2 of the Most Sinful Cities in America are in Indiana
When I think of a sinful city, the first one I think of is Las Vegas. I imagine that's the first one that pops into your head too. I mean, the whole town's business model was built around most, if not all, of what is considered the seven deadly sins. There's greed with gambling, gluttony with the infamous Las Vegas buffets and other food options, and of course lust with all the — well, you know. There's a reason it's nicknamed, "Sin City." But while Vegas may be the top of the mountain when it comes to shedding your inhibitions and diving into the various pleasures it offers, there are several other cities across the United States with their own fair share of sinful activities. Two of which are located right here in Indiana.
Two Indiana Cities Listed Among the Most Sinful in America
The personal finance website, WalletHub recently looked at 150 of the most populated cities in the country along with the two most populated in each state, and using data from a wide range of sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the F.B.I., the CDC, and even Yelp, put together a list to determine the most sinful cities in the country. The study looked at a variety of factors such as a few Las Vegas makes a living with (greed, lust, excesses, and vices), as well as crime rates, vanity, and laziness within each city's population. Each city was assigned a score based on those factors, with the average being used to determine each city's rank.
I imagine it's no surprise to you that Las Vegas topped the list, beating out St. Louis, Missouri (St. Louis?!?! Really?) which came in at number two. Philadelphia, Houston, and Atlanta rounded out the top five. The two Indiana cities on the list are Indianapolis and Fort Wayne. To be fair to both cities, they were going to show up on the list by default simply by being included in the study. However, where one of them landed may be higher than you would have guessed.
Fort Wayne Ranked 143rd Most Sinful in America
The second largest city in the state is also the 143rd most sinful in the country. Although technically, being at #143 puts it near the bottom of the list so really, it's one of the least sinful of those studied. According to the study, Fort Wayne ranked at the bottom third for Anger & Hatred (i.e. violent crime, etc.), Jealousy, and Greed. But what pushed it up the list a bit were the Excess & Vices along with the Vanity categories where it ranked in the upper half of both. Excees & Vices looks at the share of the adult population considered obese as well as excessive drinking, drug use, smoking, and the number of fast-food restaurants per capita.
Indianapolis Ranked as the 65th Most Sinful City in the Country
Not only is the state capital the most populated in the state, but it's also the 14th most populated in the country, according to PolitiFact. So, it's not terribly surprising it's higher up the list. More people means more potential for businesses and habits that cater to what the study considers a more sinful lifestyle. Nor is it terribly surprising that more people means a better likelihood of higher crime rates. With that said, I've been to Indianapolis several times in my life and I've never thought of it as a den of sin, so to speak. But, to be fair, I don't live there so I can't speak to what day-to-day life is like.
The key factors that bumped Indy into the top half of the list were Anger & Hatred (46th), Excess & Vices (18th), Lust (30th), and Vanity (34th).
So, even though we have a reputation for being a state full of residents who spend their days driving our tractors through our corn fields, this study shows we like to have a good time too. Or a bad time, depending on how you look at it.
You can see the entire study on WalletHub.
[Sources: WalletHub / Politifact]