The Most Woke States (And The Least)

Most Woke States Research Summary

The most woke state in the US is Oregon, where 9.3% of the population has attended a BLM protest and there are 956 organic farms.

The least woke state in the US is Arkansas, where 0.7% of the population has attended a BLM protest and there are only 168 organic farms.

32% of American voters identify themselves as woke.

Only 38% of Americans are “strongly proud” to be Americans.

It’s 2021 and every other Gen Zer is calling themselves woke. What does it mean to be woke?

Being an old Millennial, I googled to find out. Merriam-Webster defines it as, “ aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of justice).” That’s nice.

However, Urban Dictionary adds it’s a “pretentious” and “deluded” awareness. That’s less nice.

We set out to find the most woke states- and the states where it still means getting up in the morning.

How We Figured This Out

We looked at 6 factors:

BLM protests attendees
# of BLM protests
Voting
Master’s degree or higher
Organic farms
Kombucha consumption

We started by looking at Black Lives Matters protests, using data from CountLove. We looked at two factors: The number of BLM protests in each state and the number of attendees per state population.

From there, we took into account voter turnout to see where people are speaking at the ballot box.

After that, we used data from the ACS for the percent of the population with a master’s degree or higher. Wokeness has its roots in awareness and education, after all.

We then looked at the USDA’s data on the number of organic farms operating in each state, because nothing is more aware than being aware of what you’re eating.

Finally, because being woke has become a bit of a lifestyle, we used Google Trend data to find where the most people are searching for Kombucha. The more people guzzling the fermented tea, the more woke the state.

All of these were averaged together to uncover the wokest (and least woke states).

1. Oregon

oregon class=

Who Attended BLM Protests: 9.3%
Voter Turnout (%): 58.2
Organic Farms:956

Anyone who’s visited Portland, or honestly any part of Oregon that’s heavily populated, isn’t surprised by this #1 ranking. Almost 1-in-10 Oregoners attended the staggering 1,368 BLM protests held in the Beaver state. Throw in high voter turnout and a strong appreciation for Kombucha and it’s easy to see Oregon doesn’t need an alarm clock- they’re already woke.

2. Washington

washington class=

Who Attended BLM Protests: 6.4%
Voter Turnout (%): 56
Organic Farms:1,396

In 2nd place is Oregon’s neighbor Washington. In addition to being home to a politically active bunch of residents, the state also has an impressive 1,396 organic farms.

3. Vermont

vermont class=

Who Attended BLM Protests: 11.0%
Voter Turnout (%): 54.2
Organic Farms:865

Ben and Jerry’s, Bernie Sanders, and maple syrup- are just a few things Vermont is known for. But they should also be known for being pretty woke. A higher percent of Vermonters attended BLM protests than any other state.

4. Colorado

colorado class=

Who Attended BLM Protests: 7.4%
Voter Turnout (%): 53.8
Organic Farms:580

The mile-high state is pretty woke. No one stat earned Colorado its 4th place ranking, but rather a respectable score in each category showing it is overall a fairly socially conscious state.

5. California

california class=

Who Attended BLM Protests: 8.1%
Voter Turnout (%): 43.8
Organic Farms:5,050

California is the 5th most woke state in the nation. California is home to 5,050 organic farms. However, Californians don’t just care about what they eat, they care about people too; The state was the location of 4,439 BLM protests last year.

6. Minnesota

minnesota class=

Who Attended BLM Protests: 4.5%
Voter Turnout (%): 59.5
Organic Farms:1,019

Minnesota may be Midwest nice, but this past year they’ve been raising their voice for political causes they believe in. Just under 60% of Minnesotans spoke with their ballots.

7. Massachusetts

massachusetts class=

Who Attended BLM Protests: 7.4%
Voter Turnout (%): 50
Organic Farms:281

In 7th place is Massachusetts. 20% of adults over 25 have a master’s or professional degree, giving them lots of opportunities to be informed and evaluate the world around them.

8. New York

new york class=

Who Attended BLM Protests: 8.9%
Voter Turnout (%): 43.8
Organic Farms:1,909

You probably aren’t surprised to see New York on the list, if anything its #8 placement might seem to low. After all, 8.9% of New Yorkers attended 2,688 protests. Throw in a high education rate and strong appreciation of organic foods, and it’s obvious New Yorkers are trying to make the world a better place. However, they fall short in voter turnout.

9. Maine

maine class=

Who Attended BLM Protests: 6.0%
Voter Turnout (%): 64.5
Organic Farms:536

65% of Mainers voted, using their political voice to make changes. The social activism doesn’t stop there: Mainers use their 1st amendment rights to assemble and fight for changes they believe in, too. Oh, and did we mention they love Kombucha?

10. Wisconsin

wisconsin class=

Who Attended BLM Protests: 3.6%
Voter Turnout (%): 62.6
Organic Farms:1,943

“Woke Wisconsin?” You may be thinking dubiously. However, people in the Badger State vote more than 47 other states. Wisconsin is also home to 1,943 organic farms.

Now For The Least Woke States…

You probably weren’t surprised by many of the states above. It’s no secret that certain states are more socially active and not shy about voicing their opinion. What states are the least woke? Southern states dominate the top 10.

10 least woke states

You can see a more in-depth breakdown (and where your state lands below.)

All 50 states ranked from most woke to least

Rank	State	Percent-Of-Population-Protesting	Protests	Voter-Turnout (%)	Organic-Farms
1	Oregon	9.3%	1,368	58	956
2	Washington	6.4%	1,376	56	1,396
3	Vermont	11.0%	337	54	865
4	Colorado	7.4%	813	53	580
5	California	8.1%	4,439	43	5,050
6	Minnesota	4.5%	747	59	1,019
7	Massachusetts	7.4%	1,265	50	281
8	New York	8.9%	2,688	43	1,909
9	Maine	6.0%	437	64	536
10	Wisconsin	3.6%	812	62	1,943
11	Pennsylvania	3.1%	1,656	52	1,690
12	Illinois	7.2%	1,273	48	695
12	Michigan	2.1%	1,411	57	834
14	Montana	6.2%	294	63	364
15	Iowa	3.2%	470	56	1,080
16	Virginia	1.5%	906	52	286
17	New Hampshire	3.4%	266	53	153
18	Connecticut	3.0%	708	48	141
19	New Jersey	1.9%	893	48	442
19	North Carolina	2.2%	1,150	49	624
21	Missouri	2.1%	800	53	590
22	Arizona	3.1%	563	52	232
23	Maryland	1.2%	453	49	210
24	Utah	2.9%	421	54	194
25	Alaska	4.9%	252	50	11
26	Florida	1.9%	1,823	47	446
26	Ohio	1.6%	1,107	51	1,065
28	Texas	3.9%	1,649	42	762
29	Georgia	1.7%	623	52	311
30	Rhode Island	3.3%	194	48	55
31	New Mexico	4.2%	402	45	151
32	Hawaii	4.6%	183	40	153
33	Kentucky	2.5%	821	51	279
34	Idaho	2.6%	345	45	381
35	Kansas	1.6%	293	53	223
36	Nebraska	3.7%	257	47	372
37	Wyoming	2.1%	131	51	83
38	Tennessee	2.4%	576	47	114
39	Indiana	1.4%	700	47	981
39	North Dakota	1.8%	98	59	208
41	South Dakota	1.8%	101	51	133
42	Delaware	1.2%	115	48	27
42	Nevada	3.1%	300	43	108
44	South Carolina	1.4%	439	46	111
45	Oklahoma	1.9%	324	47	83
46	Mississippi	0.7%	187	53	39
47	Alabama	0.7%	281	48	34
48	Louisiana	1.0%	330	47	44
49	West Virginia	1.8%	266	43	48
50	Arkansas	0.7%	174	40	168

Author

Kathy Morris

Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.

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