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New York Named One of the Most Cultured States

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3m ago

Jul 19, 2024 / 9166 Views

Evan Walker

New data has revealed the top 10 most cultured states in the U.S.

The Cultural States Index, by student Travel company Rustic Pathways analyzed each state against five factors: the number of National Historic Landmarks (NHLs), museums and galleries, live performance spaces, film and media sites, and literary sites. Each factor was compared against the state's population and land area (sq mi). Results for each category were converted into an overall score out of 100 to determine the ranking.

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Massachusetts topped the list as the number one most cultural state in the U.S., scoring 86. The study revealed that Massachusetts ranked in the top 10 for nearly every category apart from film and media sites. Massachusetts ranked second for both the highest number of NHLs per land area, 192, and for museums & galleries, with 1,048 in the state alone. It also ranked fifth for its number of live performance spaces and literary sites with 1,199 and 531 located within Massachusetts.

Connecticut is closely behind in second place, with an index score of 84. The state has the third and fourth highest volume for museums & galleries and NHLs by land area and is in the top 10 states for live performance spaces and literary sites.

In third place is Rhode Island, with a score of 82. The study revealed that Rhode Island came first for most NHLs and museums & galleries nationally. The state has 45 NHLs and 181 museums & galleries within its 2,678 (km2) land area. Rhode Island also ranked in the top 10 for live performance spaces, where is placed sixth.

Maryland comes in fourth place, with a Culture Index score of 78. Maryland's highest scoring index category includes museums & galleries, which ranked fourth. Within Maryland there are 848 museums & galleries located within the state.

New York Ranked 5th Most Cultured State

In fifth place is New York, with an index score of 74. The state scored within the top 10 for live performance spaces and museums & galleries, ranking fourth and seventh. There are 63% more live performances spaces located in New York than museums & galleries.

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Rounding out the top 10 is New Jersey, followed by Vermont, Delaware, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.

“It’s important to note the top 10 are all on the east coast which could be due to them being the earliest states established in America and so naturally possess a higher concentration of National Historic Landmarks (NHLs)" says Shayne Fitz-Coy, CEO of Rustic Pathways. This historical bias is crucial to acknowledge, as it gives these states a head start in accumulating cultural assets.

See the full list of top 50 Most Cultural U.S. States below.

Rank	State	NHLs	Live Performance Spaces	Film & Media Sites	Literary Sites	Museums & Galleries	Index Score
1	Massachusetts	192	1,199	393	531	1,048	86.21
2	Connecticut	65	543	240	255	558	84
3	Rhode Island	45	178	60	55	181	82.7
4	Maryland	153	860	330	395	848	78.43
5	New York	275	3,442	1,276	1,267	2,116	74.56
6	New Jersey	58	1,117	385	445	630	71.43
7	Vermont	18	155	85	72	209	67.38
8	Delaware	14	84	38	67	116	65.62
9	New Hampshire	23	250	118	118	283	63.88
10	Pennsylvania	169	1,792	733	760	1,419	61.31
11	Maine	44	261	131	157	417	53.39
12	Virginia	123	795	405	455	914	48.63
13	Hawaii	33	116	86	43	107	47.79
14	Illinois	89	1,765	723	653	1,196	46.13
15	Ohio	76	1,256	582	568	1,102	44.42
16	South Carolina	76	512	185	262	451	41.37
17	Indiana	44	748	360	366	646	38.36
18	Iowa	28	471	304	194	624	38.18
19	Michigan	42	1,158	566	560	964	35.38
20	California	149	4,852	1,451	1,736	2,837	34.86
21	Wisconsin	45	703	329	333	702	34.79
22	Wyoming	28	71	76	65	140	34.56
23	North Carolina	39	1,156	508	568	874	33.77
24	Missouri	36	836	442	277	656	31.606
25	Louisiana	53	526	178	200	374	31.601
26	Florida	47	1,917	832	957	1,290	30.46
27	Oregon	17	604	316	287	470	29.65
28	South Dakota	16	119	111	44	191	29.32
29	West Virginia	17	179	86	94	253	29.12
30	Montana	28	150	113	77	209	29.089
31	Tennessee	32	683	306	326	598	29.083
32	Georgia	50	1,092	436	472	774	28.91
33	Nebraska	22	225	185	122	308	28.56
34	Kentucky	32	401	196	221	442	27.35
35	Colorado	28	725	325	350	626	26.58
36	North Dakota	7	84	95	43	137	26.44
37	Alaska	50	92	69	52	158	26.07
38	Minnesota	25	679	417	232	610	25.95
39	Washington	24	869	419	346	643	25.63
40	Alabama	39	460	196	262	423	25.6
41	Kansas	26	283	233	152	544	25.51
42	New Mexico	46	209	143	131	327	24.08
43	Oklahoma	22	339	242	222	484	22.28
44	Arkansas	17	289	155	158	310	21.89
45	Utah	14	377	192	158	308	20.66
46	Mississippi	40	230	105	121	265	20.54
47	Idaho	11	198	122	94	215	19.17
48	Texas	50	2,545	1,245	1,205	1,959	16.33
49	Arizona	47	545	304	328	456	15.7
50	Nevada	8	169	133	109	205	3.46

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Gallery Credit: Paty Quyn

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Gallery Credit: Chuck D'Imperio