March 12, 2025 | Jesse Singer

The Most Boring States In America—According To Data


Soooooo Boring

Are you looking for some excitement in your life? Well, you aren't going to find it in any of these states.

At least, according to Zippia, who put out this ranking a few years ago—and based it on these four factors:

1: Percent of the population over 60 (Higher equals more boring)

2: Percent of the population over 15 that is married (Higher equals more boring)

3: Percent of households with kids (Higher equals more boring)

4: Population density (Lower equals more boring)

And the 10 most boring states in the country are....

10: Maine

Population: 1,329,923

Maine "boasts" the second oldest percentage of the population over 60 years old. They do have the lowest percentage of households with kids, though (which probably kept them from behind higher up on the list).

Maine State House Exterior ViewQuintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

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9: Minnesota

Population: 5,450,868

Minnesota didn't rank highest on any of the criteria, but instead was consistently "more boring" in all of them.

Skyline in Saint Paul, United StatesMatt Jones, Wikimedia Commons

8: Montana

Population: 1,023,391

Beautiful landscapes for sure. But an elderly population and not much in the way of entertainment help the state of Montana to find a nice spot on the list.

Photo of Helena, Montana with similar view to that in the 1870 photoRTC, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

7: Utah

Population: 2,948,427

The lowest percentage of people over 60 gave Utah a leg up. However, that leg came right back down to boring Earth with the highest percentage of married people and households with children in America.

The skyline of Salt Lake City, UtahGarrett, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

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6: Iowa

Population: 3,106,589

Iowa has its share of married people with kids, but it's the over 60 population that is the main reason the state finds itself at number six on this list.

The Des Moines River leading to the Des Moines, Iowa skylineTony Webster, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

5: Kansas

Population: 2,898,292

Not taking anything away from the delicious barbecue the state is famous for—but there are only so many ribs and so much pulled pork you can eat before you realize there's nothing much else to do (according to the ranking).

Aerial View of Topeka, Kansas Skyline in the MorningJacob Boomsma, Shutterstock

4: Wyoming

Population: 583,029

The third highest percentage of weddings and the second least-dense population (only Alaska is less densely populated) lead Wyoming up the list to the fourth position.

Wyoming State Capitol building, CheyenneBradlyons, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

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3: Nebraska

Population: 1,881,259

Okay, so a bowl of chili and a cinnamon roll does sound delicious. But according to this ranking, that's the most exciting thing Nebraska has to offer.

Aerial view of the old Haymarket and West Haymarket; as seen from the Que Place GarageHanyou23, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

2: South Dakota

Population: 851,058

Ironically, South Dakota finds itself on the Mount Rushmore of most boring states in America (ironic because Mount Rushmore is in South Dakota—in case you forgot).

Aerial view of Mount Rushmore and buildingsCarol M. Highsmith, Wikimedia Commons

1: Idaho

Population: 1,635,483

Idaho has the second highest percentage of married people and ranked seventh for population density and households with kids. They do have great potatoes though.

Downtown Boise, Idaho on a fall afternoonRobbymilo, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

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The Rest: 11-20

Curious about where all the other states landed in the ranking? Here are 11 through 20:

11: Colorado    

12: Alaska    

13: Arkansas    

14: New Hampshire    

15: Oklahoma    

16: Oregon    

17: Washington    

18: North Dakota    

19: West Virginia    

20: Wisconsin

Downtown Denver ColoradoChris, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

The Rest: 21-30

21: Vermont    

22: Arizona    

23: Texas    

24: Missouri    

25: New Mexico    

26: Nevada    

27: Hawaii    

28: Kentucky    

29: Virginia

30: Tennessee

Downtown of Phoenix AZ from an airplaneMelikamp, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

The Rest: 31-40

31: Indiana    

32: North Carolina    

33: New Jersey    

34: Connecticut    

35: Michigan    

36: Alabama    

37: South Carolina    

38: Mississippi    

39: Ohio    

40: Georgia

Aerial looking east northeast across downtown Indianapolistpsdave, Wikimedia Commons

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The Rest: 41-50

41: Pennsylvania   

42: Delaware    

43: California    

44: Illinois    

45: Florida    

46: Maryland    

47: Louisiana    

48: Massachusetts    

49: Rhode Island    

50: New York

Boston Skyline From Longfellow Bridge - September 2017King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Agree or Disagree?

How do you feel about these rankings? Do they ring true to you or are they so wrong it's boring?

You might also like:

Ranking The Rudest States In America, According To Data

Weird Thanksgiving Traditions Americans Think Are Normal

The 50 Oldest Colleges In America

Areal view of Munjoy Hill in Portland, MaineJeffrey B. Ferland, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons

Sources: 1


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