Monday, November 27, 2017

2016’s Most Sinful Cities in America

Posted by: Richie Bernardo

Las Vegas isn’t the only sinful place in America. In other cities, bad things happen and stay there, too. From beer-loving Milwaukee to hedonistic New Orleans, the U.S. is filled with people behaving badly. No place is innocent. We all have demons. But luckily for the saints among us, all American vices are not created — or distributed — equally.

So in order to identify the darkest corners of America, WalletHub’s data crunchers compared the 150 most populated U.S. cities across 27 key indicators of evil deeds. Our data set ranges from “violent crimes per capita” to “excessive drinking” to “potential cheaters.” Scroll down to see the baddest of the bad cities, expert recommendations for overcoming humanity’s devilish nature and a full description of how we ranked the cities.

  1. Main Findings
  2. Ask the Experts
  3. Methodology

Main Findings

Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/29846/geochart.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2k6dZs1;  

Most Sinful Cities in America

Overall Rank

City

WalletHub Vice Index

‘Anger & Hatred’ Rank

‘Jealousy’ Rank

‘Excesses & Vices’ Rank

‘Avarice’ Rank

‘Lust’ Rank

‘Vanity’ Rank

‘Laziness’ Rank
1 Las Vegas, NV 62.64 42 51 43 2 2 5 20
2 St. Louis, MO 59.00 2 2 1 42 115 12 45
3 Cincinnati, OH 57.03 19 45 6 16 7 14 41
4 Orlando, FL 56.69 50 5 79 141 1 4 19
5 Springfield, MO 54.81 5 10 28 131 6 19 44
6 Miami, FL 52.76 87 3 135 96 3 13 33
7 Richmond, VA 52.68 128 42 9 79 4 3 68
8 Baton Rouge, LA 52.60 14 88 20 21 55 22 1
9 Pittsburgh, PA 52.09 61 105 10 18 24 6 63
10 New Orleans, LA 51.92 27 81 2 10 38 71 7
11 Cleveland, OH 51.84 13 8 17 24 18 55 37
12 Tampa, FL 51.33 98 30 41 84 5 9 39
13 Knoxville, TN 50.75 38 52 25 114 28 8 21
14 Reno, NV 50.67 43 92 31 1 45 27 57
15 Scottsdale, AZ 50.30 134 86 112 34 29 1 103
16 North Las Vegas, NV 49.66 46 67 43 2 112 35 18
17 Akron, OH 49.64 23 63 22 26 34 29 25
18 Toledo, OH 49.19 26 80 5 20 32 100 5
19 Tacoma, WA 49.12 30 21 23 13 49 32 115
20 Shreveport, LA 48.86 12 66 12 55 69 49 3
21 Jackson, MS 48.29 47 41 66 14 16 88 9
22 Detroit, MI 48.19 1 28 13 50 97 147 32
23 Spokane, WA 48.14 53 15 36 15 70 23 126
24 Salt Lake City, UT 47.40 3 14 115 147 114 2 145
25 Little Rock, AR 47.00 15 23 33 128 54 43 29
26 Mobile, AL 46.92 77 90 15 120 67 16 4
27 Grand Rapids, MI 46.91 6 146 34 105 31 18 83
28 Philadelphia, PA 46.87 62 62 3 49 13 135 30
29 Baltimore, MD 46.74 24 7 4 87 51 132 50
30 Henderson, NV 46.65 89 82 43 2 75 56 38
31 Birmingham, AL 46.42 35 24 37 133 144 11 28
32 Fayetteville, NC 46.19 88 50 24 123 20 39 22
33 Atlanta, GA 45.89 76 9 113 134 73 7 54
34 Fort Lauderdale, FL 45.85 65 1 125 138 139 10 10
35 Portland, OR 45.37 66 22 77 25 25 37 114
36 Buffalo, NY 45.27 51 83 75 70 15 58 26
37 Chattanooga, TN 45.22 54 36 55 137 88 24 27
38 Sacramento, CA 44.98 36 65 108 47 27 25 118
39 Rochester, NY 44.60 92 103 72 97 11 21 65
40 Kansas City, MO 44.52 7 40 40 80 40 117 107
41 Tallahassee, FL 44.44 57 13 46 146 63 31 36
42 Anchorage, AK 44.35 4 87 14 64 111 90 134
43 St. Paul, MN 44.31 45 107 58 11 36 45 127
44 St. Petersburg, FL 44.13 20 4 27 139 143 57 23
45 Louisville, KY 43.85 31 89 8 101 136 51 24
46 Vancouver, WA 43.70 71 72 53 66 146 15 130
47 Huntsville, AL 43.59 72 71 73 102 47 36 6
48 Houston, TX 43.34 44 39 123 71 9 74 84
49 Denver, CO 43.33 74 54 52 41 19 62 140
50 Tucson, AZ 43.25 37 20 86 112 58 53 56
51 Augusta, GA 43.19 69 48 29 143 41 69 14
52 Tulsa, OK 43.15 25 37 38 126 82 70 49
53 Nashville, TN 42.96 9 61 18 127 107 95 42
54 Tempe, AZ 42.92 104 34 90 61 57 42 43
55 Indianapolis, IN 42.85 18 59 7 140 65 87 67
56 Wichita, KS 42.79 21 85 54 76 66 77 75
57 Providence, RI 42.78 122 126 83 8 46 78 12
58 Columbus, OH 42.65 59 56 42 35 74 101 51
59 Bakersfield, CA 42.64 48 106 21 94 48 50 59
60 Minneapolis, MN 42.60 90 76 82 9 134 28 110
60 Amarillo, TX 42.60 16 118 71 129 44 64 53
62 Madison, WI 42.14 41 119 48 48 30 40 141
63 Oklahoma City, OK 41.75 34 84 35 132 68 83 34
64 Milwaukee, WI 41.68 8 27 76 122 116 102 109
65 Glendale, AZ 41.68 91 25 90 83 33 85 60
66 Albuquerque, NM 41.61 22 26 63 108 90 91 108
67 Austin, TX 41.51 86 60 106 57 12 46 143
68 Memphis, TN 41.28 33 16 50 148 84 127 16
69 Sioux Falls, SD 41.24 11 144 69 17 128 54 136
70 Jacksonville, FL 41.17 63 18 19 149 59 98 40
71 Newport News, VA 41.13 95 95 16 36 87 75 73
72 Omaha, NE 41.10 29 100 32 72 83 59 132
73 Norfolk, VA 41.00 83 75 11 36 53 115 102
74 Arlington, TX 40.83 81 38 97 58 26 105 86
75 Worcester, MA 40.50 107 129 107 5 85 61 61
76 Seattle, WA 40.40 94 29 139 56 8 68 138
77 Phoenix, AZ 40.23 60 53 90 121 14 128 77
78 Stockton, CA 39.95 32 74 68 51 109 126 95
79 Lexington-Fayette, KY 39.92 49 136 26 142 35 48 69
80 Newark, NJ 39.74 100 43 130 6 61 148 13
81 Modesto, CA 39.62 79 94 60 40 86 52 125
82 Lubbock, TX 39.60 28 69 57 136 72 97 70
83 Lincoln, NE 39.31 17 143 47 98 99 84 111
84 San Bernardino, CA 39.22 39 58 101 43 108 138 66
85 Montgomery, AL 39.10 116 33 62 145 64 86 2
86 Riverside, CA 38.90 112 108 84 43 77 66 71
87 Boise, ID 38.73 10 121 89 107 100 47 150
88 San Francisco, CA 38.71 105 19 145 81 17 26 149
89 Dallas, TX 38.62 56 32 120 117 39 80 116
90 Overland Park, KS 38.54 78 114 114 22 118 62 93
91 Raleigh, NC 38.47 101 44 104 100 98 67 48
92 Fresno, CA 38.19 68 93 96 93 37 108 92
93 Chicago, IL 38.10 75 97 122 73 23 112 98
94 Port St. Lucie, FL 38.04 92 70 49 130 123 109 15
95 Virginia Beach, VA 38.01 117 122 59 36 106 65 101
96 Colorado Springs, CO 37.85 40 55 99 88 80 81 146
97 Pembroke Pines, FL 37.85 146 12 117 113 149 94 8
98 Peoria, AZ 37.84 120 96 74 111 101 104 74
99 Mesa, AZ 37.82 85 78 90 61 103 120 62
100 Aurora, CO 37.80 64 73 100 54 56 134 122
101 Charlotte, NC 37.57 108 49 110 106 78 73 85
102 Des Moines, IA 37.39 97 130 30 60 96 99 123
103 San Diego, CA 37.35 115 125 129 78 10 38 148
104 Cape Coral, FL 37.25 80 98 65 135 102 123 31
105 Fort Worth, TX 37.23 70 35 80 124 94 119 100
106 Winston-Salem, NC 37.17 84 46 67 77 142 92 46
107 Columbus, GA 37.13 82 31 56 150 122 96 52
108 Honolulu, HI 37.09 130 147 128 52 43 33 81
109 Boston, MA 36.95 147 127 132 12 22 106 55
110 Chandler, AZ 36.81 132 91 90 85 81 89 88
111 Corpus Christi, TX 36.77 52 142 51 67 60 141 129
112 Greensboro, NC 36.58 113 110 78 109 105 93 58
113 Santa Rosa, CA 36.55 58 124 124 63 148 20 147
114 Oakland, CA 36.42 55 17 142 75 125 79 121
115 Gilbert, AZ 36.31 140 112 90 118 79 72 77
116 Fort Wayne, IN 36.23 73 140 39 144 92 44 96
117 Durham, NC 36.14 99 101 109 33 124 107 76
118 Chesapeake, VA 35.90 103 111 64 36 130 110 113
119 Washington, DC 35.78 142 6 119 82 113 116 120
120 San Antonio, TX 35.51 67 64 81 89 137 124 106
121 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 35.48 145 133 101 92 95 41 87
122 Garland, TX 35.37 106 47 98 116 131 129 97
123 Fontana, CA 35.08 125 134 101 43 110 142 82
124 Grand Prairie, TX 34.88 119 68 87 58 104 146 99
125 Moreno Valley, CA 34.86 127 109 84 95 129 130 71
126 Ontario, CA 34.66 131 116 111 43 93 136 91
127 El Paso, TX 34.66 96 150 88 69 52 144 64
128 Hialeah, FL 34.50 148 11 136 125 117 137 17
129 Laredo, TX 34.48 126 148 70 23 50 150 105
130 Jersey City, NJ 34.00 121 139 141 6 120 145 35
131 New York, NY 33.88 135 141 143 110 42 113 11
132 Oxnard, CA 33.82 109 77 118 68 126 122 131
133 Huntington Beach, CA 33.74 136 120 137 86 147 17 133
134 Long Beach, CA 33.62 110 99 140 90 91 76 94
135 Oceanside, CA 33.55 114 113 116 74 76 111 144
136 Plano, TX 33.42 141 79 134 119 121 30 128
137 Los Angeles, CA 33.29 123 117 146 103 21 114 89
138 Irving, TX 33.27 137 57 127 115 62 131 117
139 Aurora, IL 32.89 118 134 61 53 150 143 80
140 Anaheim, CA 32.35 111 104 131 27 119 133 124
141 Santa Clarita, CA 32.18 150 138 126 27 138 82 104
142 Glendale, CA 31.39 149 131 148 27 145 34 79
143 Irvine, CA 31.25 143 137 144 27 89 60 137
144 Santa Ana, CA 31.21 102 123 133 27 135 139 119
145 Garden Grove, CA 31.18 124 115 138 27 141 118 112
146 Chula Vista, CA 30.79 129 132 121 65 133 140 142
147 Brownsville, TX 30.57 139 149 105 91 71 149 90
148 Yonkers, NY 28.98 138 145 147 104 140 103 47
149 Fremont, CA 28.33 144 102 149 19 132 125 135
150 San Jose, CA 26.43 133 128 150 99 127 121 139

Artwork-2016’s Most Sinful Cities-v4

Ask the Experts

The sins people commit every day lead many to wonder what incites them, whether certain evil acts are worse than others and how people can conquer their inner demons. These are among the puzzling questions we posed to a panel of experts whose bios and thoughts on the following key questions can be found below.

  1. To what extent is sinful behavior innate versus influenced by your surroundings?
  2. What makes some cities more sinful than others? Laws? Culture?
  3. Why do some cities have more cheaters than others?
  4. Is cheating within marriage becoming more or less common over time?
  5. Should government play a role in trying to reduce greed and consumerism?
  6. What are some effective strategies for combating addiction and domestic violence?
< > Amanda Miller Associate Professor of Sociology, Director of the MA in Applied Sociology and Facilitator for the Faculty Learning & Design Studio at University of Indianapolis Amanda Miller To what extent is sinful behavior innate versus influenced by your surroundings? As a sociologist, I leave the question of whether sin is innate to the theologians. In my field, we spend most of our time examining how one’s surroundings influence their behaviors. For example, if the social norms of a location dictate that certain behavior is acceptable, you might be more willing to engage in that behavior. In fact, that behavior may not be considered “sinful” at all. What we consider “sinful” is socially constructed. That means each social group and society creates its own definition, often to meet a particular social or historical need. Smoking marijuana in Portland, for example, certainly would not be considered sinful by most; it would be seen no differently than buying alcohol. However, in the Philippians, possession of a single joint is considered so harmful by those in power that it could result in over a decade in prison. What makes some cities more sinful than others? Laws? Culture? When I think of “sin” I often think of “deviance” though the two are not necessarily synonymous. In large part, the culture can play a role in setting norms of what is or is not acceptable. However, other factors matter as well. For example, when people feel less attached to their communities or foresee few achievable positive alternatives, they are more likely to turn to deviant behavior. Why do some cities have more cheaters than others? I would argue that demographics play a huge role in why some cities have more incidences of infidelity than others. Whisman and Snyder, for example, find that infidelity is more common among those who are younger. There are also relationships between infidelity and ethnicity. Further, cohabiting couples are more likely to be unfaithful than those who are married. A young, diverse city with a high proportion of cohabiting young adults, then, would likely have more infidelity than would a city full of older, married adults. It is not that living in Tampa, Florida discourages infidelity while living in Columbus, Ohio encourages it; it is that the kinds of people (e.g., older, married) who choose to live in Tampa would be less likely to cheat regardless of where they lived. Is cheating within marriage becoming more or less common over time? Infidelity seems to have increased over time, but there may be several reasons which make that answer more complicated than it first seems. First, infidelity is generally viewed negatively, but, not unlike divorce, social norms about infidelity have changed such that we no view the behavior as negatively as we once did. That means that more individuals may be willing to admit to being unfaithful than did in previous surveys. Second, we live longer than we once did. “Till death do us part” is a much weightier prospect with an average lifespan of 75+ than one of 50. There is simply more time in which to cheat. Finally, with the rise of more married women in the workforce, there is a greater opportunity to meet prospective mates than in the past, particularly for heterosexual individuals. In all, then, it might not be that we are more unfaithful than ever because something has shifted in our cultural morality, but rather that we are more honest about our shortcomings and have more opportunities in which to engage in extra-marital affairs. Should government play a role in trying to reduce greed and consumerism? Personally, I think the government has no business legislating individual morality. We can see numerous examples of government overreach throughout history and around the world (where individuals are put to death for infidelity, for example.) However, the American Government does play a role in trying to reduce greed, at least, on a larger scale through things like anti-trust laws. We see an example of this at the present through the bipartisan questioning of the Time Warner-AT&T merger in the Senate Judiciary Committee. And, an entire agency, the Office of Government Ethics is tasked with promoting ethical compliance within the executive branch (the House and Senate have their own committees as well.) Although such actions may not directly reduce greed and consumerism, they certainly keep ethical issues a part of governmental conversation. What are some effective strategies for combating addiction and domestic violence? The first step to combating addiction and domestic violence is to ensure that there is adequate funding for doing so at all levels - social services, policing, drug treatment facilities, and supportive services for those in recovery or who have left abusive relationships. Second, we need to view both addiction and domestic violence as public health issues, rather than as moral failings. Finally, we should recognize that both issues are long-term and that relapse or returning to one’s abuser are very often a part of the process; neither means that the affected individual is weak as multiple attempts are extremely common. Stigmatizing those with additions or in violent relationships only does them further harm and leads to more of the behaviors we are trying to help them avoid. Ashley Thompson Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Ashley Thompson To what extent is sinful behavior innate versus influenced by your surroundings? The classic nature vs nurture question. Because I am shaped by my interdisciplinary background, I am going to give my stereotypical psychologist response: "it is both, nature and nurture work simultaneously at shaping who we are as well as our sexual behavior and desires." Like almost all types of human behavior, sex and sexual desire is complex. Contemporary psychologists now agree that heredity and the environment do not act independently. Both our genetics and our surroundings are essential for any behavior (including sexual behavior). It is impossible to separate the two influences because nature and nurture are not distinct, rather they interact in a complex manner. For example, sex drive in men and women is partially explained by testosterone levels. Thus, some may argue that sex drive can entirely be explained by one's biology or genetics. However, we also know that certain environments foster sexual experimentation and the manifestation of sexual behavior. For example, although a man may be born with high levels of testosterone, that does not mean he will act on his sexual desires unless he thrives in an environment that promotes those desires. What makes some cities more sinful than others? Laws? Culture? I would argue this depends on your definition of "sinful." For example, some cities/countries may consider certain sexual behaviors to be "immoral" or "unconventional" that other cities/countries simultaneously define as "commonplace." For example, nonmonogamy may be common place in some polygamous cultures, however, western cultures (like the U.S.) highly stigmatize these behaviors and consider them to be "immoral" (Conley et al., 2013). In essence, the word "sinful" is culturally defined. The determination of what behaviors are "sinful" is largely determined by the customs adopted by the culture defining it. This (I would argue) is why sinful behaviors vary greatly. In particular, people's perceptions of "sinful" likely vary based on the culture with which they are being performed as well as the person judging the behavior. Why do some cities have more cheaters than others? First of all, I was not aware that some cities had more "cheaters" than others. However, certain cities may be more susceptible to cheating than others due to their size. For example, according to my research (Thompson & O'Sullivan, 2016) many behaviors commonly occurring online (e.g., viewing pornography, masturbating over webcam, sending sexts, browsing singles websites) are judged as infidelity (by many). Considering that larger cities provide a wider range of online options (more tinder profiles, etc.) it could be that people from larger cities have more opportunities to engage in infidelity (both with and without the use of technology). Conversely, it could also relate to the behaviors incorporated into people's conceptualization of infidelity. In more conservative cities and cultures (smaller/rural cities), people may define more benign behaviors (flirting, buying someone a drink, masturbating) as infidelity as compared to more permissive cities (larger cities - San Francisco). Thus, people may be more likely to blame their partner for cheating in conservative areas (as compared to permissive areas) because their definitions are more inclusive (i.e., they judge a wider range of behaviors as cheating). Is cheating within marriage becoming more or less common over time? There is very little research on infidelity prior to the last 3-4 decades. Consequently, trends in rates of infidelity are hard to assess. However, there is some research suggesting that rates of infidelity may have increased over the past few decades. Although this might be true, I would argue that occurrences of infidelity may not be becoming more commonplace but that researchers are doing a better job of assessing them. For example, very early research examining infidelity often only assessed sexual infidelity (i.e., extra-dyadic sexual intercourse), whereas recent research is taking a more comprehensive approach by using people's own definitions of infidelity to determine if they have "cheated" or not. So, let's say that an individual defines masturbating over webcam as infidelity. If they have experience with a partner who has masturbated over webcam, then we could conclude that they have experience with infidelity. However, previous research would have overlooked this occurrence of infidelity, thus the prevalence of infidelity would have been largely underestimated. Brian J. Willoughby Associate Professor in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University Brian J. Willoughby To what extent is sinful behavior innate versus influenced by your surroundings? First, it is important to define what “sinful” means. Taken outside of a strictly religious context, we generally refer to sinful behavior as behavior that fall outside of the normative or moral code within our society. With that definition in mind, is sinful behavior innate or influenced by surroundings? The answer, as is often the case, is a bit of both. While many might indulge in the nature vs. nurture debate, it seems clear from most empirical scholarship that both innate (personality traits, temperament, etc.) and surroundings (family background, relationship experiences, life events, etc.) influence one’s likelihood of engaging in sinful behavior. For example, one might have a genetic or innate disposition toward the development of an addiction or compulsive behavior, but one’s surroundings might lead that predisposition to be directed toward alcoholism. What makes some cities more sinful than others? Laws? Culture? One of the basic tenants of psychology is that thoughts, values and attitudes often precede behavior. So what would make certain cities or areas of the country more sinful? I would suggest it is the underlying cultural values that define the people that make up a given population. Different regions, urban vs. rural areas, and varying racial and ethnic backgrounds found across different metro areas give different cities different cultural values and, by extension, differing behavioral patterns that may or may not line up with the general cultural norms. Why do some cities have more cheaters than others? In addition to the cultural value differences mentioned above, another important element of cheating is the availability of other potential romantic partners. Some cities, whether through a vibrant night life scene or popular regional events, give people more opportunities to interact and meet others. With more opportunities to interact and meet alterative partners, the “risk” of cheating will go up. Is cheating within marriage becoming more or less common over time? I do not think there is reliable enough data to suggest this in either direction. Cheating is a behavior with strong cultural values tied to it and it is likely often underreported in most survey data. Should government play a role in trying to reduce greed and consumerism? A very loaded question. I think rational people will likely always debate whether specific governmental policies should intervene with an individual’s personal freedom to make their own decisions in regard to money, goods, and other personal behaviors. However, I do believe that any healthy culture and country will hopefully be one where a government is concerned about the collective good and the welfare of its citizens. In other words, governments should be concerned about greed and consumerism (to the extent where such consumerism interferes with decent and moral behavior) in a general and broad way. What the government then does with that concern in terms of specific policies is a much larger debate. What are some effective strategies for combating addiction and domestic violence? One of the first things people can do to help combat addiction, domestic violence, or any other major life stressor is seek out the resources around you. Most regions and cities have many resources that individuals, couples and families might tap into to seek education on a particular issue or invention for personalized help. It is also helpful to approach these issues from a systemic perspective. Rather than a personal problem, explore how this might be resolved at the individual, couple, family, or even community level. Finally, believe in the greater good in humanity. Research suggests that any hardship can be generally overcome with the right resources and attitude, believe in the power of resiliency in your own life and work toward that goal. Emily Huddart Kennedy Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Washington State University Emily Huddart Kennedy To what extent is sinful behavior innate versus influenced by your surroundings? My research has shown that environmental impact (e.g., carbon footprint, engagement in household "green" practices like recycling and buying organic products) is shaped more by context than it is by anything innate. For example, a study I conducted compared "green behaviors" of suburban residents to urban residents. Suburban residents scored lower, even though their levels of concern for the environment were the same. But living in a suburb makes it harder to buy green products if they aren't available in the local store, commute by bike or transit, and live with fewer than two vehicles. That's why it's so important that cities take on initiatives to make sustainable living the "default option" if we really want to get serious about using fewer resources (e.g., water, energy). What makes some cities more sinful than others? Laws? Culture? Both, likely. Policies to discourage the construction of extremely large homes ("McMansion ordinances") and encourage, or incentivize, energy efficiency upgrades likely reduce the energy footprint of the residential sector. Likewise, a culture that encourages cycling and walking will make it feel more normal for people to leave their car at home to get to work. Should government play a role in trying to reduce greed and consumerism? Yes, my research suggests so. Data on household environmental impact show that people impact the environment much more by going about their daily lives (working, taking kids to school, taking a vacation to relax, or traveling for work) than they do through senseless consumerism. So if local and state governments can ease the financial burden of making the "greener" choice when it comes to travel and housing, the impact of the residential sector would be much lower. Pepper Schwartz Professor of Sociology at the University of Washington Pepper Schwartz To what extent is sinful behavior innate versus influenced by your surroundings? Everything in life is contextual. While we could argue about the meaning of the word "sin" (I think of it in an ironic way about eroticized behavior and environments), obviously there are places that are organized around illegal or semi-illegal behavior (i.e., lap dancing but not fondling or sexual intercourse) that have a feel to them that more or less says, “Why would you be here if you weren’t going to indulge in sinful behavior?” What makes some cities more sinful than others? Laws? Culture? Both. Take Amsterdam for example. The culture is permissive in general, for example, besides legalized prostitution they allowed lawful use of Marijuana way before most other cities and countries. Then, whether the law allows something - or allows something by not enforcing those laws (for example, there are southern cities in the United States that still have sodomy laws but they do not enforce them.) However, enforcement depends on culture. If the citizens were screaming for enforcement, the enforcement would happen more and more effectively. Thus, many cities have a desultory approach to pornography until, let’s say, a shop selling pornography moves into a residential neighborhood and the neighborhood goes crazy and pickets the place. Then you get enforcement pretty quickly. Why do some cities have more cheaters than others? If there are more cheaters it’s probably because there are more people, more anonymous places to go, fewer people you know who would see you (and tell your spouse or partner), and fewer laws that would punish you for cheating with real penalties. The penalty for adultery in Saudi Arabia is usually death - that's pretty discouraging. In Georgia, the person who cheats pays more money in a divorce settlement (it is not a no fault divorce state.) In New York - no problem. Is cheating within marriage becoming more or less common over time? It is still not the majority of marriages, but the data seems to indicate that whereas it used to be much more common for men to cheat, now the sexes are more alike, and cheating (sex outside of marriage when there is a vow and understanding that it would be a major violation of the relationship) seems to occur somewhat earlier. If that remains true, sheer increase in numbers of people (i.e., more women) would mean that cheating is becoming more common. Should government play a role in trying to reduce greed and consumerism? This is too much of a jump cut for me - but try doing much about that in a capitalist society. Nonetheless, some very progressive cities are trying to do that. Seattle, for example, has some new legislation pending that would curb the amount of money a landlord could ask for in terms of last months’ rent, damage deposits, etc. Many cities have rent control. Income taxes are graduated for that reason. So there is a lot going on but it is not in the anti-greed camp but more about equity of sacrifice, and contribution to running government, or allowing people to have housing, etc.

Methodology

In order to determine the most sinful cities in America, WalletHub’s number crunchers compared the 150 most populated cities across seven key dimensions: 1) Anger & Hatred, 2) Jealousy, 3) Excesses & Vices, 4) Avarice, 5) Lust, 6) Vanity and 7) Laziness.

We examined these dimensions using 27 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the highest level of sinfulness. Please note that data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available at the state level only.

Finally, we calculated the overall score, or WalletHub Vice Index, for each city based on its weighted average across all metrics and used the resulting scores to rank the cities accordingly.

Anger & Hatred – Total Points: 14.3
  • Violent Crimes per Capita: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
  • Sex Offenders per Capita: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
  • Bullying Rate*: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
  • Suicide Rate: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
Jealousy – Total Points: 14.3
  • Thefts per Capita: Full Weight (~4.76 Points)
  • Identity-Theft Complaints per Capita: Full Weight (~4.76 Points)
  • Fraud & Other Complaints per Capita: Full Weight (~4.76 Points)
Excesses & Vices – Total Points: 14.3
  • Percentage of Obese Adults: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Excessive Drinking: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)Note: This metric measures the age-adjusted prevalence of binge and heavy drinking among the adults population.
  • Percentage of Adult Smokers: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Drug Overdose Deaths: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)Note: “Drug Overdose Deaths” refers to the number of deaths due to drug poisoning per 100,000 residents.
  • Debt-to-Income Ratio: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
Avarice – Total Points: 14.3
  • Number of Casinos per Capita: Full Weight (~4.76 Points)
  • Charitable Donations as a Percentage of Income: Full Weight (~4.76 Points)
  • Percentage of Residents with Gambling Disorders*: Full Weight (~4.76 Points)
Lust – Total Points: 14.3
  • Potential Cheaters: Double Weight (~5.71 Points)Note: Number of Ashley Madison Users per Capita
  • Adult-Entertainment Establishments per Capita: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Teen Births Rate: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)Note: “Teen Births Rate” refers to the number of births per 1,000 female residents aged 15 to 19.
  • “Most Active Tinder Users” Ranking: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
Vanity – Total Points: 14.3
  • Beauty Salons per Capita: Full Weight (~4.76 Points)
  • Tanning Salons per Capita: Full Weight (~4.76 Points)
  • Plastic Surgeons per Capita: Full Weight (~4.76 Points)
Laziness – Total Points: 14.3
  • Percentage of Adults Who Do Not Exercise: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Mean Hours Worked: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Volunteer Rate: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • Average Daily Time Spent Watching TV*: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
  • High School Dropout Rate: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)Note: This metric was adjusted by the poverty rate.

 

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Advameg, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Trade Commission, County Health Rankings, TransUnion, Yelp, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, National Council on Problem Gambling, Corporation for National and Community Service, Carto and Tinder.



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