Utah might Be Nerdy, But At Least It’s Not …

A recent national poll highlighted some of the 50 states' weaknesses and while some of them are downright scary, Utah was voted as the "nerdiest" state.

See, Utahns have a fondness for Star Wars, Harry Potter and Dungeons and Dragons (as evidenced by our overwhelming per capita Google searches for these items), as well as Star Trek and Lord of the Rings.

But trust me, it could be worse. Much worse.

For example

• South Dakota is No. 1 in the USA in lowest wages
• Louisiana (not Michigan, New York or Illinois) leads the nation in murders per capita
• North Carolina consistently has the lowest grade school test scores in the nation
• New York boasts the highest state tax in the nation (about $10K per person)
• Our neighbor Nevada leads the country in divorce rate (of course it does)
• Montana has the highest per capita rate of traffic fatalities
• Mississippi has the lowest life expectancy in the country at 75 years of age (the national average is just over 80)
• Idaho leads the nation in traffic accidents per capita (told you we weren't the worst drivers here in Utah)
• Believe it or not, Minnesota (not Oklahoma or Iowa) leads the nation in tornadoes per year, with over 100 spotted every 12 months in the northern state
• Colorado leads the nation in substance abuse
• Alabama is tops in the United States in smoking per capita, especially among underage users

And finally, perhaps the biggest shortcoming of all, the state of Washington has the highest concentration of Justin Bieber fans. The "Biebs" reportedly owned a house in Washington at one point, but actually grew up in Canada (Ontario).