forces. But some states are better than others at showing their national pride,” said WalletHub. 

RI’s Rankings: 

• 32nd best - Military engagement 
• 41st Best - Civic engagement 

The Rankings 

Oregon is ranked behind West Virginia and Tennessee, who rank 37th and 38th respectively.  

Oregon is ranked ahead of Indiana and Delaware, who rank 40th and 41st respectively. 

Virginia is ranked as the most patriotic state in the country, while New Jersey is ranked as the least. 

See the full rankings in the map below: 

The Method 

To determine the most patriotic states, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states across two key dimensions, including “Military Engagement” and “Civic Engagement.”

They evaluated those dimensions using 13 relevant metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of patriotism.

Finally, WalletHub determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its total score, which we then used to rank-order all the cities in our sample.

Military Engagement – Total Points: 50

• Average Number of Military Enlistees per 1,000 Civilian Adults Population Between 2010 & 2015 (No Prior Service): Triple Weight (~25.00 Points)
• Veterans per 1,000 Civilian Adult Population: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
• Active-Duty Military Personnel per 100,000 Civilian Adult Population: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
• Share of Civilian Adult Population in Military Reserves: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)

Civic Engagement – Total Points: 50

• Share of Adults Who Voted in 2016 Presidential Election: Double Weight (~10.26 Points)
• Share of Adults Who Voted in 2016 Primary Elections: Full Weight (~5.13 Points)
• Volunteer Rate: Full Weight (~5.13 Points)
• Volunteer Hours per Resident: Full Weight (~5.13 Points)
• AmeriCorps Volunteers per Capita: Full Weight (~5.13 Points)
• Peace Corps Volunteers per Capita: Half Weight (~2.56 Points)
• Trial- & Grand-Jury Participation per Civilian Adult Population: Full Weight (~5.13 Points)
• Frequency of Google Searches for American Flags: Quarter Weight (~1.28 Points)
• Civics Education Requirement: Full Weight (~5.13 Points)