Survey shows Georgia among most patriotic states in the country

A new survey from WalletHub ranks Georgia and its citizens among the most patriotic in the United States.

Overall, Georgia ranks No. 5 in the country for patriotism. According to the survey, Georgia ranks No. 1 in percent of residents who enlisted in the military — thanks, Fort Benning!— and civics education requirements. Georgia also ranked as follows:

▪  Number of active-duty miltary personnel per 100,000 residents: No. 11

▪  Percentage of people that voted in the 2016 primary elections: No. 18

▪  Frequency of Google searches for American flags: No. 28

▪  Percentage of residents who voted in the 2012 election: No. 28

▪  Number of Veterans per 1,000 residents: No. 30

▪  Percentage of people in military reserves: No. 31

▪  Number of Americorps volunteers per 100,000 residents: No. 34

▪  Volunteer hours per resident: No. 39

▪  Volunteer rate: No. 43

▪  Number of Peace Corps volunteers per 100,000 residents: No. 47

The survey ranked the states based on looking at “Military Engagement” and “Civic Engagement.” Within those categories were 12 metrics, like number of Veterans per 1,000 residents, frequency of Google searches for American flags and volunteer hours per resident. Researchers then applied points for each state based on how they fared in those categories.

Georgia ranks highest among Southern states, aside from South Carolina, which came in at No. 3. Alabama ranked No. 8, Florida at No. 28 and Tennessee at No. 33.

This story was originally published June 28, 2016 at 11:14 AM with the headline "Survey shows Georgia among most patriotic states in the country."