In this article, we will look at the 25 most friendly states in the US, and the overall nature of friendship in the country.
What Do Americans Have To Say About Friendship?
Friendship marks one of the most important pillars of American life. According to data from the Pew Research Center, nearly 61% of adults in the US consider having close friends very or extremely important for living a fulfilling life. Around 53% of adults say that they have between one to four close friends, while around 38% claim to have more than five close friends. A report by the Making Caring Common Project administered by Harvard’s Graduate School of Education claims that despite political differences, Americans still fundamentally care about each other. The project’s findings suggest that Americans are generally engaged in caring acts, tend to value caring for one another and feel connected to people around them. However, most of them do not seem to extend the same feelings toward people who differ from them in terms of ethnicity, race, and religion. Interestingly, a report by CBS claims that the rest of the world thinks of Americans as friendly, uncomplicated, and rich, among various other things.
According to a report by the Survey Center on American Life, the role of friends and friendship in social life has declined for Americans. Americans report conversing with their friends less often, having fewer close friendships, and relying on friends less than before for personal support. One of the most prominent reasons behind this decline is that Americans are marrying later than ever, and are more geographically mobile than before. Similarly, Americans are more likely to make friends at work than at other social avenues of life. For more insight, you can look at 28 Most Romantic Cities in the United States in 2024.
International Opinion About Americans
Countries that had a favorable opinion of Americans fell in 2020, recovering in 2021 and undergoing a positive change in 2022. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, around 61% of the total 17 countries surveyed have a favorable opinion of the United States. However, 35% do not share the same sentiments towards the country. Around 91% of people in Poland and 83% people in Israel hold a positive opinion when it comes to Americans. Malaysia is the only country among those surveyed that has a higher negative assessment of the country, with 57% people holding an unfavorable opinion in the domain. A majority of Americans themselves consider openness and friendliness to people from across the world pivotal to who they are as a nation. Another Pew Research Center survey shows that 68% Americans consider openness, friendliness, and mutual respect for foreigners an essential characteristic of their nationality, while 26% oppose the opinion.
The New Way to Make Friends
However, the American friendship trends are not negative overall. While nearly 50% of Americans report having lost touch with a friend during COVID-19, the same number report making a new friend in the same time frame. One of the major drivers of this exchange is apps like Bumble Inc. (NASDAQ:BMBL). Although primarily used for dating, such applications allow people to get to know each other in a platonic sense, and draw bonds using the power of the Internet in a safe space. Bumble Inc. (NASDAQ:BMBL) is one of the most widely used dating apps in the United States. It was launched in 2014 as an online dating application, with its portfolio encompassing Bumble, Fruitz, and Badoo for dating, Bumble for Friends for friendships, Bumble Bizz for professional networking, and Official for committed relationships. Bumble (NASDAQ:BMBL) is focused on Bumble BFF and is also expanding its Bumble for Friends experience. In its latest platonic friends experience, the company decided to give users their own friend-making app and released the Bumble for Friends app. The app focuses primarily on making friends in a user’s geographical location, and does not require the downloading of Bumble (NASDAQ:BMBL)’s dating app.
Bumble (NASDAQ:BMBL) is expanding its product portfolio in friendship apps. In May, the group signed an agreement to acquire Geneva, a group chat app that allows people to connect based on mutual interests. The acquisition, expected to close in Q3 2024, will allow Bumble’s NASDAQ:BMBL) users to build one-to-one connections with communities. Bumble for Friends also commissioned a new research in the friend-making domain, finding that 66% of Gen Z respondents made their friends online. This number is approximately two times higher than the national average, which shows only 38% respondents reporting the same. With Gen Z, the youngest generation of U.S. adults, normalizing birthing platonic friendships through online platforms, Bumble (NASDAQ:BMBL) is gradually undergoing a paradigm shift and investing more resources into its friend-making mode.
Now that we have taken an overview of the nature of American friendship, let us look at the 25 most friendly states in the US. You can also look at 12 Most Unfriendly Cities in Canada and 15 States with No or Lowest Sales Tax Rates in the US.
25 Most Friendly States in the US
Our Methodology
In order to compile a list of the 25 most friendly states in the US, we used a consensus approach and a visitor survey through Reddit. Firstly, we consulted ten online expert resources to compile a list of the 40 most friendly states in the US. Next, we looked at ten Reddit threads that asked commenters to mention the friendliest states they had visited in the United States. We only chose threads that had more than 50 comments and studied more than 500 comments to shortlist the friendliest states in the United States with the most recommendations by Reddit users. We then counted the number of upvotes on each comment and chose the top 25 states with the most number of upvotes. The 25 most friendly states in the US are arranged in ascending order of their number of upvotes on Reddit.
Note: This list is not exhaustive and does not reflect our opinion. The ranking is solely based on the opinions of mass consumers on Reddit.
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25 Most Friendly States in the US
25. North Dakota
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 339
North Dakota ranks in the 25th spot on our list of the 25 most friendly states in the US. The Midwestern state has 339 upvotes on Reddit, with people on the platform considering it friendly enough to be included on our list.
24. Oregon
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 342
Oregon is located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, with the Columbia River straddling a majority of its northern boundary with Washington. It ranks 24th on our list with 342 upvotes on Reddit.
23. Missouri
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 350
Missouri ranks 23rd on our list with 350 Reddit upvotes. The landlocked state is located in the midwestern region of the United States, and has a population of around 6.178 million as of 2022.
22. Mississippi
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 353
Mississippi is located in the southern United States and is bordered by Alabama to its east, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Gulf of Mexico to its south. The state ranks 22nd on our list with 353 upvotes on Reddit.
21. Alabama
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 368
Alamaba ranks in the 21st spot on our list of the 25 most friendly states in the US. The southeastern state has 368 upvotes on Reddit. As of 2022, it houses approximately 5.072 million people.
20. New Mexico
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 375
The landlocked state of New Mexico is located in the southwestern region of the United States. It ranks in the 20th spot on our list with 375 upvotes on Reddit.
19. Kentucky
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 378
Located in the southeastern wing of the US, Kentucky is bordered by the Appalachian Mountains in the east and the Ohio River in the north. It houses around 4.512 million people as of 2022. Kentucky has 378 Reddit upvotes, ranking it 19th on our list.
18. Pennsylvania
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 381
With 381 upvotes on Reddit, Pennsylvania ranks in the 18th spot on our list of the 25 most friendly states in the US. The state is sprawled across the Appalachian, Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic, and Great Lakes regions of the country.
17. Georgia
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 387
Georgia stands in the southeastern portion of the United States with 387 upvotes on Reddit. Its Atlanta metropolitan area ranks among the most populous metropolitan areas in the country, and houses around 57% of the state’s population as of 2023.
16. Illinois
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 398
Reddit upvotes rank Illinois on the 16th spot on our list. Nicknamed “the Prairie State,” Illinois is located in the midwestern United States and houses around 12.58 million people as of 2022. It has 398 upvotes on Reddit.
15. Idaho
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 399
With 399 Reddit upvotes, Idaho ranks 15th on our list of the most friendly states in the United States. Located in the northwestern portion of the country, Idaho is known for giant regions of protected wilderness, mountainous landscapes, and numerous outdoor entertainment and recreation areas.
14. Nebraska
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 409
Nebraska is located in the midwestern United States and houses the prairies of the Great Plains and the dunes of Sandhills. Reddit users rank Nebraska in the 14th spot on our list with 409 upvotes.
13. Louisiana
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 411
Louisiana is considered a melting pot of French, American, African, and Canadian cultures, and ranks in the 13th spot on our list. It is located in the southeastern wing of the United States.
12. Hawaii
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 412
Apart from being one of the most popular tourist destination spots, Hawaii is also considered one of the most friendly states in the US. The island state is located in the Pacific Ocean, about 2,000 miles away from the mainland. Hawaii is the only state in the US that is in the tropics, an archipelago, and not connected to the North American mainland.
11. Oklahoma
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 426
The landlocked state of Oklahoma lies in the South Central portion of the United States. It houses around 4.02 million people as of 2022, and ranks in the 11th spot on our list with 426 Reddit upvotes.
10. Ohio
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 432
Reddit users consider Ohio to be one of the most friendly states in the US. It ranks in the 10th position on our list with 432 upvotes. Ohio is located in the midwestern region of the United States.
9. Massachusetts
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 436
Located in the northeastern portion of the United States, Massachusetts borders the Atlantic Ocean to its east. It is the most populous state in New England, and has a population of 6.982 million as of 2022. It ranks in the ninth spot on our list.
8. Kansas
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 447
With 447 Reddit upvotes, Kansas ranks in the eighth spot on our list of the 25 most friendly states in the US. The landlocked state is located in the midwestern region of the country, and is nicknamed “The Sunflower State” and “The Wheat State.”
7. Indiana
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 545
The midwestern state of Indiana is popularly nicknamed “the Hoosier State”. It ranks in the seventh spot on our list, and has 545 upvotes on Reddit. Indiana borders Lake Michigan to its northwest, Michigan to the northeast and north, Wabash River and Illinois to its west, and Ohio to its east. The Ohio River and Kentucky lie in the state’s southeast and south.
6. Colorado
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 460
Our methodology ranks Colorado in the sixth spot on our list with 460 upvotes on Reddit. Its residents are considered friendly in their day-to-day interactions, according to Reddit users. Some of the most popular tourist destinations in the state include Rocky Mountain National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado Springs, Boulder, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, and Vail, among others.
5. South Carolina
Number of Reddit Upvotes: 467
The southeastern state of South Carolina is known for a landscape lined with subtropical beaches and sea islands. The Hilton Head Island, Kiawah Island, and Isle of Palms are some of its most popular tourist destinations. South Carolina ranks fifth on our list.