sin city?
Houston scores a scandalous top 5 ranking among most sinful U.S. cities
Houston boasts the largest church in America, so it could stand to reason that its citizens are a decent lot. Not so, says a new report, which reveals some damning information: The Bayou City is quite sinful.
In keeping with a seasonal theme of naughty vs. nice, a new study released by personal finance site WalletHub sought out the most wicked places in America. WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities based on seven sinful behaviors: anger and hatred, jealousy, excesses and vices, greed, lust, vanity, and laziness.
Houston clocks in at No. 4 on the list, behind Las Vegas (no surprise there), Los Angeles (again, no surprise), and New York. Houston ranked 57th in anger and jealousy, 42nd in jealousy, 88th in excesses and vices, and 51st in greed. Of note to amorous H-Towners, the city ranks No. 2 in lust (just behind randy Los Angeles).
So how did WalletHub determine the sinfulness rating? Key elements of each behavior were given a numerical score, which then created a “vice index.” For example, for anger and hatred, researchers studied the amount of violent crime in each city. Jealousy was measured in part by most thefts by capita. Drinking and obesity helped chart the excesses and vices. The amount of casinos per city and share of gambling disorders led to a greed rating. Adult entertainment online searches, the amount of adult establishments, and active Tinder searches served up a lust score. Beauty salons and tanning facilities determined vanity. Exercise (or lack thereof) data, working hours, and high school dropout rate scored laziness.
Houston is considerably naughtier than its big city, Lone Star State counterparts. Dallas comes in at No. 13, while San Antonio comes in at No. 28 and Austin at No. 40. Fort Worth is positively benign coming in at No. 62.