SALT LAKE CITY — The map may show 50 states in the U.S., but Utah might as well be a country of its own when it comes to independence.
For the second straight year, The Beehive State was given the title of most independent state in the country.
WalletHub's annual rankings were released just ahead of the Fourth of July when the country celebrates its freedom. The rankings compared all U.S. states based on five categories of dependency, and Utah dominated nearly all of them:
- Job-market Dependency: 1st
- Goverment Dependency: 2nd
- Vice Dependency: 4th
- Financial Dependency: 18th
- International Trade Dependency: 19th
The five categories were broken down even further into 39 key indicators to help the rankings determine self-sustainment.
While Utah topped the rankings... again... new states popped up in the top 10 this year.
MOST INDEPENDENT U.S. STATES:
- UTAH
- Colorado
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Nebraska
- Florida
- Idaho
- Wisconsin
- Washington
- Delaware
