Washington, you’re so vain, you probably think this article is about you. It is
Washington state residents have a lot to be proud of: Stunning mountains, gorgeous national parks, a rugged coastline, and the best city skyline in America.
The problem is, they seem to have let it all go to their heads: A recent online study found Washington to be among the most vain states in America.
Financial services site WalletHub examined all 50 states “across seven key dimensions” that mirror the Seven Deadly Sins made famous in the 14th Century by Italian author Dante Alighieri and revisited in the 1990s cult film Se7en.
The categories include anger and hatred (wrath), jealousy (envy), excesses and vices (gluttony), greed, lust, vanity (pride) and laziness (sloth).
“We examined those dimensions using 43 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights,” WalletHub wrote.
That included such things as violent crimes per capita, share of population using marijuana, teen birth rates and other factors.
While the Evergreen State was middle of the pack in most categories (and came in No. 20 overall), WalletHub found Washington to be the 10th worst state for “vanity” in the nation.
Washington also was found to be the 11th worst state for “greed.” It ranks fifth in the nation for most thefts per capita.
On the bright side, Washington placed nearly last (No. 40) for “Excesses and Vices.”
Unsurprisingly, Nevada — home of “Sin City” — took first place in WalletHub’s study, and Florida took No. 2. On the virtuous end of the scale, Vermont was listed as the least sinful state. But Green Mountain State residents better not get too cocky; Vermont was ranked No. 9 for “Greed.”
Most Washingtonians likely won’t be bothered much by the “sinful” label. A 2018 Gallup survey found just 28 percent of Washingtonians to be “very religious,” with another 26 percent “moderately religious” and 47 percent identifying as “not religious.”
You can see the full WalletHub report here.
This story was originally published March 1, 2019 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Washington, you’re so vain, you probably think this article is about you. It is."
