New York Is More Fun Than Every State But One, Study Finds

NEW YORK, NY — New York City is one of the world's top tourist destinations, but the plethora of activities here aren't enough to make the Empire State the most fun in America. New York is second only to California on a new WalletHub ranking of the "most fun" states based on the breadth of options for having a good time.

The personal finance website examined each state's entertainment, recreation and nightlife offerings based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the National Park Service and various other sources.

New York tied with California in several categories, including the number of restaurants, fitness centers, movie theaters and performing arts theaters per capita.

But the Golden State ultimately came out on top and put New York in the No. 2 spot, both in the overall ranking and the entertainment and recreation category.

The Empire State does offer a better night out, though — it ranked No. 4 in the nation for nightlife, three spots above California, and first for access to bars.

Nevada, the home of Las Vegas, unsurprisingly scored the top spot for nightlife.

New Yorkers would be much better off staying home than heading to West Virginia, which WalletHub has dubbed the least fun state in the nation. The Mountain State ranked last in entertainment and recreation offerings and 45th for nightlife.

Here's WalletHub's full ranking of the most fun states. Read more about the study's methodology here.

1. California
2. New York
3. Nevada
4. Florida
5. Illinois
6. Washington
7. Texas
8. Colorado
9. Pennsylvania
10. Minnesota
11. Oregon
12. Louisiana
13. Ohio
14. Missouri
15. Wisconsin
16. Michigan
17. Arizona
18. North Carolina
19. South Carolina
20. Maryland
21. Massachusetts
22. New Mexico
23. Tennessee
24. South Dakota
25. Oklahoma
26. Georgia
27. New Jersey
28. Hawaii
29. Iowa
30. Utah
31. Nebraska
32. Alaska
33. Virginia
34. Wyoming
35. Idaho
36. North Dakota
37. Indiana
38. Connecticut
39. Maine
40. New Hampshire
41. Kansas
42. Kentucky
43. Montana
44. Alabama
45. Vermont
46. Arkansas
47. Rhode Island
48. Delaware
49. Mississippi
50. West Virginia

(Lead image: Photo by Stuart Monk/Shutterstock)