Wyoming has been ranked the least sinful state in the nation, according to a new report from personal-finance website WalletHub, while neighboring Idaho and Utah also placed among the country’s most virtuous states.
In its 2026 “Most Sinful States” report, WalletHub evaluated all 50 states across seven categories of sinful behavior: anger and hatred, jealousy, excesses and vices, greed, lust, vanity and laziness. Nevada ranked No. 1 as the most sinful state, while Wyoming ranked No. 50 — the least sinful. Idaho followed closely at No. 48, and Utah came in at No. 44.
Utah’s overall WalletHub Vice Index score was 30.06, placing it 44th out of 50, where a rank of 1 represents the most sinful. Idaho scored 27.82, and Wyoming posted the lowest score in the nation at 24.49.
WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said Nevada’s ranking was driven largely by gambling and prostitution metrics.
“Every state has its share of residents with positive qualities. However, citizens across the nation have their own moral struggles, from violent outbursts and bullying to compulsive gambling, excessive lust and self-destructive consumption,” Lupo said. “While individual cases of negative behavior may only affect a few people, when these incidents start to make up a high share of a state’s population, the majority of the state’s residents suffer as a result.”
“Nevada, home to ‘Sin City,’ ranks as the most sinful state in America,” he added. “At the heart of Nevada and Sin City is gambling, and as such, the Silver State leads the nation in casinos and gambling-related arrests per capita. Plus, the state also has the most prostitution arrests in the U.S. And sadly, Nevada’s pre-occupation with its vices leaves little room for altruism, as the state has the second-lowest volunteer rate in the country.”
Utah’s Rankings
Utah performed particularly well in several categories. It ranked 50th — best in the nation — for greed and 49th for excesses and vices. The state also had the lowest rate of excessive drinking in the country and ranked 48th for the percentage of adults not exercising.
However, Utah placed 30th in anger and hatred, 39th in jealousy, 40th in lust and 41st in laziness.
Idaho ranked 50th for thefts per capita, meaning it had the fewest thefts in the nation. Wyoming ranked 46th for violent crimes per capita, placing it among the states with the lowest rates of violent crime. Wyoming also tied for 49th for beauty salons per capita, a metric used in the vanity category.
Western States Show Contrast
The Mountain West showed sharp contrasts in the rankings. Montana ranked 30th overall but placed first in excessive drinking. Colorado came in at 18th, while Arizona ranked ninth.
Nevada’s overall Vice Index score was 60.98 — more than double Wyoming’s — highlighting significant regional variation.
Across the country, Alaska and New Mexico tied for the highest violent crime rate per capita, while Maine had the lowest. New Mexico also ranked first for thefts per capita, compared with Idaho, which ranked 50th for having the fewest.
Mississippi ranked highest for the percentage of adults not exercising and for share of population with gambling disorder, while Vermont ranked lowest for adults not exercising and Michigan had the lowest share of gambling disorder.
Culture, Law and Norms
Experts interviewed by WalletHub said differences in state rankings often reflect both legal frameworks and cultural norms.
“Culture sets the baseline tolerance for ‘sin,’ while law formalizes it through regulation, taxation, or prohibition,” said Richard Flight, an associate professor at Coastal Carolina University. “States look more or less ‘sinful’ largely because their political culture interprets moral intensity differently and then encodes that judgment into policy.”
Steven Meyers, a professor at Roosevelt University, said both laws and environment influence behavior.
“When a behavior or activity is illegal, it will discourage some – but certainly not all – from making choices,” Meyers said. “When states make a behavior or activity legal, people’s use will increase because many barriers are removed and the market then expands to satisfy demand.”
WalletHub’s rankings were based on 54 metrics, including violent crimes per capita, hate-crime incidents, theft rates, excessive drinking, drug overdose deaths, gambling-related arrests, teen birth rates, plastic surgeons per capita, volunteer rates and high school graduation rates.
Data were collected from federal agencies, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, among others.
While hate crimes declined slightly in 2024, the report noted they remain elevated compared with earlier levels, and drug overdose deaths continue to pose a serious challenge nationwide.
For residents of Utah, Idaho and Wyoming, the rankings suggest that the Intermountain West — outside of Nevada — compares favorably when it comes to measures of vice and social behavior.