Social Media's Worst

New study proves Texans aren't blowhards, but Californians are: Social media's worst braggers exposed

As much as Texans are known for taking pride in their state and in themselves, it turns out that we aren't bragging as much as you might expect.

HeyLets — a mobile app which allows people to share experiences without the pressure that can come with certain social media sites — conducted a survey of 2,500 social media-using Americans to "rate the number of posts they typically make on potentially self-promotional topics," which can include trips to special locations, attendance at memorable events and work-related good news.

"On social networks like Facebook and Instagram, many so-called 'status updates' are really 'brag-ommendatons' — opportunities to enhance your status with friends and followers by showcasing your apparently amazing life," the site notes.

The state with the highest percentage of 'boast posts' is California with 77 percent of its residents engaging in self-promotion.

The study, which named both the 20 most braggadocious and humble states, found that Texas ranked a mere 20th out of 50 in state bragging. HeyLets found that an average of 51 percent of Texans frequently make self-promotional social posts.

The state with the highest percentage of 'boast posts' is California with 77 percent of its residents engaging in self-promotion. Coming in at No. 1 on the most humble states list is Utah with only 22 percent of Utahans making self-promotional posts.

As part of the survey, HeyLets also asked respondents to rank the Top 5 most popular topics they post on social media. Coming in at No. 1 was "going on a special trip" with 62 percent of those surveyed saying they 'frequently,' 'almost always' or 'always' engage in this kind of post. Other popular topics included "attending a memorable event" (59 percent), "meeting a noteworthy person" (54 percent), "something nice that your significant other did" (53 percent) and "getting work related good news" (52 percent).

See the complete lists below to see how each state fared in terms of self-promotion:

Top 20 Most Braggadocioius States

#1: California (77% frequently engage in self-promotion)
#2: Washington (76%)
#3: Nevada: (72%)
#4: Maryland (70%)
#5: New Hampshire (69%)
#6: Illinois (67%)
#7: Virginia (66%)
#8: Oklahoma (64%)
#9: New Jersey (60%)
#10: New York (58%)
#11: South Dakota (57%)
#12: Delaware (57%)
#13: Colorado (55%)
#14: Alabama (55%)
#15: Kentucky (54%)
#16: Indiana (53%)
#17: Georgia (52%)
#18: Minnesota (52%)
#19: Florida (51%)
#20: Texas (51%)

Top 20 Most Humble States

#1: Utah (22% frequently engage in self-promotion)
#2: Oregon (26%)
#3: South Carolina (33%)
#4: Kansas (34%)
#5: Arizona (34%)
#6: Arkansas (37%)
#7: Pennsylvania (39%)
#8: Massachusetts (40%)
#9: Rhode Island (40%)
#10: Wisconsin (41%)
#11: Connecticut (43%)
#12: Ohio (44%)
#13: North Carolina (45%)
#14: Maine (46%)
#15: Michigan (47%)
#16: Tennessee (47%)
#17: Missouri (48%)
#18: Louisiana (48%)
#19: Mississippi (49%)
#20: Iowa (49%)

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Cashing In

Texas cashes in among top-10 best U.S. state economies in 2026 report

Outline map of texas with transparent american dollar banknotes

Getty Images

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A new study gauging the success or decline in economic performance in every state has revealed Texas' economy remains stable in 2026 after it dropped out of the top five to No. 8 last year.

Texas boasts the No. 8 best state economy in the U.S. this year, according to WalletHub's annual "Best & Worst State Economies" report. The personal finance website's analysts ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 28 relevant metrics to measure each state's economic activity and health status, and its "innovation potential."

Notably, Texas leads the nation for the most exports per capita in the U.S. in a five-way tie with Louisiana, Kentucky, North Dakota, and Indiana. Across the study's three main categories, Texas ranked highly for its economic activity (No. 7) and economic health (No. 11), and the state's "innovation potential" rank is the 24th best in the nation.

This is how WalletHub ranked Texas' economic performance, where No. 1 is considered the best and No. 25 is considered average:

No. 6 – Change in non-farm payrolls
No. 8 – Change in GDP
No. 8 – Startup activity
No. 11 – Annual median household income
No. 18 – Government surplus/deficit per capita
No. 21 – Percentage of jobs in high-tech industries
No. 30 – Unemployment rate

WalletHub previously ranked Texas one of the top three states to start a business in 2026, with Houston earning its own entrepreneurial acclaim in separate rankings of the best big cities for new businesses and for starting a career.

"U.S. economic growth depends heavily on the performance of individual states, and some contribute more than others," the report's author wrote. "For example, California, Texas, New York and Florida have economies so large that if they were countries, they would rank in the top 20 in the world."

The five states with the worst state economies in 2026 are Rhode Island (No. 47), Maine (No. 48), Louisana (No. 49), Kentucky (No. 50), and West Virginia (No. 51).

The top 10 best state economies for 2026 are:

No. 1 – Massachusetts
No. 2 – Washington
No. 3 – Utah
No. 4 – California
No. 5 – Delaware
No. 6 – North Carolina
No. 7 – New York
No. 8 – Texas
No. 9 – Colorado
No. 10 – Florida

wallethub texas innovation economy