Independence Day is the most patriotic national holiday in the United States, but do different states have different levels of patriotism?
While patriotism means different things to different people, a survey by financial website WalletHub decided to find the most patriotic state using weighted metrics such as number of people in the military or who are veterans, volunteerism and civic engagement such as voting rates.
According to the survey, the winner is Virginia. Runner up is Alaska, followed by Wyoming, South Carolina and Idaho. The least patriotic states were New York, Illinois, Rhode Island, New Jersey and Massachusetts.
Virginia was home to eight U.S. presidents, the most of any state. It also has a deep history from colonial times to the Civil War, and is home to several large military bases, including the Pentagon.
“As a native Virginian, I’m not surprised it ranked #1 as the most patriotic state,” said Twitter user Jeanie Allen.
What about iconic American brands? Are some of them more patriotic than others?
A survey from brand consultant Brand Keys says “Yes” in a ranking of the most patriotic American brands.
Automaker Jeep was number one. After that, the survey ranked Coca-Cola, Disney, Ford and American Express as the top five.
