The Most-Hated States In The United States, Do You Live In One?
According to subjective data, New Jersey is the most hated state, followed by Texas, Oklahoma, California, and Florida.
Every state in America has its share of flaws and redeeming qualities. Still, some people really dislike where they live. The reasons often range from job opportunities to a lack of recreational facilities. Some states are simply despised for being bad neighbors with smug sports teams. Now, after crunching the numbers, Best Life says New Jersey tops the list of most-hated states in the country.
The data was compiled by calculating how many people moved out of each state. The population increase or decrease in each location was also compared to the national average of 0.6 percent from the U.S. Census Bureau. A Gallup poll was also analyzed to see which citizens felt the most pride in their home states. The places with the least pride ranked higher in the most-hated states index.
The findings of amateur researcher Matt Shirley, who asked his 320,000 Instagram followers about their most-hated states in 2020, were also examined. Additionally, the volume of hostility from folks toward other states was also measured. All these results were compiled into an algorithm that produced the final score in the index.
The 10 most-hated states included places from the East Coast to the South and beyond. First place New Jersey was followed by Texas and California, with Oklahoma and Florida rounding out the top five. Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama, and Kansas completed the top 10. The rest of the list also included some surprises in the rankings with Idaho taking the last spot at 50.
Interestingly, New Jersey often tops the list of most-hated states in various polls. That’s largely due to unfounded negative opinions of the region. A deep dive into the Garden State actually reveals some pretty cool things about it. The first drive-in movie theater was opened in Camden and the first baseball game was played in Hoboken.
The first brewery in America was also opened in New Jersey. The area also ranks high in the production of blueberries, peaches, cranberries, and other garden vegetables, HuffPost reports. That’s not surprising since the region boasts over 10,000+ farms and 36 state parks. The most-hated state is also located between New York City and Philadelphia which makes it easy to enjoy their rich culture.
New Jersey does well in education too. The region ranks third for its performance in math and science according to the Science and Engineering Readiness Index. The most-hated state also took place second in the Chance for Success Index, with students scoring at the advanced level on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.
New Jersey ranked third in K-12 achievement and has consistently placed in the national top 10 on the report. And in 2014, the most-hated state was named among the Top 10 Safest Cities in America List, with Edison, NJ taking the number one spot. With a solid history, nice parks, a great location, and well-educated folks, the overall dislike of the state makes no sense.
Perhaps New Jersey is like that really good-looking, creative, smart, and sassy cousin that everyone loves to hate just because? While the Garden State does hold first place on the most-hated states poll, the reasons are largely subjective.
