Whether it’s missing family and friends you don't get to see too often or longing for someone to cuddle with in the cold winter months, there are plenty of reasons why people experience feelings of loneliness this time of year—and that's when things are "normal." With COVID-19 restrictions still in place, those feelings are likely to be amplified more than ever. That's why we at Best Life set out to find the loneliest state in America.
To get to the bottom of loneliness at the state level, we looked at three metrics: romantic loneliness, social relationships, and personality type. For the first number, we used a Move.org report measuring the number of single residents in each state, as well as and their most popular Google searches on Valentine’s Day. Based on these two factors, each state was given a score on a scale of one (least lonely) to 10 (most lonely).
Secondly, we used data from the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index to see what percentage of residents in each state reported having at least one close social relationship. Finally, we looked at a study conducted by the American Psychological Association, which examined data from 1.5 million Americans and rated each state on a 100-point scale in five different personality categories, including "extraversion." (This data did not include Alaska or Hawaii, which resulted in their exclusion from our final rankings.)
We then gave all three metrics a weighted value and ran them through our exclusive algorithm to determine how each state scored on our Loneliness Index. And the results included some interesting surprises. Read on to discover the loneliest state in America and find out where your home state falls in the ranks. And for the places in the U.S. where people are most active between the sheets, This Is the Promiscuous State in America.
48 | South Dakota
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.20
Residents with a strong social relationship: 78 percent
Extraversion score: 58.7
Loneliness Index Score: 0.00
47 | North Dakota
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.16
Residents with a strong social relationship: 78.1 percent
Extraversion score: 52.4
Loneliness Index Score: 2.69
46 | Utah
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 1.95
Residents with a strong social relationship: 77 percent
Extraversion score: 55.8
Loneliness Index Score: 6.07
45 | Wyoming
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 2.50
Residents with a strong social relationship: 79.1 percent
Extraversion score: 46
Loneliness Index Score: 6.86
44 | Minnesota
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 2.17
Residents with a strong social relationship: 77 percent
Extraversion score: 52.9
Loneliness Index Score: 12.31
43 | Missouri
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.31
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.9 percent
Extraversion score: 62.9
Loneliness Index Score: 15.36
42 | Nebraska
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 2.11
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.6 percent
Extraversion score: 60.0
Loneliness Index Score: 16.67
41 | Tennessee
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.29
Residents with a strong social relationship: 76.8 percent
Extraversion score: 51.3
Loneliness Index Score: 17.33
40 | Wisconsin
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 2.24
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.3 percent
Extraversion score: 69.8
Loneliness Index Score: 21.33
39 | Texas
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 2.28
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.7 percent
Extraversion score: 55.2
Loneliness Index Score: 22.80
And to find out where the biggest drinkers are, This Is the Drunkest State in America.
38 | Indiana
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 2.29
Residents with a strong social relationship: 76.2 percent
Extraversion score: 48.9
Loneliness Index Score: 24.14
37 | Georgia
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.38
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.8 percent
Extraversion score: 63.2
Loneliness Index Score: 25.19
36 | Iowa
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 3.04
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.9 percent
Extraversion score: 62.8
Loneliness Index Score: 28.21
35 | Florida
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.82
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.5 percent
Extraversion score: 60.9
Loneliness Index Score: 29.15
And to find out where people have the worst manners, This Is the Rudest State in America.
34 | North Carolina
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 2.31
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.2 percent
Extraversion score: 51.0
Loneliness Index Score: 30.81
33 | Illinois
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 3.27
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.9 percent
Extraversion score: 62.5
Loneliness Index Score: 32.48
32 | Pennsylvania
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 2.74
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.4 percent
Extraversion score: 54.6
Loneliness Index Score: 33.75
31 | Vermont
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 3.25
Residents with a strong social relationship: 79.3 percent
Extraversion score: 26.5
Loneliness Index Score: 34.21
30 | Virginia
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 2.26
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.8 percent
Extraversion score: 48.5
Loneliness Index Score: 35.21
29 | Alabama
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.39
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.8 percent
Extraversion score: 55.5
Loneliness Index Score: 35.74
28 | Arizona
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 3.29
Residents with a strong social relationship: 76.7 percent
Extraversion score: 50.6
Loneliness Index Score: 36.21
27 | Maine
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 3.20
Residents with a strong social relationship: 77.1 percent
Extraversion score: 44.2
Loneliness Index Score: 36.74
26 | Kentucky
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 3.18
Residents with a strong social relationship: 76 percent
Extraversion score: 53.4
Loneliness Index Score: 37.61
25 | South Carolina
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 3.29
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.5 percent
Extraversion score: 60
Loneliness Index Score: 38.11
24 | Kansas
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.14
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.4 percent
Extraversion score: 45.5
Loneliness Index Score: 38.81
23 | Colorado
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.62
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.4 percent
Extraversion score: 45.3
Loneliness Index Score: 39.32
22 | Idaho
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.44
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.1 percent
Extraversion score: 40.7
Loneliness Index Score: 42.38
21 | Arkansas
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.65
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.6 percent
Extraversion score: 49.9
Loneliness Index Score: 42.49
20 | New Jersey
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 2.67
Residents with a strong social relationship: 73.6 percent
Extraversion score: 59.9
Loneliness Index Score: 42.64
19 | Connecticut
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.76
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74 percent
Extraversion score: 57.6
Loneliness Index Score: 42.90
18 | Montana
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 3.08
Residents with a strong social relationship: 77.2 percent
Extraversion score: 33.1
Loneliness Index Score: 42.94
17 | Ohio
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.36
Residents with a strong social relationship: 73.1 percent
Extraversion score: 54.6
Loneliness Index Score: 45.62
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16 | West Virginia
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 2.31
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.6 percent
Extraversion score: 38.5
Loneliness Index Score: 45.94
15 | Michigan
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 3.24
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.7 percent
Extraversion score: 55.2
Loneliness Index Score: 47.64
14 | Massachusetts
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.79
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.8 percent
Extraversion score: 44.4
Loneliness Index Score: 47.86
13 | California
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.77
Residents with a strong social relationship: 73.9 percent
Extraversion score: 51.4
Loneliness Index Score: 48.99
And to find out the most unpopular place in the U.S., This Is the Most Hated State in America.
12 | Louisiana
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.56
Residents with a strong social relationship: 73.3 percent
Extraversion score: 52.2
Loneliness Index Score: 49.48
11 | Oregon
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 2.30
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.6 percent
Extraversion score: 30.9
Loneliness Index Score: 52.03
10 | Nevada
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.83
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.6 percent
Extraversion score: 30.9
Loneliness Index Score: 53.35
9 | New Hampshire
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 3.11
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.1 percent
Extraversion score: 40.2
Loneliness Index Score: 54.51
8 | New Mexico
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.53
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.3 percent
Extraversion score: 32.4
Loneliness Index Score: 57.23
7 | Washington
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.61
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.6 percent
Extraversion score: 30.6
Loneliness Index Score: 57.70
6 | Maryland
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.39
Residents with a strong social relationship: 73.6 percent
Extraversion score: 35.2
Loneliness Index Score: 58.11
5 | Oklahoma
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 3.19
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.8 percent
Extraversion score: 39.7
Loneliness Index Score: 58.74
4 | Delaware
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.38
Residents with a strong social relationship: 72.2 percent
Extraversion score: 47.0
Loneliness Index Score: 59.93
3 | Mississippi
iStockRomantic loneliness score: 2.50
Residents with a strong social relationship: 71.4 percent
Extraversion score: 56.8
Loneliness Index Score: 59.93
2 | New York
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 2.88
Residents with a strong social relationship: 72.7 percent
Extraversion score: 47.0
Loneliness Index Score: 64.20
1 | Rhode Island
ShutterstockRomantic loneliness score: 2.82
Residents with a strong social relationship: 68.5 percent
Extraversion score: 43.3
Loneliness Index Score: 100.00
And for the place only a mother could love, This Is the Ugliest State in America.
