HOUSTON — We all know that "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," so it probably won't surprise anyone to learn that the casino capital has been named the most sinful city in America.
The rest of the list is where it gets interesting.
According to a study by WalletHub, Houston is second on the list of most sinful cities in America and we're tops in Texas! Yep, we beat Los Angeles, New York and even New Orleans, another favorite destination for decadence.
WalletHub crunched the numbers for 182 U.S. cities and compared 37 key indicators of vices and other naughty behaviors. They also looked at more serious stuff, including violent crime rates and drunk driving cases.
Here's why Houston ranked high
Thankfully, it wasn't the most serious stuff that put Houston so high on the list.
But H-Town is No. 1 when it comes to lust, based on Google search terms relating to pornography, strip clubs and affairs. In fact, WalletHub said Houston has the fifth-highest number of adult entertainment establishments per capita.
We ranked fifth for jealousy and sixth for vanity based on Google searches about plastic surgery.
Vices like gambling are also an issue here with the 8th-highest share of residents who have gambling problems, according to WalletHub.
10 most sinful cities
(Scores based on average ranking in each category)
- Las Vegas: 60.82
- Houston: 54.43
- Los Angeles: 53.79
- Atlanta: 53.56
- Philadelphia: 53.55
- Denver: 52.39
- Phoenix: 51.81
- Miami: 51.18
- Dallas: 51.16
Other rankings of interest
12. New York: 48.05
18. New Orleans: 45.92
23. San Antonio: 44.61
26. Austin: 43.64
70. Fort Worth: 38.46
90. Corpus Christi: 36
100. Garland: 35.13
If a life with less sin sounds downright boring, these are the least sinful cities you might want to avoid.
178. Madison, WI: 26:47
179. Pearl City, Hawaii: 26.34
180. Port St. Lucie, FL: 25.84
181. Fremont, CA: 25. 46
182. Columbia, MD: 25.04
