December 12, 2016
If you are trying to figure out whether you were naughty or nice this year, a new study has determined the most sinful cities in the United States. While Philadelphia is not the worst, it ranks pretty high on the list.
WalletHub, a personal finance website, examined the sinfulness of the top 150 most populated cities nationwide in 2016 on the seven deadly sins, ranking the City of Brotherly Love No. 28 on the list.
Unsurprisingly, Las Vegas lived up to its nickname of "Sin City" to earn the top spot.
To compile the list, researchers identified 27 key indicators of immorality. Those bad behaviors were separated into categories on pride, envy, wrath, gluttony, lust, sloth and greed.
So which vices affect Philly residents the most?
In the land of cheesesteaks, soft pretzels and busy nightlife, it's no surprise that Philly is ranked third in excesses and vices, which corresponds with gluttony. The city's high rate of obese adults, excessive drinking and drug overdose deaths contributed to the ranking.
Likely related to the city's taste for gluttony, Philly was named the 13th most lustful. This ranking was based on the number of users of online dating services for married people and strip clubs in the city.
All that gluttony and lust comes at a cost, which led to Philly's position as the 30th laziest city. The data focused on the rate of adults who do not exercise, time spent watching television and the number of people who volunteer.
Philly's "best" feature is its lack of vanity, or pride. That might not be news to area residents, as the city needed to remind tourists that "Philadelphia isn't as bad as Philadelphians say it is" on a billboard during the 1970s.
Here's how the city fared in the three other categories:
• Avarice/Greed: 49th
• Wrath/Anger and Hatred: 62nd
• Envy/Jealousy: 62nd
St. Louis; Cincinnati; Orlando; and Springfield, Missouri, rounded out the top five most sinful cities.
