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 View Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

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 States Matt 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 photo RTC, 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, Utah Garrett, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

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 skyline Tony 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 Morning Jacob 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, Cheyenne Bradlyons, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

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 Garage Hanyou23, 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 buildings Carol 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 afternoon Robbymilo, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

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 Colorado Chris, 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 airplane Melikamp, 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 Indianapolis tpsdave, Wikimedia Commons

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 2017 King 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?