I Ain’t Lyin'; Kentucky Ranks in the Top 10 Most Dishonest States

When I was about three years old, I came proudly marching into my parents' bedroom after putting on some lipstick I found in my mom's beauty case. After my mom's reaction, I quickly realized I had done something I wasn't supposed to do.

Self-Preservation Mode

So, when my sweet but irritated mama asked, "Mary-Katherine Weber (uh-oh, full name used), did you get into my makeup?" I looked up at her with puppy dog eyes and lied. I told her I didn't, even though my face was covered in ruby red like the Joker from Batman. I knew it was wrong to lie. I knew the evidence was crystal clear, but I wasted no time going into self-preservation mode.

Some U.S. States Are More Dishonest Than Others

I didn't want to get in trouble! After that, my mom told me that I would tattle on myself when I did something I shouldn't have. Opening Christmas presents early, for example. I guess my conscience finally kicked in. I'm not sure what all makes a person honest or dishonest, but a recent study shows that certain parts of the U.S. are more corrupt than others.

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Top Ten Most Dishonest States

Data Pandas is an organization that seeks to utilize available data to present information in a non-biased manner, enabling people to stay informed about the world around them. They gathered public corruption conviction numbers per 10,000 people to determine the top ten most dishonest states in America. Guess which one is on the list.

1. Louisiana - 2.00 Corruption Convictions
2. Mississippi - 1.89 Corruption Convictions
3. Alaska - 1.83 Corruption Convictions
4. South Dakota - 1.77 Corruption Convictions
5. North Dakota - 1.75 Corruption Convictions
6. Illinois - 1.42 Corruption Convictions
7. Alabama - 1.37 Corruption Convictions
8. Montana - 1.37 Corruption Convictions
9. Kentucky/Tennessee - 1.33 Corruption Convictions
10. New York- 1.30 Corruption Convictions

The study provided explanations for several of its findings. "Significant regional discrepancies emerged. States on the lower end of the corruption scale are predominantly found in the Northwest and Midwest. Washington, Oregon, Utah, New Hampshire, and Minnesota reported less than 0.36 convictions per 10,000 residents, suggesting a lower level of public corruption compared to the rest of the country."