This Is the Loneliest State in America
The residents of this state are more prone to solitude than to being social.

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

Romantic loneliness score: 2.20
Residents with a strong social relationship: 78 percent
Extraversion score: 58.7
Loneliness Index Score: 0.00
47
North Dakota

Romantic loneliness score: 2.16
Residents with a strong social relationship: 78.1 percent
Extraversion score: 52.4
Loneliness Index Score: 2.69
46
Utah

Romantic loneliness score: 1.95
Residents with a strong social relationship: 77 percent
Extraversion score: 55.8
Loneliness Index Score: 6.07
45
Wyoming

Romantic loneliness score: 2.50
Residents with a strong social relationship: 79.1 percent
Extraversion score: 46
Loneliness Index Score: 6.86
44
Minnesota

Romantic loneliness score: 2.17
Residents with a strong social relationship: 77 percent
Extraversion score: 52.9
Loneliness Index Score: 12.31
43
Missouri

Romantic loneliness score: 2.31
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.9 percent
Extraversion score: 62.9
Loneliness Index Score: 15.36
42
Nebraska

Romantic loneliness score: 2.11
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.6 percent
Extraversion score: 60.0
Loneliness Index Score: 16.67
41
Tennessee

Romantic loneliness score: 2.29
Residents with a strong social relationship: 76.8 percent
Extraversion score: 51.3
Loneliness Index Score: 17.33
40
Wisconsin

Romantic loneliness score: 2.24
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.3 percent
Extraversion score: 69.8
Loneliness Index Score: 21.33
39
Texas

Romantic 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

Romantic loneliness score: 2.29
Residents with a strong social relationship: 76.2 percent
Extraversion score: 48.9
Loneliness Index Score: 24.14
37
Georgia

Romantic loneliness score: 2.38
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.8 percent
Extraversion score: 63.2
Loneliness Index Score: 25.19
36
Iowa

Romantic loneliness score: 3.04
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.9 percent
Extraversion score: 62.8
Loneliness Index Score: 28.21
35
Florida

Romantic 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

Romantic loneliness score: 2.31
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.2 percent
Extraversion score: 51.0
Loneliness Index Score: 30.81
33
Illinois

Romantic loneliness score: 3.27
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.9 percent
Extraversion score: 62.5
Loneliness Index Score: 32.48
32
Pennsylvania

Romantic loneliness score: 2.74
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.4 percent
Extraversion score: 54.6
Loneliness Index Score: 33.75
31
Vermont

Romantic loneliness score: 3.25
Residents with a strong social relationship: 79.3 percent
Extraversion score: 26.5
Loneliness Index Score: 34.21
30
Virginia

Romantic loneliness score: 2.26
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.8 percent
Extraversion score: 48.5
Loneliness Index Score: 35.21
29
Alabama

Romantic loneliness score: 2.39
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.8 percent
Extraversion score: 55.5
Loneliness Index Score: 35.74
28
Arizona

Romantic loneliness score: 3.29
Residents with a strong social relationship: 76.7 percent
Extraversion score: 50.6
Loneliness Index Score: 36.21
27
Maine

Romantic loneliness score: 3.20
Residents with a strong social relationship: 77.1 percent
Extraversion score: 44.2
Loneliness Index Score: 36.74
26
Kentucky

Romantic loneliness score: 3.18
Residents with a strong social relationship: 76 percent
Extraversion score: 53.4
Loneliness Index Score: 37.61
25
South Carolina

Romantic loneliness score: 3.29
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.5 percent
Extraversion score: 60
Loneliness Index Score: 38.11
24
Kansas

Romantic loneliness score: 2.14
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.4 percent
Extraversion score: 45.5
Loneliness Index Score: 38.81
23
Colorado

Romantic loneliness score: 2.62
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.4 percent
Extraversion score: 45.3
Loneliness Index Score: 39.32
22
Idaho

Romantic loneliness score: 2.44
Residents with a strong social relationship: 75.1 percent
Extraversion score: 40.7
Loneliness Index Score: 42.38
21
Arkansas

Romantic 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

Romantic loneliness score: 2.67
Residents with a strong social relationship: 73.6 percent
Extraversion score: 59.9
Loneliness Index Score: 42.64
19
Connecticut

Romantic loneliness score: 2.76
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74 percent
Extraversion score: 57.6
Loneliness Index Score: 42.90
18
Montana

Romantic loneliness score: 3.08
Residents with a strong social relationship: 77.2 percent
Extraversion score: 33.1
Loneliness Index Score: 42.94
17
Ohio

Romantic 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

Romantic loneliness score: 2.31
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.6 percent
Extraversion score: 38.5
Loneliness Index Score: 45.94
15
Michigan

Romantic loneliness score: 3.24
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.7 percent
Extraversion score: 55.2
Loneliness Index Score: 47.64
14
Massachusetts

Romantic loneliness score: 2.79
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.8 percent
Extraversion score: 44.4
Loneliness Index Score: 47.86
13
California

Romantic 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

Romantic loneliness score: 2.56
Residents with a strong social relationship: 73.3 percent
Extraversion score: 52.2
Loneliness Index Score: 49.48
11
Oregon

Romantic loneliness score: 2.30
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.6 percent
Extraversion score: 30.9
Loneliness Index Score: 52.03
10
Nevada

Romantic 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

Romantic 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

Romantic loneliness score: 2.53
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.3 percent
Extraversion score: 32.4
Loneliness Index Score: 57.23
7
Washington

Romantic loneliness score: 2.61
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.6 percent
Extraversion score: 30.6
Loneliness Index Score: 57.70
6
Maryland

Romantic loneliness score: 2.39
Residents with a strong social relationship: 73.6 percent
Extraversion score: 35.2
Loneliness Index Score: 58.11
5
Oklahoma

Romantic loneliness score: 3.19
Residents with a strong social relationship: 74.8 percent
Extraversion score: 39.7
Loneliness Index Score: 58.74
4
Delaware

Romantic loneliness score: 2.38
Residents with a strong social relationship: 72.2 percent
Extraversion score: 47.0
Loneliness Index Score: 59.93
3
Mississippi

Romantic 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

Romantic 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

Romantic 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.