Midwest Battle! Iowa Beats Illinois as Most Competitive – Wisconsin More Laid Back

The rat race. The daily struggle. The "American Dream." All slogans defining day to day life in a dog-eat-dog world. As the Ricky Bobby adage goes, "If you ain't first, you're last!" Seems those words have really been taken to heart across the Midwest.

It can be fascinating to explore how competitiveness varies from state to state in the US and now a recent survey conducted by Solitaire Bliss has unveiled intriguing insights into the competitive spirits that drive Americans in their daily lives. In their survey, they asked about 2,000 people about the different ways in which they act competitively in everyday life.

The study identified New Jersey, Virginia, and Connecticut as the top three states with the most competitive residents. These states excel in different aspects of competitiveness, whether it's health and fitness, highway merging, or workplace dynamics. New Jersey, with its scorching score of 81.28, is particularly known for its fervor in health and fitness competition. Virginia residents are always in a hurry, battling for prime position on the roadways, while Connecticut stands out for its intense workplace competition, where being the first to hit "send" in a group email is a badge of dedication.

And in the Midwest, Iowa comes in at #4 followed by our neighbors in Nebraska. Illinois just sneaks in the top 10. In fact, Iowa was shown to be #3 for states with the most competitive workplaces. "Hey Bill, watch out for Terry in accounting. She's out to get you." Seriously though, the study found that 1 in 7 willingly sabotaged coworkers to make themselves look better. Man, we're ruthless in the corn-jungle.

In Illinois, you become most aggressive when you're behind the wheel of the car or if you're trying to impress others with your wealth. Actually, you are most competitive in that area coming in first, with the study showing 1 in 6 buy luxury items just to impress others.

In Wisconsin and Minnesota, you're a little more laid back. In Minnesota they're cool like their weather. You won't find many racing to hit "send" on a group email just to prove their dedication, as only 29% indulge in such workplace antics. Instead, Minnesota ranks highest in embracing the positive side of competition, with 60% allowing other people's diet and fitness routines to inspire their own hard work.

One striking find is that competition can lead to stress, with 2 in 5 respondents reporting that their competitive nature has "pushed them to the brink." This raises the age-old question: Is winning really worth it?

So, say it together with me, "Should there really be a competition for most competitive?"

And the Midwest responds back, "Don't get mad at me, just because I won..." In this diverse landscape of competition, Americans navigate their life with a wide range of attitudes and behaviors, proving that while the competitive spirit is alive and well in the US, it changes from state to state. I mean, a little competition never hurt anybody, right?

Methodology:

Solitaire Bliss established a series of survey questions that focused on competitive behaviors. They scored each state on these questions to determine a score out of 100. From there, they analyzed the numbers by state and ranked them accordingly. They surveyed 1,987 Americans from September 29 to October 6, 2023. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 76 years old, and were 49% female, 49% male, and 2% nonbinary. States that were left out of the rankings due to insufficient data were Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming.