The BEST Thing About Your State?
Patience, dear friends! You will be given a chance to wax poetic about your own dear state in a moment.
First a public service announcement! Certain nefarious statistician types have assembled data on each State's most embarrassing statistic. Oh, nasty unscrupulous statisticians! Shame! Shame!
Brace yourself and read what they found. But don't fall into despair just yet, proud resident of (your state)!!!
Once you get over the shock of reading about your dear State's secret shame--And have done a bit of gleeful finger-pointing at the neighboring State (home of your favorite team's chief rival)--Scroll to the bottom of this entry for a chance to vindicate yourself, your place of birth, and your place of ... house!
Weather.com shared, "The Worst Thing About Your State"
http://www.weather.com/health/worst-thing-about-your-state-20130924
Their information was actually "stolen" from
's "What is your state worst at?"
http://www.policymic.com/articles/64665/what-is-the-most-screwed-up-thing-about-your-state-check-this-chart
Rationale and statistics:
Most stats taken from America's Health Rankings and the U.S. Census unless otherwise noted. (Note - data varies and is not based on 2013 numbers)
1. Alabama: highest rate of stroke (3.8%) (tied with Oklahoma)
2. Alaska: highest suicide rate (23.6 suicides per 100,000 people in 2004)
3. Arizona: highest rate of alcoholism
4. Arkansas: worst average credit score (636) Source.
5. California: most air pollution (15.2 micrograms per cubic meter)
6. Colorado: highest rate of cocaine use per capita (3.9% total population)
7. Connecticut: highest rate of breast cancer Source.
8. Delaware: highest abortion rate (27 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44)
9. Florida: highest rate of identity theft (122.3 reports per 100,000 people)
10. Georgia: sickly based on highest rate of influenza
11. Hawaii -highest cost of living (tied with California) Source.
12. Idaho - lowest level of Congressional clout Source.
13. Illinois: highest rate of robbery (284.7 incidences per 100,000 people)
14. Indiana: rated the most environmentally unfriendly by NMI solutions Source.
15. Iowa: highest percentage of people age 85 and older (1.8 percent) (tied with three other states) Source.
16. Kansas: poorest health based on highest average number of limited activity days per month (3.5 days) Source.
17. Kentucky: most cancer deaths (227 per 100,000 people) (BONUS fact: Kentucky also has the highest rate of tobacco smokers - 25.6%)
18. Louisiana: highest rate of gonorrhea (264.4 reported cases per 100,000 people) Source.
19. Maine: dumbest state claim based on lowest average SAT score (1389) Source.
20. Maryland: highest rate of AIDS diagnosis (27.6 people per 100,000 people) Source.
21. Massachusetts: worst drivers claim based on highest rate of auto accidents Source.
22. Michigan: highest unemployment rate (13.6%)
23. Minnesota: highest number of reported tornadoes (123 in 2010) Source.
24. Mississippi: highest rate of obesity (35.3% of total population)
BONUS facts: Mississippi ranks poorly in the most number of categories. These include highest rate of child poverty (31.9%), highest rate of infant mortality (1.01%), lowest median household income ($35,078), highest teen birth rate (71.9 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19) and highest overall rate of STDs.
25. Missouri: highest rate of bankruptcy (700 out of every 100,000 people) Source.
26. Montana: highest rate of drunk driving deaths (1.12 deaths per 100 million miles driven) Source.
27. Nebraska: Map creator does not provide a source.
28. Nevada: highest rate violent crime (702.2 offenses per 100,000 people). BONUS fact: Nevada also has the highest rate of foreclosure (one in 99 houses).
29. New Hampshire: highest rate of corporate taxes Source.
30. New Jersey: highest rate of citizen taxation (11.8%) Source.
31. New Mexico: antisocial claim based on lowest ranking in social health policies Source.
32. New York: longest average daily commute (30.6 minutes) Source.
33. North Carolina: among the lowest average teacher salary Source.
34. North Dakota: ranked last in ugliest residents report as chosen by The Daily Beast. Source.
35. Ohio: nerdiest state claim based on highest number of library visits per capita (6.9) Source.
36. Oklahoma: highest rate of female incarceration
37. Oregon: highest rate of long-term homeless people
38. Pennsylvania: highest rate of arson deaths (55.56 annually) Source.
39. Rhode Island: highest rate of illicit drug use (12.5% of population) Source.
40. South Carolina: highest percentage of mobile homes (18.8%) Source.
41. South Dakota: highest rate of forcible rape 76.5 per 100,000
42. Tennessee: chosen most corrupt state by The Daily Beast. Source.
43. Texas: lowest high school graduation rate (78.3%) Source.
44. Utah: highest rate of of online porn subscriptions Source.
45. Vermont: infertility claim based on lowest birth rate of any state (10.6 births per 1,000) (tied with Maine) Source.
46. Virginia: highest number of alcohol-related motorcyle deaths Source.
47. Washington: most cases of bestiality (4 reported in 2010) Source.
48. West Virginia: highest rate of heart attack (6.5 percent of population)
49. Wisconsin: highest rate of binge drinking (23.2 percent of population)
50. Wyoming: highest rate of deadly car crashes (24.6 deaths per 100,000) Source.
If every American had a chance to read this list, quite a few of us might start fibbing about where we were born or where we live.
Oh, by the way, I can't imagine who started those allegations that I was born in MD & live in DE.
Actually, I was born in Ohio & have lived here all my life. ;-P
Yeah, sometimes people glimpse me in DE but that's because I commute.
But seriously here's your chance to set the record straight!
Choose either or both*:
1. The best thing about my birth state is...
2. I chose to live in ... because it's home of the finest ...
*Those of you born in any other country or residing in another country may substitute their country.
With that accomplished,
let us sing along with Lou & Peter Berryman to that most heartfelt of State Anthems,
"Your State's Name Here". (name's of countries also work)
This will lift your Stately pride to a stately level!
And give you something to smile about the rest of the day.
(Though that might be gas from eating your State's most famous food)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX9p50MIexs&list=PL4909BEBCBDF99A91&index=33
First a public service announcement! Certain nefarious statistician types have assembled data on each State's most embarrassing statistic. Oh, nasty unscrupulous statisticians! Shame! Shame!
Brace yourself and read what they found. But don't fall into despair just yet, proud resident of (your state)!!!
Once you get over the shock of reading about your dear State's secret shame--And have done a bit of gleeful finger-pointing at the neighboring State (home of your favorite team's chief rival)--Scroll to the bottom of this entry for a chance to vindicate yourself, your place of birth, and your place of ... house!
Weather.com shared, "The Worst Thing About Your State"
http://www.weather.com/health/worst-thing-about-your-state-20130924
Their information was actually "stolen" from
's "What is your state worst at?"
http://www.policymic.com/articles/64665/what-is-the-most-screwed-up-thing-about-your-state-check-this-chart
Rationale and statistics:
Most stats taken from America's Health Rankings and the U.S. Census unless otherwise noted. (Note - data varies and is not based on 2013 numbers)
1. Alabama: highest rate of stroke (3.8%) (tied with Oklahoma)
2. Alaska: highest suicide rate (23.6 suicides per 100,000 people in 2004)
3. Arizona: highest rate of alcoholism
4. Arkansas: worst average credit score (636) Source.
5. California: most air pollution (15.2 micrograms per cubic meter)
6. Colorado: highest rate of cocaine use per capita (3.9% total population)
7. Connecticut: highest rate of breast cancer Source.
8. Delaware: highest abortion rate (27 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44)
9. Florida: highest rate of identity theft (122.3 reports per 100,000 people)
10. Georgia: sickly based on highest rate of influenza
11. Hawaii -highest cost of living (tied with California) Source.
12. Idaho - lowest level of Congressional clout Source.
13. Illinois: highest rate of robbery (284.7 incidences per 100,000 people)
14. Indiana: rated the most environmentally unfriendly by NMI solutions Source.
15. Iowa: highest percentage of people age 85 and older (1.8 percent) (tied with three other states) Source.
16. Kansas: poorest health based on highest average number of limited activity days per month (3.5 days) Source.
17. Kentucky: most cancer deaths (227 per 100,000 people) (BONUS fact: Kentucky also has the highest rate of tobacco smokers - 25.6%)
18. Louisiana: highest rate of gonorrhea (264.4 reported cases per 100,000 people) Source.
19. Maine: dumbest state claim based on lowest average SAT score (1389) Source.
20. Maryland: highest rate of AIDS diagnosis (27.6 people per 100,000 people) Source.
21. Massachusetts: worst drivers claim based on highest rate of auto accidents Source.
22. Michigan: highest unemployment rate (13.6%)
23. Minnesota: highest number of reported tornadoes (123 in 2010) Source.
24. Mississippi: highest rate of obesity (35.3% of total population)
BONUS facts: Mississippi ranks poorly in the most number of categories. These include highest rate of child poverty (31.9%), highest rate of infant mortality (1.01%), lowest median household income ($35,078), highest teen birth rate (71.9 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19) and highest overall rate of STDs.
25. Missouri: highest rate of bankruptcy (700 out of every 100,000 people) Source.
26. Montana: highest rate of drunk driving deaths (1.12 deaths per 100 million miles driven) Source.
27. Nebraska: Map creator does not provide a source.
28. Nevada: highest rate violent crime (702.2 offenses per 100,000 people). BONUS fact: Nevada also has the highest rate of foreclosure (one in 99 houses).
29. New Hampshire: highest rate of corporate taxes Source.
30. New Jersey: highest rate of citizen taxation (11.8%) Source.
31. New Mexico: antisocial claim based on lowest ranking in social health policies Source.
32. New York: longest average daily commute (30.6 minutes) Source.
33. North Carolina: among the lowest average teacher salary Source.
34. North Dakota: ranked last in ugliest residents report as chosen by The Daily Beast. Source.
35. Ohio: nerdiest state claim based on highest number of library visits per capita (6.9) Source.
36. Oklahoma: highest rate of female incarceration
37. Oregon: highest rate of long-term homeless people
38. Pennsylvania: highest rate of arson deaths (55.56 annually) Source.
39. Rhode Island: highest rate of illicit drug use (12.5% of population) Source.
40. South Carolina: highest percentage of mobile homes (18.8%) Source.
41. South Dakota: highest rate of forcible rape 76.5 per 100,000
42. Tennessee: chosen most corrupt state by The Daily Beast. Source.
43. Texas: lowest high school graduation rate (78.3%) Source.
44. Utah: highest rate of of online porn subscriptions Source.
45. Vermont: infertility claim based on lowest birth rate of any state (10.6 births per 1,000) (tied with Maine) Source.
46. Virginia: highest number of alcohol-related motorcyle deaths Source.
47. Washington: most cases of bestiality (4 reported in 2010) Source.
48. West Virginia: highest rate of heart attack (6.5 percent of population)
49. Wisconsin: highest rate of binge drinking (23.2 percent of population)
50. Wyoming: highest rate of deadly car crashes (24.6 deaths per 100,000) Source.
If every American had a chance to read this list, quite a few of us might start fibbing about where we were born or where we live.
Oh, by the way, I can't imagine who started those allegations that I was born in MD & live in DE.
Actually, I was born in Ohio & have lived here all my life. ;-P
Yeah, sometimes people glimpse me in DE but that's because I commute.
But seriously here's your chance to set the record straight!
Choose either or both*:
1. The best thing about my birth state is...
2. I chose to live in ... because it's home of the finest ...
*Those of you born in any other country or residing in another country may substitute their country.
With that accomplished,
let us sing along with Lou & Peter Berryman to that most heartfelt of State Anthems,
"Your State's Name Here". (name's of countries also work)
This will lift your Stately pride to a stately level!
And give you something to smile about the rest of the day.
(Though that might be gas from eating your State's most famous food)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX9p50MIexs&list=PL4909BEBCBDF99A91&index=33