Americans Say These Are The Rudest States

Your state might have a reputation for housing the biggest jerks in the U.S. You know it’s bad when you don’t blink an eye at your neighbor cursing at store employees or speeding past stop signs. Lifestyle magazine Best Life released a list of all 50 states ranked from the nicest to the rudest in late 2020. It looked at indicators from other surveys, such as those for rudest cities and drivers, unfriendliness and impolite behaviour with customer service employees. Here are 25 rudest states ranked from lowest to highest rudeness score. Comments from Reddit and Quora have been edited for spelling and clarity. 15. Montana Rudeness score: 48.02 Rudest cities: N/A The Treasure State might offer gorgeous views of the Rocky Mountains and wide-open plains, but its residents aren’t quite as charming. One coffee shop worker in Montana wrote a piece for HuffPost outlining the difficult time she and her coworkers had during the COVID-19 pandemic, with customers refusing to wear masks indoors despite the government mandate. “I used to brag about Great Falls’ hospitality, and lately everyone seems a little tweaky and rude. As a cashier for the longest time I met some pretty amazing and nice people, but there have been times that I met people that just deserved a ‘Dude, rude.’ (I never said anything, I just kept beeping away.) EVEN THE DRIVERS. They do some low key dangerous things just to get in front of people. Where's the fire?” says AngieTheCrazy on Reddit. 14. New Jersey Rudeness score: 50.83 Rudest cities: N/A You’ll often encounter references to the Garden State’s poor drivers in movies and TV shows — while it’s nowhere near as bad as Idaho or New York, it’s still enough to help drag the state into the top 15 for rudest states. It’s not known for being a particularly friendly state, either. SnackFlag on Reddit explains, “Different culture; people here are more to the point. They don't care because they don't know you. Small talk can come off as rude, intrusive and unwelcome.” Like New York, New Jersey is pricey to live in and densely populated, which may explain why some residents come off as impolite or abrasive. 12. Delaware Rudeness score: 52.24 Rudest cities: N/A The First State isn’t the friendliest in the U.S., although it seems to be relatively kind to its customer service representatives. Drivers fail to stop at red lights almost 60% more frequently compared to the rest of the country. This may partially explain why auto insurance rates in Delaware are 57% higher than the rest of the country as well. Delawarean electrikskies1 writes on Reddit, “There are too many people crammed into Northern Delaware. Driving in this state is really annoying and aggravating also. I almost get killed at least 3 times a day or more while driving because a lot of people ride your butt, cut you off, don't use turn signals, pull out in front of you, don't know how to use a four-way stop, etc. … I don't know how some people got through driver's ed.” 11. Wisconsin Rudeness score: 56.82 Rudest cities: Milwaukee According to this study, Wisconsinites have poor etiquette when it comes to both driving and interacting with customer service employees. They run stop signs 23% more frequently than average and are less likely to say “please” and “thank you” during phone conversations with businesses. Redditor shaggyscoob says, “When I am being tailgated, it is almost always a Wisconsin driver. When someone fails to stop at a stop sign, it is almost always a Wisconsin driver. They usually sneak through a stop with the car in front of them rather than wait their turn. Wisconsin drivers accelerate into stops and floor it when they go. They pass unsafely, they almost never signal a turn, they pop out in front of oncoming traffic as if they are afraid of having someone in front of them and they seem to always speed.” 10. Idaho Rudeness Score: 57.16 Rudest cities: N/A Idaho ranks second-worst in the nation for rude drivers — Insurify says they run through stop signs almost 30% more frequently than the national average. “I relate driving in Boise to my high school days when all the kids got their license and school just let out and everyone was racing off campus and around that area. … That's what driving in Boise feels like … only, it's not kids … It's everyone everywhere,” writes Gryffindumble on Reddit. Residents in the Gem State are also known for treating customer service representatives poorly. Owners of some burger joints in North Idaho last year posted on social media that they had to deal with many rude customers during the pandemic — some even reduced their teenage employees to tears — and would be refusing service to those customers. 9. California Rudeness Score: 58.82 Rudest cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, Riverside Californians are the happy-go-lucky hippies of the U.S., right? It’s easy to get caught up in that misconception — after all, the sunny, beachy state doesn’t seem like it gives its residents too much trouble, at least when it comes to the weather and outdoor activities. However, California has its fair share of rude drivers, and its rudeness metric only rises in big cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, perhaps due to their high population densities. “People in LA think it's ok to be a jerk because 99.9% of the time you'll never see the other person again. It's like the Internet — jerks write things they wouldn't dream of saying in real life because there aren't repercussions. It seems to me the worst offenders are the ones who haven't ‘made it’ but think they should,” says Its_Kakes on Reddit. 8. Rhode Island Rudeness Score: 59.17 Rudest cities: Providence Rhode Islanders live in the smallest state in the nation, so perhaps they can be forgiven for their haste on the roads — unless they hit you with a rude hand gesture or a loud honk. Quora user Ben Bracken writes, “Rhode Island drivers aren't rude, per se, we're just spoiled. We live in a very small state, so when we drive, we like to get everywhere as fast as possible. A drive that takes over 15 minutes is the equivalent to a day trip to us. So if you are in the way of an exit we need to get to, we are going to be mad that we have to spend additional time driving.” Locals are also considered to be relatively rude toward customer service representatives. One drive-thru employee told National Public Radio in July that he was “done” with fast food after dealing with so many angry customers. 7. Massachusetts Rudeness score: 62.13 Rudest cities: Boston Massachusetts isn’t known for being the friendliest of states — or the most affordable, either. The bustling big city of Boston is considered the worst. “I think it partially stems from everyone being stressed out from long commutes, high costs and bad weather much of the year. I myself have had to fight back my bad moods stemming from these things, so in some ways I get it,” says Bernadette Astacio on Quora. One Cape Cod restaurant shut down for the day in July so staff could enjoy a “day of kindness” after receiving an “an astronomical influx” of rude customers, who swore at employees and threatened to sue. 6. Utah Rudeness Score: 62.32 Rudest cities: Salt Lake City The Beehive State is notorious for its terrible drivers, especially when it comes to tailgating and speeding infractions. “They are not just rude and inconsiderate, they are also dangerous. We have several personal stories of drivers that have almost caused an almost certainly fatal car accident because of their selfishness, competitiveness and disregard,” says JakeMacGill on Reddit. Joseph Morales, the lead star in one of the Hamilton national touring companies, was particularly displeased with the reception in Salt Lake City in 2018, calling out the audience for constantly checking their phones during the performance. 5. Alaska Rudeness score: 63.49 Rudest cities: N/A Residents in the Frontier State are just as frigid as the weather, and to make matters worse, Alaska is considered one of the most dangerous states in the nation, particularly for women. The state made it to third place for rudest customers — one restaurant in Anchorage even “fired,” or refuses to serve, a certain customer who badmouthed one of its autistic employees in 2015. “I'm a life-long Alaskan who loves this state, but … I've come to view Alaskans as one of the most entitled groups of people I've ever met … I mean, we pay no state sales or income tax and actually get paid to live here, yet somehow we complain about that too,” says aksnipesnkush on Reddit. 4. Iowa Rudeness score: 64.19 Rudest cities: N/A Though Iowans aren’t perhaps as outwardly or loudly rude as New Yorkers, some say the “Iowa Nice” stereotype doesn’t hold up as strongly when residents interact with minorities. The Hawkeye State also ranked highly for rude drivers and customers. One Mexican restaurant in Iowa was even compelled to post on Facebook in May asking diners to be more respectful toward employees. “The worst thing about Iowa is the Iowa Nice mentality. The mentality where being two-faced and passive aggressive is good manners. If you’re angry or have something to tell someone, you don’t mention it outright because it’s rude. Instead you drop a bunch of passive aggressive hints,” says You_Artistic on Reddit. 3. Washington Rudeness score: 67.74 Rudest cities: Seattle The Seattle Freeze is a real thing — 40% of residents in Washington and Oregon said it’s not important for them to make new friends, according to a survey from PEMCO Insurance. Some believe the reclusive nature of Northwesterners has been accelerated by the rise of technology, while others believe it has something to do with the constant rainy weather. Redditor 0z79 writes, “Seattle is like Portland; you need to let people just stare at you. If you say anything while they're staring at you, then you are the one who has violated your boundaries. So, if you move to Seattle to stay, don't count on anyone and if you find someone staring at you, don't say anything at all because then, you are the one overstepping your bounds.” 2. Virginia Rudeness score: 77.19 Rudest cities: Virginia Beach, Richmond The Old Dominion State holds the dubious distinction of having the rudest customers and drivers, putting its ranking close to the bottom of the list. Insurify says drivers in Virginia are particularly prone to not stopping at stop signs — in fact, this behaviour is 40% more frequent in the state compared to the national average. “I think of it as an unhealthy way of surviving in Northern Virginia. Considering how hella expensive and stressful it is to live here, people are way more likely to take out their inner frustration on customer service providers and strangers,” says hanapse on Reddit. 1. New York Rudeness score: 100.05 Rudest cities: New York City, Buffalo It’s a surprise to literally no one that New York takes the cake for rude behaviour — locals have a reputation for pushing their way through crowds (to be fair, it’s a pretty congested area), swearing on the streets and honking their way through traffic. Best Life says nearly 15% of the state’s population and 4.5% of its drivers are considered rude. You’ll find plenty of video footage on YouTube of road rage in the Big Apple. In late 2020, an ugly parking spot dispute in Queens led to one driver socking his rival in the face before driving his car through the glass storefront of a bakery. “‘Rude’ is too mild or too cutesy a word for what New Yorkers are. Most of the population is highly narcissistic, highly judgmental, first rate bullies, and they can be downright evil. They're only ‘nice’ to those exactly like them, or to look ‘good’ in front of certain people so they'll gain something,” writes Jennifer R Fischer on Quora.