This Is the Greediest State in America
From fat paychecks to high stakes action, this state can never get enough.
Despite being taught to share by our kindergarten teachers, everyone has been driven by greed at some point in their lives. But which state has the greediest people of them all? At Best Life, we crunched the numbers to find out.
To get to the bottom of greed in America, we looked at three different metrics. First, we used the Forbes 2020 billionaires list and data from the U.S. Census Bureau to measure the number of billionaires per 10 million people in each state. This shows us where the very richest of the rich file their taxes. While it's worth noting that some billionaires may move to states with a lower tax burden, others still reside in the states they started out in, such as Walmart heirs Jim and Rob Walton, who live in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Next, we used WalletHub's Most Sinful States index to measure greed based on the number of casinos per capita, gambling-related arrests per capita, charitable donations compared to income, and several other similar metrics—the higher the number on the 50-point scale, the greedier the state. We also examined the Gini coefficient—a mathematical measurement that quantifies income inequality—for each state, which was adapted to a 100-point scale by Zippia. So, the higher the Gini coefficient, the greater disparity there is in wealth distribution in the state. Finally, we gave each of these metrics a weighted value before running them through our exclusive algorithm to see where they scored on our Greed Index, where 0 is the least greedy state and 100 is the most.
Overall, our analysis found some surprising things. New York, the state with the highest income inequality, was also WalletHub's least greedy state–likely due to the state's lack of casinos and other legal gambling options. In addition, there was little geographical consistency in regards to greed, with at least one state from both coasts and both borders making it into the top 10. Read on to discover the greediest state in America and find out out where yours ranks in comparison. And for the place that's seriously lacking in the generosity department, This Is the Most Selfish State in America.
Read the original article on Best Life.
50
Utah
Billionaires per 10 million people: 12.48
WalletHub greed rank: 49
Gini coefficient level: 42.61
Greed Index Score: 0.00
49
Alabama
Billionaires per 10 million people: 0.00
WalletHub greed rank: 44
Gini coefficient level: 47.69
Greed Index Score: 1.51
48
Indiana
Billionaires per 10 million people: 4.46
WalletHub greed rank: 43
Gini coefficient level: 44.94
Greed Index Score: 4.55
47
Maryland
Billionaires per 10 million people: 14.89
WalletHub greed rank: 47
Gini coefficient level: 45.13
Greed Index Score: 7.71
46
Idaho
Billionaires per 10 million people: 5.60
WalletHub greed rank: 41
Gini coefficient level: 44.57
Greed Index Score: 8.42
45
Arkansas
Billionaires per 10 million people: 16.57
WalletHub greed rank: 48
Gini coefficient level: 47.08
Greed Index Score: 9.44
44
Oregon
Billionaires per 10 million people: 7.11
WalletHub greed rank: 42
Gini coefficient level: 46.12
Greed Index Score: 9.63
43
Georgia
Billionaires per 10 million people: 11.30
WalletHub greed rank: 45
Gini coefficient level: 48.16
Greed Index Score: 10.51
42
Ohio
Billionaires per 10 million people: 5.13
WalletHub greed rank: 40
Gini coefficient level: 46.41
Greed Index Score: 11.32
41
Minnesota
Billionaires per 10 million people: 3.55
WalletHub greed rank: 34
Gini coefficient level: 44.90
Greed Index Score: 18.07
40
Kansas
Billionaires per 10 million people: 6.87
WalletHub greed rank: 36
Gini coefficient level: 45.55
Greed Index Score: 18.46
39
Louisiana
Billionaires per 10 million people: 2.15
WalletHub greed rank: 35
Gini coefficient level: 49.03
Greed Index Score: 19.07
38
Iowa
Billionaires per 10 million people: 3.17
WalletHub greed rank: 29
Gini coefficient level: 44.22
Greed Index Score: 25.08
37
Missouri
Billionaires per 10 million people: 8.15
WalletHub greed rank: 33
Gini coefficient level: 46.32
Greed Index Score: 25.13
36
Pennsylvania
Billionaires per 10 million people: 7.81
WalletHub greed rank: 32
Gini coefficient level: 46.80
Greed Index Score: 26.87
35
Massachusetts
Billionaires per 10 million people: 24.66
WalletHub greed rank: 39
Gini coefficient level: 48.26
Greed Index Score: 32.20
34
Nebraska
Billionaires per 10 million people: 15.51
WalletHub greed rank: 31
Gini coefficient level: 44.20
Greed Index Score: 32.96
33
Colorado
Billionaires per 10 million people: 13.89
WalletHub greed rank: 30
Gini coefficient level: 45.90
Greed Index Score: 34.69
32
Michigan
Billionaires per 10 million people: 9.01
WalletHub greed rank: 27
Gini coefficient level: 46.48
Greed Index Score: 35.64
And for the most cannabis-friendly place in the country, This Is the Most Stoned State in America.
31
Kentucky
Billionaires per 10 million people: 4.48
WalletHub greed rank: 24
Gini coefficient level: 47.41
Greed Index Score: 37.22
30
Florida
Billionaires per 10 million people: 27.00
WalletHub greed rank: 37
Gini coefficient level: 48.52
Greed Index Score: 37.74
29
South Carolina
Billionaires per 10 million people: 1.94
WalletHub greed rank: 21
Gini coefficient level: 46.90
Greed Index Score: 39.26
28
Wisconsin
Billionaires per 10 million people: 13.74
WalletHub greed rank: 26
Gini coefficient level: 44.35
Greed Index Score: 39.50
27
New Hampshire
Billionaires per 10 million people: 0.00
WalletHub greed rank: 16
Gini coefficient level: 43.44
Greed Index Score: 39.50
26
New Jersey
Billionaires per 10 million people: 1.13
WalletHub greed rank: 20
Gini coefficient level: 47.82
Greed Index Score: 40.98
And for another state superlative no one wants, check out The Dirtiest State in the U.S.
25
Arizona
Billionaires per 10 million people: 13.74
WalletHub greed rank: 23
Gini coefficient level: 46.82
Greed Index Score: 40.98
24
Texas
Billionaires per 10 million people: 19.31
WalletHub greed rank: 28
Gini coefficient level: 48.03
Greed Index Score: 44.74
And for another nationwide title that may surprise you, check out The Most Hated State in America.
23
Maine
Billionaires per 10 million people: 7.44
WalletHub greed rank: 18
Gini coefficient level: 45.15
Greed Index Score: 47.36
22
South Dakota
Billionaires per 10 million people: 11.30
WalletHub greed rank: 19
Gini coefficient level: 44.38
Greed Index Score: 48.52
21
New York
Billionaires per 10 million people: 60.66
WalletHub greed rank: 50
Gini coefficient level: 51.02
Greed Index Score: 49.55
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20
New Mexico
Billionaires per 10 million people: 0.00
WalletHub greed rank: 13
Gini coefficient level: 47.54
Greed Index Score: 50.89
19
West Virginia
Billionaires per 10 million people: 5.58
WalletHub greed rank: 15
Gini coefficient level: 46.21
Greed Index Score: 51.47
18
Alaska
Billionaires per 10 million people: 0.00
WalletHub greed rank: 8
Gini coefficient level: 41.74
Greed Index Score: 53.47
17
Vermont
Billionaires per 10 million people: 0.00
WalletHub greed rank: 9
Gini coefficient level: 44.35
Greed Index Score: 54.31
16
Connecticut
Billionaires per 10 million people: 47.68
WalletHub greed rank: 38
Gini coefficient level: 49.47
Greed Index Score: 55.61
15
Illinois
Billionaires per 10 million people: 13.42
WalletHub greed rank: 17
Gini coefficient level: 47.89
Greed Index Score: 56.89
14
Delaware
Billionaires per 10 million people: 0.00
WalletHub greed rank: 6
Gini coefficient level: 44.88
Greed Index Score: 56.89
13
Washington
Billionaires per 10 million people: 15.76
WalletHub greed rank: 14
Gini coefficient level: 45.6
Greed Index Score: 61.65
12
Tennessee
Billionaires per 10 million people: 10.25
WalletHub greed rank: 12
Gini coefficient level: 47.86
Greed Index Score: 62.00
11
North Dakota
Billionaires per 10 million people: 0.00
WalletHub greed rank: 5
Gini coefficient level: 45.87
Greed Index Score: 62.11
10
Virginia
Billionaires per 10 million people: 8.20
WalletHub greed rank: 10
Gini coefficient level: 46.73
Greed Index Score: 62.30
9
Rhode Island
Billionaires per 10 million people: 9.44
WalletHub greed rank: 11
Gini coefficient level: 47.38
Greed Index Score: 62.42
8
North Carolina
Billionaires per 10 million people: 3.81
WalletHub greed rank: 7
Gini coefficient level: 47.48
Greed Index Score: 63.85
7
Montana
Billionaires per 10 million people: 37.43
WalletHub greed rank: 22
Gini coefficient level: 45.87
Greed Index Score: 68.60
6
Hawaii
Billionaires per 10 million people: 7.06
WalletHub greed rank: 3
Gini coefficient level: 43.69
Greed Index Score: 69.63
5
California
Billionaires per 10 million people: 41.76
WalletHub greed rank: 25
Gini coefficient level: 48.80
Greed Index Score: 70.43
And for the the place where people are prone to bending the rules set by their marriage vows, This Is the Most Adulterous State in America.
4
Mississippi
Billionaires per 10 million people: 6.72
WalletHub greed rank: 4
Gini coefficient level: 47.99
Greed Index Score: 71.73
3
Oklahoma
Billionaires per 10 million people: 15.16
WalletHub greed rank: 2
Gini coefficient level: 46.52
Greed Index Score: 81.14
2
Wyoming
Billionaires per 10 million people: 103.67
WalletHub greed rank: 46
Gini coefficient level: 42.79
Greed Index Score: 86.93
1
Nevada
Billionaires per 10 million people: 35.71
WalletHub greed rank: 1
Gini coefficient level: 45.22
Greed Index Score: 100.00
And for another ranking that could help you shop smarter, check out This Store Has the Worst Customer Service in America.
