Ever felt the thrill of skydiving or launching a startup? Dropped a few bucks at an online casino or doubled down on sports betting? Maybe it’s not just you — maybe it’s your state that’s hooked on risk.
A fresh data dive crunches numbers from across the U.S. to reveal the most risk-loving regions in the country. By analyzing factors like gambling spend, business startup rates, extreme sports interest (rock climbing and skydiving searches), alcohol consumption, and even divorce rates, the study builds an index to expose which states truly live on the edge.
So which ones made the leap first?
📊 Methodology
The study combines 10 indicators of "risk readiness" across 50 states, weighted for volume and per-capita impact. These include:
- Sports betting handle
- Consumer casino spend
- Rock climbing and skydiving search volumes
- Business startup rates
- Risk-related keyword searches
- Alcohol consumption per capita
- Divorce rates per 1,000
Each element offers a peek into how much residents are willing to wager with their money, bodies, and personal lives.
🔥 The Most Pro-Risk States in America
🥇 1. New York (Index Score: 63.9/100)
New York still leads the pack, powered by:
💸 $22.7B in sports betting handle — highest nationwide.
🎰 $19.2B in casino spending — also tops the country.
🚀 21,473 startups — solid entrepreneurial activity.
🧗♂️ 24,700 lifestyle risk searches (rock climbing + skydiving) — strong adventurous interest.
🍷 2.22 gallons of alcohol per capita — moderate consumption.
💔 12.65 divorces per 1,000 people — significantly higher social risk than before.
New Yorkers pursue financial risk and thrills in balance, with a sharp rise in social volatility.
🥈 2. California (Index Score: 44.1/100)
California jumps to second place, driven by:
💸 $0 in reported sports betting and casino spend — still limited by regulations.
🚀 42,793 startups — one of the nation’s highest.
🧗♂️ 49,300 lifestyle searches — No. 1 nationally, showing unparalleled outdoor risk interest.
🍷 2.63 gallons of alcohol per capita — moderate.
💔 12.4 divorces per 1,000 — social risk also elevated here.
California dominates in lifestyle and entrepreneurial risk despite no gambling data.
🥉 3. Florida (Index Score: 39.7)
Florida’s diverse risk profile includes:
💸 $1.25B sports betting handle — modest but active.
🎰 $690M casino spend — surprisingly low given tourism.
🚀 47,044 startups — highest number of new business ventures.
🧗♂️ 24,200 lifestyle searches — nearly as active as New York.
🍷 2.74 gallons of alcohol — above average.
💔 14.99 divorces per 1,000 — high social risk.
Florida stands out with strong entrepreneurship, lifestyle risk, and notable social volatility.
🏅 4. Nevada (Index Score: 37.3/100)
Nevada remains the gambling capital:
💸 $7.9B sports betting and $15.5B casino spend — dominant per capita.
🚀 4,721 startups — very low entrepreneurial activity.
🧗♂️ 3,200 lifestyle risk searches — surprisingly low for thrill-seeking.
🍷 3.43 gallons of alcohol ��� highest in the nation.
💔 16.57 divorces per 1,000 — No. 1 social risk.
Nevada thrives on financial and social risk, but less on physical thrill-seeking or startups.
🏅 5. Texas (Index Score: 32.6/100)
Texas is large, bold, and balanced:
💸 $0 gambling handle or spend — no legalization yet.
🚀 34,981 startups — high entrepreneurial activity.
🧗♂️ 26,900 lifestyle risk searches — very strong.
🍷 2.41 gallons of alcohol — modest.
💔 14.67 divorces per 1,000 — relatively high social risk.
Texans take major risks through business and lifestyle choices despite legal gambling absence.
🏅 6. New Jersey (Index Score: 30.2/100)
New Jersey packs a punch:
💸 $12.77B sports betting, $5.6B casino spend — huge per capita gambling activity.
🚀 11,551 startups — moderate entrepreneurial scene.
🧗♂️ 9,800 lifestyle searches — relatively low.
🍷 2.63 gallons of alcohol — average.
💔 10.41 divorces per 1,000 — lower social risk.
NJ leads in gambling risk but is more reserved in lifestyle and social volatility.
🏅 7. Pennsylvania (Index Score: 30.0)
PA offers a well-rounded risk profile:
💸 $8.4B sports betting, $8.86B casino spend — high gambling involvement.
🚀 11,075 startups — solid entrepreneurship.
🧗♂️ 9,800 lifestyle risk searches — low relative to peers.
🍷 2.32 gallons of alcohol — moderate.
💔 12.21 divorces per 1,000 — moderate social risk.
Consistent risk-takers across the board, but no extremes.
🏅 8. Illinois (Index Score: 29.0/100)
Illinois leans heavily on financial risk:
💸 $14B sports betting — No. 2 nationwide.
🎰 $2.3B casino spend — modest.
🚀 11,903 startups — average.
🧗♂️ 10,800 lifestyle searches — mid-range.
🍷 2.42 gallons of alcohol — average.
💔 12.03 divorces per 1,000 — relatively low social risk.
Focused on gambling risk, Illinois keeps lifestyle and social risks moderate.
🏅 9. Ohio (Index Score: 24.0/100)
Ohio is an emerging risk player:
💸 $8.9B sports betting, $3.3B casino spend — solid gambling figures.
🚀 10,388 startups — average.
🧗♂️ 7,200 lifestyle risk searches — lower thrill-seeking.
🍷 2.12 gallons of alcohol — low.
💔 14.03 divorces per 1,000 — somewhat elevated social risk.
Moderate gamblers with mild lifestyle risk and rising social volatility.
🏅 10. Colorado (Index Score: 23.3/100)
Colorado blends outdoors with caution:
💸 $6.2B sports betting, $1.48B casino spend — respectable.
🚀 9,997 startups — on par with peers.
🧗♂️ 6,500 lifestyle risk searches — surprisingly low.
🍷 2.97 gallons of alcohol — high.
💔 16.27 divorces per 1,000 — near top social risk.
An outdoorsy rebel with elevated alcohol use and social instability.
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🧪 Methodology: How We Ranked the Most Risk-Keen States
To uncover which U.S. states are most eager to flirt with risk — financially, socially, and physically — we pulled data from a variety of sources representing gambling behavior, lifestyle daring, and health-related risk tolerance. Then we crunched the numbers.
🧮 Data Collection
We gathered figures from trusted national datasets and public-facing platforms. Here’s the breakdown:
- Sports Betting Handle Per State (2024): Total dollars wagered
- Business Startup Rates: How many new businesses were formed in each state, sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau
- Lifestyle Risk Metrics: Google Keyword Planner search volume for “rock climbing” and “skydiving” as proxies for thrill-seeking interest
- Health-Related Risk: Ethanol (alcohol) consumption per capita by gallons from World Population Review
- Divorce Rates: Number of divorces per 1,000 residents from the CDC
⚖️ Risk Score Calculation
To combine all variables into a single “Risk Score,” we assigned weights based on behavioral significance:
- 20% – Sports Betting Handle (2024)
- 20% – Consumer Casino Spend (2023)
- 20% – Business Startup Rates
- 20% – Lifestyle Search Volume (rock climbing + skydiving)
- 10% – Alcohol Consumption
- 10% – Divorce Rate
🏁 Ranking
With the scores in hand, we ranked each state from highest to lowest to spotlight which ones are truly living on the edge.
You can find the full dataset here.
