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How We Rate...
Where Minnesota ranks in everything from health to wealth, hotness to happiness
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PEOPLE
Population: 21st
[California is 1st]There are about 5,266,214 of us—some 445 people for every lake. In the next 10 years, Colorado, the next largest state, is expected to surpass us.
Cleanliness: 16th
You can breathe easier—Minneapolis came in just below Oklahoma City in a ranking of America’s 50 cleanest big cities.
Godliness: 31st | Sharing: 40th |
| The number of Minnesotans who say they believe in God leaves our collective faith a little lacking. The most religious states are all in the Deep South (Mississippi ranks first), while New Englanders, particularly in Vermont and New Hampshire, rank as the biggest skeptics. | [We rank 40th in carpooling, 37th in philanthropy] “Every man for himself” might as well be our unofficial state motto, with just 9.4 percent of us sharing rides and annual charitable donations per person of about $3,784—nearly half what our South Dakota neighbors offer up. |
Voter turnout: 1st | Drunk driving: 3rd |
| We may end up in deadlock, but at least we vote. | [Yet we’re only 46th in traffic fatalities] The five states with the most drunk drivers are all in the Upper Midwest. It’s a wonder, then, that we’ve so few fatalities. |
Largest metro: 16th | Armed and dangerous: 22nd |
[Seattle ranks 15th, San Diego is 17th] The Twin Cities grew 10 percent in the last decade, but will likely be surpassed soon by Tampa and Denver—even as we pass ailing Detroit. Oldest: 35thHow young do you feel? Despite our graying small towns, Minnesotans 65 and older comprise just 12.5 percent of ourpopulation—for now. | [We’re 22nd in gun ownership, 41st in gun deaths] We’re not Texas, but we pack more heat than most. Luckily, we’re pretty nonviolent—or just poor shots. Most Liberal: 17thTrue blue? We’re not even in the top 10 among people who self-identify as liberals. In fact, we rank just above Arizona. |
RELATIONSHIPS
Sexiest:32nd
[District of Columbia is 1st, North Dakota is 51st] Josh Hartnett doesn’t help us much in rankings based on, among other things, fitness levels, beauty pageants, and hometown hotties.
Divorce: 42nd
We stick together like few other people (especially Nevadans, who split the most) making us either steadfast or stubborn—or just better at picking partners.
Package Size: 28th
[New Hampshire is 1st, Wyoming is 50th] Size doesn’t matter—except to Condomania, an online seller of condoms. They crunch the data on what sizes they ship to each state. Hey, we beat Wisconsin.
Dating Difficulties: 3rd
Minneapolis ranks as the third-worst city for dating based on the percentage of singles, population density, and places to hang out. (Bar-packed Austin comes out on top, Charlotte at the bottom.) And it may be worse here for men: The Twin Cities, like most metro areas west of the Mississippi, have predominantly more single guys than gals.
Gayness: 1st
The Advocate recently named Minneapolis the gayest city in the country based on the number of gay dating profiles, gay elected officials, lesbian bars, gay-friendly congregations, and gay-friendly businesses.
Mrs. Mom: 6th
When it comes to having babies out of wedlock, we’re in the company of Mormon states like Utah and Idaho with the 6th lowest percentage of unmarried moms. We also have the seventh lowest percentage of teen moms.
Childcare Costs: 2nd
Raising rugrats isn’t cheap here: Only Massachusetts parents spend more than we do, as a percentage of income, to keep an infant in daycare.
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Reader Comments:
Wish I could get the whole How We Rate article to post online for my non-Minnesotan friends. We read the piece and there are so many other important rankings that should be shared.
This is a wonderful piece! Can't wait to get the April issue. Thanks for compiling fun features like this!