Every state can provide plenty of fun during a vacation. If you are looking for the state offering the most fun, though, a new report released Monday can steer you there.
The report by personal-finance website WalletHub reveals that California is the “most-fun” state, followed by Florida and Nevada. Other states finishing in the Top 10 are New York, Illinois, Colorado, Washington, Texas, Minnesota and Louisiana.
West Virginia ranks last in the report’s most-fun rankings, while Mississippi and Delaware respectively finish No. 48 and No. 47.
The report, which compared 50 states based on 26 metrics, sought to find the states offering the greatest variety and most cost-effective options for enjoyment. Among others, the metrics included the number of movie theaters and restaurants, the cost of movies, accessibility to national parks and the number of casinos.
California has the most movie theaters per square root of population — nearly seven times more than Delaware, the state with the least. California also has the most restaurants per square root of population— nearly eight times more than Alaska, the state with the least.
Using that population-related calculation, Texas, which ranks No. 8 as the most-fun state, has the most amusement parks, according to the WalletHub report. Texas has nearly 18 times more amusement parks than West Virginia, the state with the least.
Washington, which ranks No. 7 as the most-fun state, has the highest personal spending on recreation services per capita — $1,792. That’s nearly three times higher than in West Virginia, the state with the lowest spending, $694.