Haters Gonna Hate
Hate might be a strong word, but it’s the exact one used in this study, which ranked all 50 states based on how “hated” they are by other Americans—both the people who live there and the ones who definitely don’t. So where does your state land on the list? And more importantly, do you think the reputation is fair?
Methodology
So, how was the "hate" calculated? Well, a state's overall ranking was determined by three factors:
1: The percent of residents who say the state is the “worst possible state to live in”
2: The states with the biggest decrease in population
3: Nationwide, the number of other states who say they hate a state the most
Least Hated
Before we get into all the "hate", let's take a look at the 10 least hated states in the union. And they are...
1: Colorado
2: Utah
3: Montana
4: Idaho
5: Minnesota
6: New Hampshire
7: Maine
8: Washington
9: Wyoming
10: Arizona
Aerial Film Studio, Adobe Stock
No One Hates Colorado
Remember the third metric: "Nationwide, the number of other states who say they hate a state the most".
Well, none of the other 49 states said that they hated Colorado. Just one reason why they are the least hated state in the country.
40 To 31
We have the full stats for the top 10 most hated states, but for the rest we have just their position in the rankings. So, working our way down to the top 10, here are states 40 to 31.
40: Georgia
39: Delaware
38: Oregon
37: Texas
36: Nevada
35: North Carolina
34: North Dakota
33: Tennessee
32: Wisconsin
31: Indiana
30 To 21
The 30th to 21st most hated states are:
30: Iowa
29: Arkansas
28: South Carolina
27: Florida
26: South Dakota
25: Pennsylvania
24: Nebraska
23: Missouri
22: Virginia
21: Vermont
20 To 11
Have you seen your state on the list yet? Well, there's one more group to go before we hit those top 10 most hated states. Here are 20 to 11:
20: Oklahoma
19: New Mexico
18: Kansas
17: Hawaii
16: Rhode Island
15: Maryland
14: Alaska
13: Alabama
12: Ohio
11: Louisiana
Alaska might be pretty high on the "hated" list, but it definitely isn't because of residents of the state...
Alaskan's Love Alaska
Alaska must have made up ground in the other two categories, because a whopping 77% of Alaskans say they’re proud of their state—more than residents of any other state in the country.
10: Kentucky
% Of Residents Who Say It’s Worst State: 6%
Population Decrease: -0.02%
States That Hate It: 2
10: Kentucky (Cont'd)
Wondering about where the outside hate is coming from? Tennessee and Indiana are the two states that said they "hate" Kentucky the most.
Margaret Burlingham, Adobe Stock
9: Connecticut
% Of Residents Who Say It’s Worst State: 17%
Population Decrease: -0.21%
States That Hate It: 0
9: Connecticut (Cont'd)
Interestingly, none of the other 49 states said they hated Connecticut the most. But it still found itself in the top 10 thanks, in large part, to the 17% of Connecticut residents who called it the “worst possible state to live in". What do the people who live there know that the rest of us don't?
8: Mississippi
The study doesn't provide any stats for Mississippi, but given that it ranked as the sixth worst state to live in on a comprehensive 2024 ranking—that might have something to do with its "hated" status here. Thoughts?
7: Michigan
% Of Residents Who Say It’s Worst State: 9%
Population Decrease: -0.09%
States That Hate It: 1
7: Michigan (Cont'd)
The study doesn’t reveal which single state has the biggest grudge against Michigan—but it’s fun to speculate. Any guesses? It’s also worth noting that while 9% of residents named Michigan the worst state, it still has the second-lowest population decline among the top 10, suggesting plenty of people are sticking around.
6: Massachusetts
% Of Residents Who Say It’s Worst State: 6%
Population Decrease: -0.14%
States That Hate It: 4
6: Massachusetts (Cont'd)
Four states calling it the worst is a lot. It can't all be just people hating the New England Patriots? Can it?
Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
5: California
% Of Residents Who Say It’s Worst State: 6%
Population Decrease: -0.11%
States That Hate It: 9
5: California (Cont'd)
If nine sounds like a lot...it is! California has the most states hating on it in the country. Compare that to some of the lowest resident hate and population decrease numbers.
christophotograph, Adobe Stock
4: West Virginia
% Of Residents Who Say It’s Worst State: 6%
Population Decrease: -0.76%
States That Hate It: 1
4: West Virginia (Cont'd)
Even with the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah River, people are leaving the state at a higher percentage than any other state in the top 10.
3: New York
% Of Residents Who Say It’s Worst State: 12%
Population Decrease: -0.45%
States That Hate It: 1
3: New York (Cont'd)
You might expect most of the “hate” to come from outside the state, but surprisingly, only two states in the top 10 are more disliked by their own residents than New York. And the state that “hates” New York the most? Massachusetts—because some rivalries never go (Yankees vs. Red Sox, anyone?).
2: New Jersey
% Of Residents Who Say It’s Worst State: 10%
Population Decrease: -0.30%
States That Hate It: 5
2: New Jersey (Cont'd)
Jersey Shore didn't do the state any favors—but five other states calling it the worst does surprise us a little. How about you?
1: Illinois
% Of Residents Who Say It’s Worst State: 25%
Population Decrease: -0.54%
States That Hate It: 1
1: Illinois (Cont'd)
Like New York, most of the Illinois "hate" comes from within. We have to admit that 25% of the state's residents calling it the worst place to live is a shockingly high number.
Any Illinois residents out there want to push back on that number?
Hated Vs Best
Remember that "best states to live in" ranking we mentioned earlier? Well, guess what four states are in the top 20: Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.
And not only that...
Number 1
Massachusetts was ranked the number one state to live in!
New Jersey was number 3, New York was number 9 and Illinois—the state where 25% of its residents think it's the worst—was ranked the 16th best state to live in in the entire country.
So What Do You Think?
What do you make of it all? The states that Americans hate? Are your feelings just as strong? Feel free to comment...
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