Just in time for America’s most patriotic holiday, Independence Day, comes the news that Virginia is the country’s most patriotic state. When it comes to good, old-fashioned American pride, those from Virginia definitely have something to brag about, according to personal finance site WalletHub. ?

Using criteria like “military engagement” and “civic engagement”, WalletHub was able to put together a scientific ranking of which states had the most love for the United States. The commonwealth obviously scored high in all those categories - for example, it was fifth in military engagement and tenth in civic engagement.

This ranking should come as no surprise, given how many of the nation’s leaders call Virginia home. Many diplomats and lawmakers that work in nearby Washington, D.C. live in Northern Virginia, injecting a strong sense of civic pride into our little corner of the U.S.A. 

Wondering where else the residents are proudly waving the red, white, and blue? Here are WalletHub’s ten most patriotic states, in order: 

1. Virginia

2. Alaska

3. Wyoming

4. South Carolina

5. Colorado

6. Washington

7. Hawaii

8. Idaho

9. Georgia

10. North Carolina.

According to the Arlington Patch, WalletHub took a methodical approach to determining military engagement. “In order to calculate a state’s military engagement, WalletHub factored the average number of military enlistees per 1,000 civilian adults from 2010-2015. They also studied how many veterans there are per 1,000 civilian adult population, as well as how many active-duty military personnel there are per 100,000 civilian adult population.” As already mentioned, Virginia has a strong government employee representation, and that includes members of the military. Virginia has the third most veterans of any U.S. state.

As for civic engagement, the website determined how many people in each state voted in the 2016 presidential elections and primaries, “as well as the number of peace corps volunteers per capita, the state’s total volunteer rate, the number of Google searches for American flags and the state’s civic education requirements.” Obviously, Virginia is doing a great job teaching kids about the government and the American justice system, something about which not all states can brag.

Wondering who ranked on the bottom of the list? WalletHub’s least-patriotic state was New Jersey, followed by Illinois, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York. Being patriotic is a pretty good selling point, we think. If you are interested in finding a home in Northern Virginia, the prettiest and most financially-booming part of this great state, get in touch with a qualified Realtor today!