Despite New York being one of America's most populous states, it's also one of the least liked. Why is the Empire State so detestable?

Nobody Likes New York?

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Every state has its strengths and weaknesses, with some flaws being more pronounced than others. Some states have unhinged politicians passing inane laws while others suffer from nasty natural disasters.

However, there is always good to balance out the bad. Some redeeming factors include natural landscapes, low crime rates, job opportunities and more.

But what about the states that cannot redeem themselves?

A new report from Zippia looked into the states Americans love and hate the most. In order to come up with the most accurate rankings, the outlet factored in the number of residents who feel their state is the "worst possible state to live in" as well as those hemorrhaging the most residents.

Zippia also counted the opinions coming from other states to determine which is the most detested by comparing data from Gallup polls and other national surveys.

Unfortunately for New York, our bad reputation didn't endear us to the country and instead led us straight to the doghouse.

The Most Hated States in America

American Flag (Photo Credit: Bill Keeler, WIBX/TSM)
American Flag (Photo Credit: Bill Keeler, WIBX/TSM)
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New York was so hated, it made it into the top 3 least-liked states.

Coming in first place was Illinois, with a population decrease of .54% and a quarter of its current residents agreeing it's the worst state to call home. Illinois earned a spot at the top because it is one of the fastest shrinking states in the country.

In second place was New Jersey, which is probably not all that shocking considering it has a reputation for being "the armpit of America."  Before anyone gets their hackles up, the title is known nationwide and was even the topic of a 2014 deodorant ad from Dove. Smelly armpit stereotype aside, the state lost .30% of its population and 10 percent of its current residents say they hate their home state.

Additionally, five other states say they hate New Jersey the most. Ouch!

This leads us to New York, which was voted the third most-detested state in America.

Shout Out to New York

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The Empire State shed .45% of its population and of those that remained, 12% of the current population claimed they despise living in New York. Also, there was one other state said they hate New York the most.

Said Zippia:

New York, New York what a wonderful place…. except for the 12% of people who say it’s the absolute worst state to live. Or Massachusetts who have taken all those beating by the Yankees pretty hard and hates New York more than any other state.

Although the state is not #1, there's no way to put a positive spin on where we ended up on this list. The best we can do is go, "Hey, at least we aren't Illinois, right?"

New York's reputation has taken a beating as of late. For the 23rd year in a row, the Cato Institute deemed the Empire State the worst place for freedom. Making matters worse for us, multiple national surveys deemed New York to be the rudest state in the nation.

Read More: Two Cities in New York State Named Rudest in the Nation

Americans also regularly say New York is the state with the worst drivers, despite federal data suggesting the opposite. New York's roadways also suffer from a bad rap, such as one of our interstates being named the most hated in the entire country or Americans voting NY-17 the most feared highway in America.

Residents may find this disappointing considering all that New York has to offer. The state is regularly highlighted for its scenic beauty, year-round entertainment options, sports teams, and diversity.

In the end, New York seems to have too many sins to redeem itself in America's eyes.

Other Hated States

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With Illinois, New Jersey and New York making up the top three, here's how the rest of the list went:

4. West Virginia
5. California
6. Massachusetts
7. Michigan
8. Mississippi
9. Connecticut
10. Kentucky

One fun fact concerns California, which had the highest number of states that say they hate it the most with nine. Following the five that named New Jersey as their most detested, Massachusetts had the third highest number of votes with four other states naming it as their most hated.

While some may find it fun dogpiling on these so-called wretched states, the ranking also highlighted the America's most loved states.

Least Hated States of America

The 10 states making the top cut tended to be among the best places for job seekers and have the fastest growing populations. Here they are as follows:

  1. Colorado
  2. Utah
  3. Montana
  4. Idaho
  5. Minnesota
  6. New Hampshire
  7. Maine
  8. Washington
  9. Wyoming
  10. Arizona

Do you think this roundup is accurate? Moreover, do you think New York deserves all the hate?

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If an immediate response is necessary, such as you see the wanted person at a location, please call “911” and report it to the police.

Gallery Credit: Dave Wheeler