Jealousy can rear its ugly head in a variety of ways and for a wide range of reasons. A recent study that compared jealousy in different countries found that “individuals from more egocentric and masculine cultures (like the U.S.), are more likely to express jealousy.” In certain non-toxic forms, jealousy can actually motivate you to work harder and even boost creativity. But malicious jealousy, on the other hand, has the potential to unleash a dark side in those who are plagued by it. So, we at Best Life decided to delve deeper into the problems of envy and obsession to determine the most jealous state in America.
First, we pulled data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) most recent National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey on the prevalence of stalking per 10,000 residents in each state, seeing as researchers have characterized the brains of stalkers as being “obsessively jealous." In fact, what drives stalkers most is their “delusional jealousy,” according to neuroscientists from Cambridge University. It’s important to note that while the data on the number of women who were stalked was available for all 50 states, the estimated number of male stalking victims was available only in 15 states (California, Florida, Idaho, Maine, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin).
Then we consulted the jealousy ranking included in WalletHub’s Most Sinful States index. To measure jealousy, they evaluated data for three metrics: thefts per capita, identity-theft complaints per capita, and fraud and other complaints per capita. States were then ranked from 1 (the most jealous) to 50 (the least jealous).
Lastly, we looked at occupational data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that revealed how much private investigators earn in each state (data was unavailable for six states, which is indicated with “N/A”). The more valued these types of detectives are, the more jealous people in the state may be, as they are often hired by distrusting spouses or suspecting business associates.
Finally, we gave each metric a weighted value before running them through our exclusive algorithm to see how each state scored on our 100-point scale Jealousy Index. Read on to discover the most jealous state in America and find out how your state stacks up in comparison.
And for the place where people are most likely to lose their temper, This Is the Angriest State in America.
50 | North Dakota
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 328.1
WalletHub jealousy rank: 46
Average private investigator salary: N/A
Jealousy Index Score: 0.00
49 | Minnesota
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 524.9
WalletHub jealousy rank: 37
Average private investigator salary: N/A
Jealousy Index Score: 16.60
48 | Wyoming
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 587.5
WalletHub jealousy rank: 45
Average private investigator salary: N/A
Jealousy Index Score: 17.90
47 | Hawaii
iStockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 536.8
WalletHub jealousy rank: 28
Average private investigator salary: N/A
Jealousy Index Score: 20.70
46 | Vermont
Shutterstock/Katherine WellesStalker victims per 10,000 people: 689.1
WalletHub jealousy rank: 50
Average private investigator salary: N/A
Jealousy Index Score: 22.90
45 | Montana
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 580.1
WalletHub jealousy rank: 27
Average private investigator salary: N/A
Jealousy Index Score: 24.00
44 | Indiana
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 519.9
WalletHub jealousy rank: 34
Average private investigator salary: $42,430
Jealousy Index Score: 44.40
43 | Massachusetts
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 515.1
WalletHub jealousy rank: 42.00
Average private investigator salary: $52,140
Jealousy Index Score: 47.40
42 | New Hampshire
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 448.6
WalletHub jealousy rank: 38
Average private investigator salary: $58,110
Jealousy Index Score: 48.10
41 | South Dakota
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 633.0
WalletHub jealousy rank: 49
Average private investigator salary: $46,200
Jealousy Index Score: 49.00
40 | Virginia
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 468.6
WalletHub jealousy rank: 31
Average private investigator salary: $55,610
Jealousy Index Score: 50.40
39 | Iowa
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 592.7
WalletHub jealousy rank: 47
Average private investigator salary: $52,470
Jealousy Index Score: 51.00
38 | Connecticut
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 490.8
WalletHub jealousy rank: 32
Average private investigator salary: $58,010
Jealousy Index Score: 53.10
37 | Rhode Island
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 556.9
WalletHub jealousy rank: 36
Average private investigator salary: $58,900
Jealousy Index Score: 56.70
36 | North Carolina
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 535.8
WalletHub jealousy rank: 17
Average private investigator salary: $52,530
Jealousy Index Score: 58.10
35 | Louisiana
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 548.5
WalletHub jealousy rank: 11
Average private investigator salary: $49,270
Jealousy Index Score: 59.10
34 | Illinois
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 533.5
WalletHub jealousy rank: 23
Average private investigator salary: $58,710
Jealousy Index Score: 59.70
33 | Alaska
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 519.4
WalletHub jealousy rank: 20
Average private investigator salary: $58,820
Jealousy Index Score: 59.90
32 | Wisconsin
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 793.5
WalletHub jealousy rank: 44
Average private investigator salary: $44,480
Jealousy Index Score: 60.60
31 | Georgia
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 488.8
WalletHub jealousy rank: 1
Average private investigator salary: $52,630
Jealousy Index Score: 60.80
30 | Michigan
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 630.8
WalletHub jealousy rank: 19
Average private investigator salary: $48,040
Jealousy Index Score: 60.90
29 | Pennsylvania
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 742.1
WalletHub jealousy rank: 35
Average private investigator salary: $47,940
Jealousy Index Score: 62.60
28 | Ohio
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 668.1
WalletHub jealousy rank: 24
Average private investigator salary: $49,470
Jealousy Index Score: 62.60
27 | Kansas
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 621.3
WalletHub jealousy rank: 25
Average private investigator salary: $55,380
Jealousy Index Score: 62.80
26 | Colorado
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 583.5
WalletHub jealousy rank: 14
Average private investigator salary: $53,670
Jealousy Index Score: 63.20
25 | Maryland
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 516.1
WalletHub jealousy rank: 13
Average private investigator salary: $61,730
Jealousy Index Score: 64.10
24 | Arkansas
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 626.3
WalletHub jealousy rank: 21
Average private investigator salary: $55,720
Jealousy Index Score: 64.80
23 | Nebraska
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 837.5
WalletHub jealousy rank: 40
Average private investigator salary: $45,040
Jealousy Index Score: 65.30
22 | New Jersey
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 605.7
WalletHub jealousy rank: 30
Average private investigator salary: $63,970
Jealousy Index Score: 65.40
21 | New York
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 693.4
WalletHub jealousy rank: 33
Average private investigator salary: $59,100
Jealousy Index Score: 67.10
20 | Mississippi
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 702.2
WalletHub jealousy rank: 26
Average private investigator salary: $54,350
Jealousy Index Score: 67.20
19 | Alabama
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 611.8
WalletHub jealousy rank: 12
Average private investigator salary: $57,140
Jealousy Index Score: 68.00
18 | Utah
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 645.7
WalletHub jealousy rank: 29
Average private investigator salary: $64,440
Jealousy Index Score: 68.80
17 | Delaware
iStockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 503.2
WalletHub jealousy rank: 4
Average private investigator salary: $65,610
Jealousy Index Score: 69.00
16 | Arizona
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 503.2
WalletHub jealousy rank: 4
Average private investigator salary: $65,610
Jealousy Index Score: 69.00
15 | West Virginia
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 954.2
WalletHub jealousy rank: 43
Average private investigator salary: $42,290
Jealousy Index Score: 70.40
14 | Texas
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 641.5
WalletHub jealousy rank: 8
Average private investigator salary: $56,190
Jealousy Index Score: 70.90
And for the place where things aren't always on the up and up, This Is the Most Corrupt State in America.
13 | Washington
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 613.3
WalletHub jealousy rank: 16
Average private investigator salary: $63,750
Jealousy Index Score: 70.90
12 | South Carolina
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 642.9
WalletHub jealousy rank: 5
Average private investigator salary: $54,410
Jealousy Index Score: 70.90
11 | Florida
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 768.7
WalletHub jealousy rank: 2
Average private investigator salary: $41,750
Jealousy Index Score: 72.40
And for more exclusive state guides and rankings delivered to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
10 | Idaho
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 808.5
WalletHub jealousy rank: 41
Average private investigator salary: $60,130
Jealousy Index Score: 72.50
9 | Kentucky
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 881.9
WalletHub jealousy rank: 39
Average private investigator salary: $51,050
Jealousy Index Score: 72.50
8 | Oklahoma
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 892.1
WalletHub jealousy rank: 22
Average private investigator salary: $44,180
Jealousy Index Score: 75.00
7 | Maine
Joseph Sohm/ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 952.2
WalletHub jealousy rank: 48
Average private investigator salary: $53,080
Jealousy Index Score: 75.30
6 | Tennessee
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 698.5
WalletHub jealousy rank: 9
Average private investigator salary: $57,960
Jealousy Index Score: 75.50
5 | Oregon
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 865.4
WalletHub jealousy rank: 15
Average private investigator salary: $57,380
Jealousy Index Score: 84.20
4 | Missouri
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 940.1
WalletHub jealousy rank: 18
Average private investigator salary: $60,890
Jealousy Index Score: 90.40
3 | California
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 804.8
WalletHub jealousy rank: 6
Average private investigator salary: $68,570
Jealousy Index Score: 90.50
And for the place where people cheat the most, check out This Is the Most Adulterous State in America.
2 | New Mexico
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 930.0
WalletHub jealousy rank: 7
Average private investigator salary: $57,200
Jealousy Index Score: 91.40
1 | Nevada
ShutterstockStalker victims per 10,000 people: 970.7
WalletHub jealousy rank: 3
Average private investigator salary: $64,200
Jealousy Index Score: 100.00
And for the area that's not known for being active, check out This Is the Laziest State in America.
