Massachusetts The Least Patriotic State In America, Study Finds

MASSACHUSETTS – Massachusetts may be the birthplace of America, but our national pride has slipped over the centuries. The Bay State is actually the least patriotic state in the country, according to a new WalletHub study, which ranked states' "patriotism" based on 13 factors indicating their levels of military and civic engagement.

Massachusetts ranked 50th overall and 48th in terms of military engagement, which was measured by the number of military enlistees, active-duty personnel and veterans, as well as the share of the adult population in military reserves.

Massachusetts was in the bottom five for veterans per capita. The state with the fewest veterans per capita, New York, had about half as many as top-ranked Alaska, WalletHub found.

Bay Staters aren't so great when it comes to civic engagement, either. The state ranks 38th in the nation overall in that category, which includes factors such as 2016 election turnout, jury participation and civics education requirements.

The good news? Despite getting a crummy civil engagement score overall, Massachusetts voters are showing up for major elections. According to a Nonprofit VOTE report published last year, the state ranked seventh in the country for 2016 election turnout with 68.3 percent of eligible voters casting ballots. That's up two spots from the previous presidential election.

See WalletHub's full ranking here.

(Lead image: Photo from Shutterstock)