Is NY one of the most sinful states? See its ranking

New York is among the most sinful states in the U.S., according to a recently released study by WalletHub. The Empire State fell just outside the top 10 states on the list, which compared all 50 states across categories like jealousy, greed, anger and hatred and laziness to determine which were the most sinful.

"While individual cases of negative behavior may only affect a few people, when these behaviors are exhibited by a high share of the state's population, the majority of the state's residents suffer as a result," says WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. "States should invest in resources to help people curb vices, such as robust rehabilitation programs for people with gambling and drug addictions."

Here's what to know.

How New York fared

New York came in at the No. 11 spot with an overall score of 46.92 out of 100. Here's how the Empire State ranked in other categories:

• Anger and hatred rank: No. 11
• Jealousy rank: No. 19
• Excesses and vices rank: No. 46
• Greed rank: No. 44
• Lust rank: No. 12
• Vanity rank: No. 28
• Laziness rank: No. 14

March is Problem Gambling Awareness Month in NY

New York's share of people with gambling disorders is one of the lowest in the country, according to WalletHub, and the state is bringing awareness to problem gambling throughout the month of March.

This year's theme, designated annually by the National Council on Problem Gambling, is "Seeking Understanding," which "focuses on increasing awareness of problem gambling as a serious but often misunderstood mental health condition," Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday.

You can learn more at playresponsiblyny.com and those seeking help can visit NYProblemGamblingHelp.org or call New York State’s confidential HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or text HOPENY at 467369.

WalletHub's most sinful states in the U.S.

1. Nevada with an overall score of 62.16
2. California with an overall score of 55.44
3. Florida with an overall score of 52.12
4. Louisiana with an overall score of 51.51
5. Texas with an overall score of 51.45
6. Tennessee with an overall score of 50.16
7. Arizona with an overall score of 48.56
8. Pennsylvania with an overall score of 47.41
9. South Carolina with an overall score of 47.30
10. Georgia with an overall score of 47.14

WalletHub's least sinful states in the U.S.

• Idaho with an overall score of 25.89
• New Hampshire with an overall score of 28.78
• Vermont with an overall score of 28.85
• Utah with an overall score of 29.67
• Wyoming with an overall score of 29.80
• Maine with an overall score of 30.05
• Hawaii with an overall score of 31.08
• North Dakota with an overall score of 32.66
• Iowa with an overall score of 32.68
• Nebraska with an overall score of 32.79

How WalletHub assessed sinfulness

WalletHub compared all 50 states across seven metrics: anger & hatred, jealousy, excesses & vices, greed, lust, vanity and laziness.

The anger & hatred category took a look at these aspects:

• Violent crimes per capita
• Sex offenders per capita
• Bullying rate
• Share of public-school students in grades 9-12 who carried a weapon on school property
• Hate-crime incidents per capita
• Hate groups per capita
• Share of maltreated children
• Teen dating violence
• Share of internet comments that are hostile
• Road rage ranking
• Discrimination cases filed per adult population
• Number of mass shootings
• Deaths due to firearms per capita
• Share of persons arrested for aggravated assault
• Share of elder-abuse, gross-neglect and exploitation complaints

The jealousy category analyzed these components:

• Thefts per capita
• Identity-theft complaints per capita
• Fraud and other complaints per capita

The excesses & vices category took into account these factors:

• Share of obese adults
• Fast-food establishments per capita
• Excessive drinking
• Share of adults who reported having driven after drinking too much
• Share of adult smokers
• Share of adult coffee drinkers
• Share of population using marijuana
• Retail opioid prescriptions dispensed per 100 persons
• Drug overdose deaths
• Debt-to-income ratio

The greed category included these elements:

• Casinos per capita
• Gambling-related arrests per capita
• Charitable donations as share of income
• Share of population with gambling disorders
• Persons arrested for embezzlement per capita

The lust category examined these factors:

• Teen birth rate
• Google Search Interest Index for "XXX Entertainment"
• Persons arrested for prostitution and commercialized vice per capita

The vanity category looked at these facets:

• Number of plastic surgeons per residents aged 18 and over
• Number of barbers, hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists per capita
• Number of manicurists and pedicurists per capita
• Number of skincare specialists per capita
• Beauty salons per capita
• Personal care services per capita
• Nail salons per capita
• Diet and weight reducing centers per capita
• Google Search Interest Index for "Top 5 Plastic Surgeries"
• Average daily time spent on personal care
• Consumer expenditures per household on personal care products and services
• Consumer expenditures per household on apparel and services

And the laziness category evaluated these parts:

• Share of adults not exercising
• Average weekly hours worked
• Volunteer rate
• Average daily time spent watching TV
• High school graduation rate
• Share of disconnected youth

Data used to create the ranking was collected as of Jan. 27, 2025 and the information was sourced from multiple entities, such as Parents for Megan's Law, Inc., the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Emily Barnes reports on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network’s New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on X and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@gannett.com.