A new study has found that nearly eight in 10 Americans consider themselves friendly — but some states are friendlier than others.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 2,000 U.S. adults on factors like volunteering, charitable giving, talking with neighbors, kindness in everyday interactions and road rage incidents to come up with a “Friendliness Score” from one to 10.
Minnesota, to no one’s surprise, took the crown as the nation’s friendliest state with a score of 8.39, according to the survey by online sweepstakes casino SpinBlitz.
The state stood out for its strong sense of community, with more than 57% of residents donating to charity and over 77% regularly talking with their neighbors. High volunteering rates further reinforced its reputation as a place where people look out for one another.
Montana and Vermont tied for second place, both scoring 8.36.
Montana ranked especially high in charitable giving and neighborly interaction, although friendly feelings end at the highway in the Big Sky State. It recorded the highest road rage score among the top states.
Utah placed fourth with a score of 8.30, bolstered by the highest rate of neighborly interaction, with nearly 82% of residents reporting regular conversations with those living nearby. It also recorded low road rage and high volunteering. But the Beehive State’s negative online comments sting, and it ranked low in keyboard behavior.
Nebraska rounded out the top five despite having the lowest rate of neighborly interaction among the top-ranked states.
Although the fine folks from New York and New Jersey have reputations for being a bit gruff, the research said fuh-geddaboutit, ranking them mid-list with the Big Apple at 25 and the Garden State at 27.
New York, it turns out, is the heart of generosity when it comes to making charitable contributions, and they’re among the top dogs when it comes to helping neighbors in need.
Jersey folks do love their road rage, so that kept their friendly score lower than it could be, but like their neighbors in New York, they are always there to lend a hand to a friend or neighbor.
New Mexico, despite its red rocks and new-age vibes, was ranked the least friendly state, with a score of 4.69. The Land of Enchantment recorded one of the highest levels of road rage in the nation and a low rate of charitable giving.
Louisiana followed at 4.81 as the second least friendly state, driven largely by the highest road rage score in the country.
Florida ranked third from the bottom, with low tipping rates, weaker charitable giving, and a high level of negative online comments, giving it a 4.87.
California, despite its clogged highways, recorded one of the lowest road rage scores overall, but ranked poorly at 45, due to low tipping rates and the keyboard warriors’ high degree of negative online comments.