Adam McCann, Financial Writer

Nov 18, 2019

Las Vegas isn’t the only “Sin City” 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 illicitly. No place is innocent. We all have demons.

But at some point, we all have to pay for our vices. Gambling addiction, for instance, leads to over $100 billion in losses for U.S. consumers every year. In 2018, identity theft and fraud took a toll of $14.7 billion. And every year, smoking burns an over $300 billion hole in Uncle Sam’s wallet.

Luckily for the saints among us, all American sins are not created, or distributed, equally. In order to identify the darkest corners of America, WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 39 key indicators of evil deeds. Our data set ranges from violent crimes per capita to excessive drinking to adult entertainment establishments per capita. Read on to see the baddest of the bad cities, the full ranking, and additional insight from a panel of experts.

In addition, to help spread awareness about HIV/AIDS, WalletHub assembled an interesting infographic exploring the impact of the disease as well as what folks are doing to fight back.

Main Findings

Most Sinful Cities in America

Overall Rank* City WalletHub Vice Index ‘Anger & Hatred’ Rank ‘Jealousy’ Rank ‘Excesses & Vices’ Rank ‘Greed’ Rank ‘Lust’ Rank ‘Vanity’ Rank ‘Laziness’ Rank 1 Las Vegas, NV 60.80 22 13 34 9 9 4 5 2 Los Angeles, CA 56.50 34 56 163 103 1 1 61 3 St. Louis, MO 56.17 1 27 1 61 20 28 20 4 Houston, TX 53.87 56 31 88 86 3 5 91 5 Atlanta, GA 53.12 29 1 114 179 4 9 51 6 Philadelphia, PA 52.62 8 76 20 50 6 23 55 7 Chicago, IL 52.18 41 80 74 87 5 6 62 8 New York, NY 51.50 53 147 151 99 2 3 31 9 Miami, FL 51.07 79 7 135 114 21 7 4 10 Denver, CO 50.86 40 64 22 51 8 16 77 11 Orlando, FL 50.62 13 8 57 162 22 11 37 12 North Las Vegas, NV 49.99 103 35 49 9 55 31 3 13 Dallas, TX 48.89 43 22 102 145 10 8 94 14 Baton Rouge, LA 48.29 7 47 18 116 100 37 14 15 Washington, DC 48.27 5 67 33 26 15 54 128 16 New Orleans, LA 48.06 15 21 9 95 16 81 11 17 San Francisco, CA 48.02 70 10 167 96 7 13 92 18 Columbia, SC 47.73 33 6 16 26 145 43 24 19 Cleveland, OH 47.69 11 34 28 111 38 42 19 20 Detroit, MI 47.49 3 18 7 135 26 118 7 21 Baltimore, MD 47.47 9 58 10 109 14 67 40 22 Portland, OR 47.11 93 32 97 21 13 21 165 23 Memphis, TN 46.80 10 4 70 149 31 98 39 24 Phoenix, AZ 46.61 51 59 54 141 11 18 72 25 Charleston, WV 45.40 14 36 38 26 58 126 12 26 Little Rock, AR 45.36 6 17 47 136 66 94 35 27 Cincinnati, OH 45.25 27 71 3 85 112 24 74 28 Tucson, AZ 44.52 36 19 51 143 53 36 44 29 San Diego, CA 44.38 153 137 152 68 18 2 105 30 Wichita, KS 44.27 19 52 101 8 63 63 96 30 Mobile, AL 44.27 57 45 19 26 70 74 41 32 Austin, TX 44.25 82 78 115 71 25 12 147 33 Tampa, FL 44.23 119 97 67 123 12 14 33 33 Henderson, NV 44.23 162 43 105 9 64 71 13 35 Seattle, WA 44.05 30 41 161 59 28 19 177 36 Pittsburgh, PA 43.80 17 121 31 69 113 15 155 37 Shreveport, LA 43.38 37 37 29 106 57 112 10 38 San Antonio, TX 43.27 116 82 44 127 19 20 52 39 Knoxville, TN 43.21 61 91 6 79 133 26 115 40 Fort Lauderdale, FL 43.18 50 2 157 170 83 33 17 41 Birmingham, AL 43.17 12 12 30 167 79 58 53 42 Reno, NV 43.13 111 136 60 2 54 52 76 43 Billings, MT 43.01 39 84 75 3 86 111 143 44 Sacramento, CA 42.71 90 132 108 24 87 17 47 45 Richmond, VA 42.70 55 113 23 97 45 34 49 46 Gulfport, MS 42.61 94 70 43 7 32 160 34 47 Charlotte, NC 42.56 106 28 58 107 40 22 167 48 Kansas City, MO 42.55 4 66 26 105 50 93 151 49 Wilmington, DE 42.54 16 15 41 49 160 117 42 50 Jacksonville, FL 42.33 81 24 4 181 49 32 22 51 Springfield, MO 42.31 31 55 13 129 82 62 122 52 San Bernardino, CA 42.02 20 53 145 62 59 143 9 53 Indianapolis, IN 42.02 24 75 17 163 27 39 99 54 Missoula, MT 41.99 78 23 15 3 164 138 160 55 Chattanooga, TN 41.71 18 29 68 26 140 89 100 56 Albuquerque, NM 41.67 60 11 11 169 105 48 93 57 Columbus, GA 41.54 91 3 76 146 42 130 112 58 Minneapolis, MN 41.20 99 106 136 18 37 30 174 59 Tulsa, OK 40.92 74 62 84 75 84 60 36 60 Jackson, MS 40.87 45 50 118 1 135 156 25 61 Spokane, WA 40.82 28 16 56 60 147 80 145 62 Scottsdale, AZ 40.66 150 103 140 52 99 10 141 63 Columbus, OH 40.52 32 100 35 128 56 46 95 64 Fayetteville, NC 40.51 68 44 37 26 65 87 156 65 Bakersfield, CA 40.49 124 49 12 144 35 50 130 66 Nashville, TN 40.17 49 69 21 153 30 49 121 67 Fort Smith, AR 40.10 63 120 62 26 17 127 28 68 Anchorage, AK 40.03 2 77 96 118 119 103 149 69 Tempe, AZ 39.82 127 39 120 92 103 45 54 70 Dover, DE 39.81 54 14 36 108 138 120 56 71 Louisville, KY 39.80 64 90 5 154 61 41 89 72 Tacoma, WA 39.52 52 38 65 67 155 65 136 73 Juneau, AK 39.20 25 5 59 26 162 168 8 74 Montgomery, AL 38.78 75 26 103 137 73 121 30 75 Oklahoma City, OK 38.76 35 115 71 168 48 55 38 76 Fresno, CA 38.73 120 85 64 121 33 61 78 77 Oakland, CA 38.69 65 9 168 89 92 76 102 78 Buffalo, NY 38.54 71 94 61 88 144 85 18 79 Newark, NJ 38.53 38 133 148 16 130 166 2 79 Rapid City, SD 38.53 21 156 112 13 43 153 101 81 Huntington, WV 38.51 42 124 14 26 126 149 6 82 Huntsville, AL 38.20 76 54 85 26 110 106 81 83 Colorado Springs, CO 38.12 108 89 24 91 114 51 129 84 Milwaukee, WI 37.86 26 125 25 122 77 84 131 85 Glendale, AZ 37.84 126 40 69 130 88 75 60 86 Providence, RI 37.80 138 143 48 5 89 158 23 87 Aurora, CO 37.77 100 87 46 19 142 131 82 88 Akron, OH 37.72 48 93 42 171 47 102 73 89 Lubbock, TX 37.71 44 96 32 113 76 108 154 90 Amarillo, TX 37.67 59 99 109 26 36 104 164 91 Charleston, SC 37.55 66 135 40 26 123 64 144 92 Salt Lake City, UT 37.45 67 30 149 166 75 27 176 93 Tallahassee, FL 37.31 95 25 81 173 172 77 63 94 Riverside, CA 37.29 146 95 91 62 125 57 48 95 Boston, MA 37.14 47 158 99 23 62 70 138 96 Long Beach, CA 37.12 128 57 166 117 44 53 79 97 Toledo, OH 37.07 98 119 2 156 46 128 50 98 St. Petersburg, FL 37.06 92 46 83 157 120 83 27 99 Fort Worth, TX 37.06 121 48 116 155 60 38 98 100 Salem, OR 36.78 135 116 72 15 93 92 84 101 Vancouver, WA 36.73 131 104 86 76 137 44 172 102 Hialeah, FL 36.31 166 20 155 148 121 136 1 103 Omaha, NE 35.85 115 128 53 110 74 66 134 104 Augusta, GA 35.69 89 105 73 146 78 129 16 105 Raleigh, NC 35.63 107 65 139 74 107 40 179 106 Gilbert, AZ 35.33 144 138 55 92 68 73 118 107 Rochester, NY 35.31 83 110 93 176 128 35 111 108 Stockton, CA 35.27 58 72 132 142 95 133 80 109 Greensboro, NC 35.10 102 86 45 140 111 78 163 110 St. Paul, MN 34.96 139 131 144 20 101 86 170 111 Grand Rapids, MI 34.65 23 159 52 182 97 72 83 112 Modesto, CA 34.64 96 114 121 72 115 105 104 113 Sioux Falls, SD 34.62 73 170 92 13 149 122 139 114 Huntington Beach, CA 34.60 172 74 180 53 161 29 159 115 Chandler, AZ 34.56 158 109 82 101 109 68 114 116 Arlington, TX 34.55 132 42 146 131 117 99 88 117 Mesa, AZ 34.44 140 111 77 92 127 79 67 118 Ontario, CA 34.17 136 118 138 62 85 148 28 119 Garland, TX 34.15 101 51 141 152 41 164 64 120 Nampa, ID 34.06 72 140 123 26 98 161 59 121 Cheyenne, WY 33.94 84 88 111 115 96 150 113 122 Santa Clarita, CA 33.70 145 108 164 53 116 96 107 123 Irving, TX 33.67 142 60 143 131 72 137 71 124 Anaheim, CA 33.56 168 61 165 53 94 115 106 125 Casper, WY 33.26 80 166 63 26 80 157 75 126 Lexington-Fayette, KY 33.18 85 152 8 180 81 101 140 127 Pembroke Pines, FL 33.11 178 33 159 151 146 141 15 128 Warwick, RI 33.09 181 173 50 5 174 119 148 129 El Paso, TX 33.04 109 175 124 104 29 100 103 130 Peoria, AZ 32.90 143 117 66 124 71 142 110 131 Grand Prairie, TX 32.76 157 68 128 131 34 172 70 132 Corpus Christi, TX 32.66 110 142 89 98 52 151 120 133 San Jose, CA 32.46 152 112 181 172 51 25 117 134 Jersey City, NJ 32.45 148 144 170 16 134 165 26 135 Boise, ID 32.45 69 153 133 138 141 91 97 136 Santa Ana, CA 32.43 161 73 156 53 159 124 65 137 Fort Wayne, IN 32.40 130 148 27 158 122 88 124 138 Winston-Salem, NC 32.32 122 123 79 26 118 146 126 139 Honolulu, HI 32.11 154 160 171 102 67 47 119 140 Durham, NC 32.05 77 83 142 26 154 134 178 141 New Haven, CT 32.03 46 81 117 173 170 171 68 142 Lincoln, NE 31.95 62 168 131 26 152 109 166 143 Garden Grove, CA 31.81 156 63 175 53 158 147 87 144 Oceanside, CA 31.73 149 127 162 77 157 110 90 145 Brownsville, TX 31.72 151 151 147 26 39 180 21 146 Overland Park, KS 31.56 104 154 173 22 171 95 173 147 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 31.56 170 134 169 119 69 97 58 148 Des Moines, IA 31.49 97 98 119 158 129 139 142 149 Chula Vista, CA 31.35 167 150 150 70 131 132 69 150 Glendale, CA 31.33 180 92 178 112 124 82 86 151 Manchester, NH 31.28 86 129 78 125 176 116 132 152 Fargo, ND 31.16 129 164 160 12 173 125 136 153 Fontana, CA 30.88 163 149 134 62 104 167 32 154 Moreno Valley, CA 30.84 164 101 90 120 148 173 45 155 Las Cruces, NM 30.56 123 145 127 158 23 169 125 156 Bismarck, ND 30.47 88 174 137 90 136 123 116 157 Plano, TX 30.18 174 79 172 131 156 69 171 158 Nashua, NH 29.66 117 163 107 84 169 163 135 159 Aurora, IL 29.19 165 157 106 78 165 178 66 160 Norfolk, VA 28.87 112 179 39 80 106 144 168 161 Irvine, CA 28.85 182 102 182 53 150 107 161 162 Portland, ME 28.67 87 172 100 26 179 145 181 163 Oxnard, CA 28.59 147 130 129 150 139 159 108 164 Santa Rosa, CA 28.27 159 165 158 72 177 59 133 165 Worcester, MA 28.21 133 167 87 100 167 135 109 166 Cedar Rapids, IA 28.07 141 139 154 158 151 114 158 167 Yonkers, NY 28.01 155 162 176 126 178 113 46 168 West Valley City, UT 27.97 105 107 125 164 108 181 175 169 Cape Coral, FL 27.95 176 146 130 177 91 152 43 170 Fremont, CA 27.63 175 122 179 25 168 154 152 171 Laredo, TX 27.47 171 178 104 139 24 176 57 172 Lewiston, ME 27.09 114 177 126 26 102 175 146 173 Newport News, VA 26.67 118 180 122 80 90 155 162 174 Madison, WI 26.62 134 161 113 165 163 90 180 175 Bridgeport, CT 26.28 125 155 153 173 175 174 85 176 Columbia, MD 26.28 179 126 174 62 180 162 157 177 Burlington, VT 26.14 113 176 94 26 181 177 127 178 Port St. Lucie, FL 25.95 177 141 80 178 143 170 123 179 Virginia Beach, VA 25.81 169 182 110 80 153 56 169 180 Chesapeake, VA 24.42 137 181 95 80 166 140 153 181 South Burlington, VT 24.34 160 171 98 26 182 179 182 182 Pearl City, HI 23.05 173 169 177 26 132 182 150

*No. 1 = Most Sinful





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. We posed these questions to a panel of experts. Below, you can read their bios and thoughts on the following key questions:

To what extent is sinful behavior innate versus influenced by your surroundings? What makes some cities more sinful than others? Laws? Culture? Is cheating within marriage becoming more or less common over time? Should government play a role in trying to reduce greed and consumerism? What are some effective strategies for combating addiction and domestic violence?

Methodology

In order to determine the most sinful cities in America, WalletHub compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated U.S. cities, plus at least two of the most populated cities in each state — across seven key dimensions: 1) Anger & Hatred, 2) Jealousy, 3) Excesses & Vices, 4) Greed, 5) Lust, 6) Vanity and 7) Laziness.

We examined those dimensions using 39 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of sinfulness. Please note that data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available at the state level only. For metrics marked with two asterisks (**), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

Finally, we calculated each city’s weighted average across all metrics to determine its overall score, or WalletHub Vice Index, and used the resulting scores to rank-order the cities.

Anger & Hatred – Total Points: 14.3

Violent Crimes per 1,000 Residents: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)

Sex Offenders per Capita: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)

Aggravated Assault Offenses Known to Law Enforcement per 1,000 Residents: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)

Bullying Rate*: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)

Hate-Crime Incidents per Capita: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)

Hate Groups per Capita: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)

Deaths due to Firearms per Capita: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)

Number of Mass Shootings: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)

Presence of Terrorist Attacks: Full Weight (~1.59 Points)

1 – There was a terrorist attack or related incident in the city. 0 – There wasn’t a terrorist attack or related incident in the city. Note: This is a binary metric:

Jealousy – Total Points: 14.3

Thefts per 1,000 Residents: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)

Identity-Theft Complaints per Capita: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)

Fraud & Other Complaints per Capita: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)

Excesses & Vices – Total Points: 14.3

Share of Obese Adults: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)

Fast-Food Establishments per Capita**: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)

Excessive Drinking: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)

Note: This metric measures the age-adjusted prevalence of binge and heavy drinking among the adult population.

DUI-Related Fatalities per Capita: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)

Share of Adult Smokers: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)

Share of Adult Coffee Drinkers: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)

Note: This metric measures the share of adults who drank ready-to-drink coffee in the past six months.

Share of Population Using Marijuana: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)

Note: This metric measures the share of residents aged 12 years and older who used marijuana in the past month.

Retail Opioid Prescriptions Dispensed per 100 Persons: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)

Drug Overdose Deaths: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)

Note: This metric measures the number of deaths due to drug poisoning per 100,000 residents.

Debt-to-Income Ratio: Full Weight (~1.43 Points)

Greed – Total Points: 14.3

Casinos per Capita**: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)

Charitable Donations as Share of Income: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)

Share of Adults with Gambling Disorders*: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)

Lust – Total Points: 14.3

Adult Entertainment Establishments per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Erotic/Burlesque Events per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Google Search Interest Index for “XXX Entertainment”: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Note: This metric measures search interest for online adult entertainment.

“Most Active Tinder Users” Ranking: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Teen Birth Rate: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

Note: This metric measures the number of births per 1,000 female residents aged 15 to 19 years.

Vanity – Total Points: 14.3

Beauty Salons per Capita**: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)

Tanning Salons per Capita**: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)

Google Search Interest Index for “Top 5 Plastic Surgeries”: Full Weight (~4.77 Points)

Note: This metric measures search interest for the five most common plastic surgery procedures (breast augmentation, liposuction, rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty and facelift) as a share of the national average.

Laziness – Total Points: 14.3

Share of Adults Not Exercising: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)

Average Weekly Hours Worked: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)

Volunteer Rate: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)

Average Daily Time Spent Watching TV*: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)

High School Dropout Rate: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)

Note: This metric was adjusted by the poverty rate.

Disconnected Youth (16-24) Rate: Full Weight (~2.38 Points)

Note: Disconnected youth are teenagers and young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither in school nor working.





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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, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, County Health Rankings, TransUnion, Yelp, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, National Council on Problem Gambling, Corporation for National and Community Service, Esri's Updated Demographics (2019 estimates), The Southern Poverty Law Center, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Wm. Robert Johnston, Gun Violence Archive, Eventbrite, Google Ads and Tinder.

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