How ‘independent’ is Florida, really? Here’s what the data says

Ahead of the Fourth of July, WalletHub has released its list of the most and least “independent” states in the country.

But instead of focusing on independence from the British crown, the study instead opts to hone in on factors like government and financial dependency.

“Now, with sky-high inflation affecting people across the country, many Americans are struggling to maintain financial independence,” the study reads. “Some have become at least temporarily more dependent on support from the federal government. Other people have become more dependent on personal vices, such as drinking and drugs, due to stress and depression.”

Overall, the study broke down the factors into five main categories:

• Financial Dependency: Includes credit scores, debt, savings, emergency funds, poverty rates, income, homeownership, and bankruptcies
• Government Dependency: Includes federal dependence, households receiving SNAP/Food Stamps, the number of government employees, and subsidized housing units
• Job-Market Dependency: Includes industry variety, unemployment rates, and job growth
• International Trade Dependency: Includes the number of jobs supported by exported goods, the share of private-industry employment at foreign-owned firms, and the state GDP generated by exports
• Vice Dependency: Includes drug users, binge drinkers, people with gambling disorders, social-network users, screen time, and the share of people spending more than they earn

After tallying up all the scores, the study ultimately found that Utah is the most independent state, followed close behind by Colorado (No. 2) and Virginia (No. 3).

“Utah is the most independent state in America, in part because very few people receive government benefits. Utah has an extremely low percentage of people with public assistance income (1.6%) or who receive SNAP or food stamps (5.3%). The state ranks as one of the least dependent on federal funding, as well.

In addition, Utah residents don’t rely on unemployment income, as the state has a 3.2% unemployment rate, one of the lowest in the country. It also has the second-highest median income in the country (over $88,500) and the second-lowest share of people in poverty.

To top things off, people in Utah are not very dependent on addictive substances. Utah has the lowest share of people who smoke or binge drink in the country."

WalletHub, "Most & Least Independent States"

But what about the Sunshine State?

Well, despite ranking No.2 for “freedom,” Florida didn’t even crack the top 10 this time around.

However, Florida still managed to carve out a decent spot at No. 14, ranking particularly high in terms of independence toward vices and international trade.

That being said, Florida’s worst-scoring category turned out to be job-market dependency, ranking No. 36 overall for that specific factor.

This may be due to the huge tourism industry that has dominated Florida, which set new records with 143 million visitors last year alone. This represents a roughly 1.7% jump from the previous record set in 2023.

Regardless, the full ranking is as follows: