Wisconsin Shines In WalletHub’s Independence Rankings For 2026

The 4th is just about a week away! That is always the official mark to summertime and then sadly, it seems to just fly by once the weekend is over.

Nonetheless, ahead of the holiday weekend, we are starting to get some fun fourth-related studies. The latest? It comes from WalletHub, who revealed the most and least independent states. In this instance, independence refers to how self-sufficient residents of each state are amid inflation.

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This study follows up another recent study from WalletHub which revealed the most and least patriotic states in the country. Minnesota did great, coming in the top ten.

Wisconsin did okay, being named the 25th most patriotic state. In that instance, Wisconsin doesn't seem to be patriotic at all, lying somewhere in the middle. The good news is the Cheesehead State did better in this latest study regarding independence.

Nick Cooper - TSM Duluth

WalletHub Reveals The Most & Least Independent States

To craft this list, analysts looked at a ton of factors including median credit score per state, how many households have a rainy day fund, median household income and which states are the most federally dependent.

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Analysts also looked at things like the unemployment rate, how many adults in each state use drugs and how many have gambling issues. These are just a few examples of many when it comes to how this list was crafted.

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Wisconsin Named Among Most Independent States

This is a reason to celebrate! Wisconsin came in at number eight, cracking the top ten. Why? According to this study, Wisconsin has one of the highest median credit scores in the country. Surprisingly, Minnesota came in at number one here.

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In fact, that is Wisconsin's only real showing here! However, Wisconsin ranked in the top ten when it comes to both financial independence and job-market dependency, helping boost its rankings. Not too shabby!

women checking credit score in credit history report.

Idaho was named the most independent state, which was definitely not on my BINGO card. Ha! Kentucky came in last. You learn something new everyday. As for Minnesota, we came in at number 19.