Does anyone use #WalletHub? If so, thoughts?

Also, does anyone have any recommendations on a good #budgeting app? Apparently WalletHub and #Monarch are excellent but there's a crapload of them out there. Something that uses Plaid to autoconnect accounts and doesn't have a continuous subscription fee would be good.

#budget #homebudget

The Most Diverse States in America: Chip Lupo Explains WalletHub’s Findings

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/09/30

Chip Lupo is an analyst with WalletHub, a leading personal finance platform known for its in-depth reports and rankings on economic, cultural, and social issues. With expertise in data analysis and financial research, Lupo provides accessible insights into topics that shape American life, from state-by-state diversity to consumer finance trends. His work helps readers understand how economic opportunity, cultural dynamics, and demographic change intersect. At WalletHub, he contributes to research that informs public debate, supports decision-making, and sheds light on critical issues facing U.S. communities, blending statistical rigour with a practical understanding of social and economic realities.

In this interview with Scott Douglas Jacobsen, WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo discusses the findings of a new report ranking the most diverse states in America. California, Texas, New Mexico, Florida, and Nevada lead the nation in cultural, socioeconomic, and political diversity, reflecting immigration patterns and historical context. By contrast, states such as West Virginia, Maine, and Montana rank at the bottom due to rural isolation and slower demographic shifts. Lupo explains why economic and cultural diversity carry the most weight in the index, drawing on sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, the Pew Research Center, and the ARDA. The conversation highlights America’s evolving demographic future.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: All right, once again, we are here with the informative Chip Lupo from WalletHub. He is an analyst there, so he is a professional working on a variety of subjects and is always very helpful in efficiently delivering information about some of the work they do at WalletHub. Today, we are going to discuss the most diverse states in America.

The report highlights how the American narrative is deeply intertwined with diversity, woven into the nation’s fabric. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that by 2045, there will be no single ethnic majority in the United States. This raises questions not only about the general “mixed” category, but also about the kinds of mixtures that will exist.

In other words, by the end of the century, America will be a very beige country. With that in mind, let us go through the report from top to bottom, as that is the most straightforward way to do it. The overall ranking puts California, Texas, New Mexico, Florida, and Nevada in the top five, based on socioeconomic, cultural, economic, household, religious, and political diversity.

California ranks very strongly across most areas—No. 1 in cultural diversity and No. 1 in political diversity—with a weaker spot in religious diversity. So why do those five states stand out at the top?

Chip Lupo: Take a look at where your top states are. Visualize a map of the United States and examine the locations of California, Texas, and New Mexico: all three states share a border with Mexico.

Immigration has been a hot-button issue for the past 10 years or so, but this trend goes back much further. Diversity has long been part of the culture in these states. California, Texas, and New Mexico are right on the southern border.

Whether immigration is legal or illegal, these states embrace cultures from Mexico and other nationalities from Central and Latin America. Florida is only about 90 miles from Cuba. Nevada borders California.

So in terms of cultural diversity, it is not surprising that these states rank very high. As for economic and socioeconomic diversity, gaps can appear for many reasons—including different industry mixes and educational backgrounds—which shape how quickly people plug into local labour markets.

Jacobsen: Now, looking at the bottom five: West Virginia, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Montana. Overall, the diversity index is exceptionally tight across the United States. Many other measures form a more standard bell curve, but this one is quite compressed.

Lupo: It is quite polarizing when you compare the top and bottom states. Look at where these states are located: Montana, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and West Virginia.

These are smaller or more rural states. Montana, despite its border with Canada, remains rural and offers fewer metropolitan opportunities. West Virginia is a very rural, isolated, and mountainous state, which may not offer as many job opportunities. Tradition also plays a role. In many of these areas, people may be less receptive to rapid demographic change, and that can be generational. West Virginia ranked dead last overall and also ranked last in two of the six key dimensions (socioeconomic and cultural diversity).

Jacobsen: Now we go to the rationale. The most significant factors are socioeconomic diversity, cultural diversity, economic diversity, and household diversity. The two smaller ones are religious diversity and political diversity. The United States is one of the most surveyed populations in the world, so you can really get a fine-grained view of the U.S. population. Why is the breakdown where four categories receive 20 points each and two categories receive 10 points used when building this index in broad terms?

Lupo: In many cases, people come to this country for economic opportunity. So obviously, that is going to weigh heavily. Cultural diversity is also weighted heavily because, going back generations, immigrants came here to take part in the American Dream, but they still wanted to retain their ethnicity and identities while ingraining themselves in American culture.

If you look back a generation or two, large urban areas were often divided into neighbourhoods by ethnicity—sections of New York, for example, with Spanish, Italian, or Irish communities.

Cultural diversity has always been at the core of immigration: maintaining one’s culture while assimilating into American society. That balance is delicate, and it carries significant weight.

Socioeconomic diversity also illustrates how new arrivals are often not highly skilled at first, so it takes time for them to integrate into the workplace and find meaningful employment. That is why the index puts an emphasis there, too.

Political and religious diversity, on the other hand, do not shift as much. The United States was founded on the idea of religious freedom, so people generally arrive with their own belief systems intact. Similarly, many immigrants bring their political ideals with them, so there is not as much of a shake-up in those categories.

Jacobsen: One more point here: sources. This report is straightforward, but the primary sources are the U.S. Census Bureau, the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA), and the Pew Research Center. Why were those chosen for this analysis of diversity in the United States?

Lupo: The Census Bureau is the foundation of diversity statistics, so that is a logical choice. ARDA and Pew Research provide additional context. We try not to rely solely on government data, so we include reputable third-party sources and think tanks, such as Pew. The Census Bureau remains the backbone, though, because it provides the most detailed numbers, and it breaks them down very effectively.

Jacobsen: Thank you for the opportunity and your time, Chip. 

Last updated May 3, 2025. These terms govern all In-Sight Publishing content—past, present, and future—and supersede any prior notices.  In-Sight Publishing by Scott  Douglas  Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons BY‑NC‑ND 4.0; © In-Sight Publishing by Scott  Douglas  Jacobsen 2012–Present. All trademarks, performances, databases & branding are owned by their rights holders; no use without permission. Unauthorized copying, modification, framing or public communication is prohibited. External links are not endorsed. Cookies & tracking require consent, and data processing complies with PIPEDA & GDPR; no data from children < 13 (COPPA). Content meets WCAG 2.1 AA under the Accessible Canada Act & is preserved in open archival formats with backups. Excerpts & links require full credit & hyperlink; limited quoting under fair-dealing & fair-use. All content is informational; no liability for errors or omissions: Feedback welcome, and verified errors corrected promptly. For permissions or DMCA notices, email: [email protected]. Site use is governed by BC laws; content is “as‑is,” liability limited, users indemnify us; moral, performers’ & database sui generis rights reserved.

#diversity #mostDiverseStates #stateDiversityRankings #wallethub

Chip Lupo, The Neediest States in the U.S.

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/01/12

Chip Lupo is an experienced personal finance writer currently contributing to WalletHub. With a background in journalism from Elon University, he has worked across various sectors, including finance, sports, politics, and religion. Chip has expertise in SEO best practices, content creation, and editing and proficiency in Microsoft and Adobe applications. His career spans over two decades, during which he has held roles as a compliance analyst, wire editor, and night city editor. Chip’s passion for media and communications drives his commitment to high-quality content. Lupo talks about 2024’s neediest cities in the United States. WalletHub analyzed 182 cities using 28 key indicators of economic disadvantage, such as child poverty, unemployment, food insecurity, and health metrics. Cities like Detroit, Gulfport, and Brownsville rank poorly in economic well-being and health indicators. Faith-based nonprofits, like the Salvation Army, are critical in providing support. Lupo emphasizes significant gaps between cities, such as a 30-times difference in homelessness rates. Seasonal needs spike in winter and summer due to extreme weather. Solutions require local leadership and grassroots action to address these issues effectively.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Today, we are here again with Chip Lupo of WalletHub. We will be talking about 2024’s neediest cities in the United States. So, how do we define neediness in the United States?

Chip Lupo: Okay, Scott. We analyzed 182 U.S. cities—these are the largest cities by population—based on 28 key indicators of economic disadvantage. This includes everything from child poverty, food insecurity, and uninsured rates to other factors that help us understand where Americans need the most support.

Jacobsen: And when they’re looking for support, what are the main social supports? What are the main economic supports? What are the main religious or institutional supports? In other words, what are some concrete ways these needs are being met, with specific examples?

Lupo: It’s interesting you bring that up because there seems to be a trend where people are increasingly turning to faith-based institutions for support. In many urban and low-income areas—which we’ll discuss in more detail—there’s a perception that government policies have not provided sufficient help.

When we talk about economics specifically, we mean child poverty rates, adult poverty rates, unemployment rates, homelessness rates, bankruptcy rates, and foreclosure rates. So, people often look within their communities or turn to faith-based institutions for assistance. Initial government efforts may have been well-intentioned in many of these areas but have yet to catch up over time.

Jacobsen: And now, with overall religion in the United States declining—whether in terms of total numbers, attendance, or adherence to faith-based practices—are we still seeing an increasing reliance on these institutions? Or are they as impactful as they’ve always been regarding social provisions?

Lupo: They’re about as impactful as they’ve always been. However, we’re not necessarily talking about formal religious institutions like churches. We’re referring more to faith-based nonprofit groups—organizations like the Salvation Army.

These types of charitable organizations, which are faith-based to some extent, are relied upon more frequently now. Of course, because the demand for their services is so high, many of these groups are stretched thin. They depend heavily on donations and volunteer support to keep their operations running and to serve these communities.

Jacobsen: What do you notice about some of the neediest cities, like Detroit, Michigan, Gulfport, Mississippi, and Brownsville, Texas?

Lupo: These cities consistently rank poorly in two main areas: economic well-being and health and safety. We touched on economic well-being earlier—factors like poverty, unemployment, and foreclosure rates.

Regarding health and safety, we’re looking at indicators like the uninsured rate, the share of severely overcrowded homes, and the percentage of adults who needed to see a doctor but couldn’t afford to. Other indicators include depression rates, suicide rates, and crime rates.

The three cities you mentioned—Detroit, Gulfport, and Brownsville—consistently rank among the lowest in economic, health, and safety indicators. Their rankings in these areas place them among the neediest cities in the United States.

Jacobsen: What are you weighing more—economics or health and safety—for neediness?

Lupo: Those two are equal; they’re the two main dynamics. Now, within each, we have metrics that carry different weights. For example, with economic well-being, we assign triple weight to metrics such as child, adult, and homelessness rates. We give full weight to metrics such as unemployment and underemployment.

That’s key because, in many of these areas, people may have jobs, but those jobs are often several levels below their qualifications. For example, you may have a master’s degree in a specific field but can’t find work there. As a result, you take a lower-paying job or something far below what your qualifications merit.

We also assign full weight to high school dropout rate and median credit score indicators. Consumer bankruptcies receive half weight, while economic security also receives half weight.

In the health and safety dimension, uninsured rates and food insecurity rates get full weight. This is critical in what are now being called food deserts—areas where access to quality produce or supermarkets is severely limited. In many cases, crime in these areas is so rampant that supermarkets close or relocate because they can’t sustain business under those conditions.

We also assign full weight to indicators like the share of severely overcrowded homes and the share of adults who needed to see a doctor but couldn’t afford to.

But, to answer your question directly—on a scale of 100, economic well-being gets 60 points, and health and safety gets 40 points. So, it does tilt slightly more toward economics because it’s likely a more accurate gauge of neediness in these areas.

Jacobsen: And how are the worst-performing cities looking in terms of child and adult poverty rates?

Lupo: Let’s see. For child poverty rate:

• Detroit, Michigan ranks 2nd worst,
• Gulfport, Mississippi, is 8th from the bottom, and
• Brownsville, Texas, is 14th from the bottom.

For adult poverty rate:

• Detroit has the highest rate,
• Gulfport ranks 8th highest, and
• Brownsville is the 10th highest.

Detroit also has the highest underemployment rate.

Jacobsen: How long have you been conducting this particular neediness study?

Lupo: To my knowledge, I can recall that we’ve been doing it for at least 2 or 3 years, as far as. It may go back even further. I’d check with Diana on that one, but we’ve conducted this study as far back as 2020.

Jacobsen: And what about unemployment and uninsured rates? How do these factor into the degree to which some of these worst-performing cities are addressing the needs of their citizens?

Lupo: Okay. For unemployment:

• Detroit has the highest unemployment rate at almost 7.5%.
• Gulfport ranks 121st, which is relatively good out of 182 cities.
• Brownsville ranks 19th worst.

For underemployment:

• Detroit ranks 1st for underemployment, meaning it’s the worst.
• Gulfport performs better in this metric, and Brownsville has a very low underemployment rate.

Now, regarding Brownsville—being in the South Texas area, there’s a lot of agriculture and farming, so underemployment may not be as significant an issue there. People are likely employed in agricultural jobs that fit their immediate skills, even if they’re not highly specialized roles.

So, to recap, Detroit is the most concerning city with high unemployment and underemployment rates, while Brownsville and Gulfport show mixed results depending on the metric.

Jacobsen: Gulfport ranks 171st, and Brownsville ranks 181st. So, they’re not as bad in terms of underemployment as they are for unemployment in those areas. Now, let’s see what else we can look at here. When you’re looking at the highs and lows of neediness in the United States, are the gaps significant across the spectrum, or is there simply a rank order,, and the gaps are relatively close overall?

Lupo: The gaps are pretty sizable. Let’s look, for example, at the the child poverty rate. Cleveland, Ohio, has the highest child poverty rate, while Pearl City, Hawaii, has the lowest. That’s a 13-times difference. So, a child in Cleveland is 13 times worse off than one in Pearl City, Hawaii.

For adult poverty rate, Detroit has the highest rate, which is 6 times worse than in Pearl City, Hawaii.

When it comes to homelessness, the difference is even more dramatic. There’s a 30-times difference between Honolulu, Hawaii, which has the highest homelessness rate, and Overland Park, Kansas, which has the lowest.

Depending on the metric, we’re seeing some significant gaps between the cities performing the worst and those performing the best. This highlights the discrepancies in economic well-being, health, and safety across the country and raises the question of how we bridge those gaps.

Jacobsen: Some of your research focuses on actionable. If people want to reduce the neediness in their city, what policies or social programs seem reasonable to implement based on the data?

Lupo: It begins at the local level. Residents need to petition their local leaders or legislatures to revamp existing policies. If those leaders aren’t addressing the issues, residents need to vote them out and bring in new leadership to prioritize these challenges.

I don’t know if you’ve been following the situation in Chicago, but there’s been significant tension between citizens and city officials over illegal immigration. The city wants to raise taxes to fund services for an influx of immigrants, but residents have had enough. They’re confronting the mayor and assembly members, saying, “You need to look out for us first and not raise taxes to support people who are here illegally.”

We’re starting to see more backlash in impoverished, high-crime communities. Residents are stepping up, making their voices heard, and demanding action. Change has to start at the grassroots level—you can’t petition Washington for solutions until you’ve addressed issues at city hall. Any meaningful improvements in these communities must begin locally and work their way up.

Jacobsen: I have time for one more question. What should we ask here? Are there differences—these are annual studies—but are there seasons in which Americans overall are more needy than others, like the winter or summer?

Lupo: Well, based on the data, this time of year—the holiday season—tends to highlight neediness the most. It’s a season of giving and charity, which brings these issues to the forefront even more.

But in a place like Detroit, for example, where winters can be brutally cold, there’s a significant degree of homelessness, and the need for shelter, warmth, and clothing becomes far more urgent.

Similarly, during the peak of summer, during heat waves, people need air conditioning, access to hydration, and cooling centers to survive. So, yes, I would say that winter and summer—the two peak seasons—are when neediness seems to be the greatest.

Jacobsen: Well, Chip, thank you for your time today. I appreciate it, as always. 

Chip Lupo: Oh, absolutely! That was great.

Last updated May 3, 2025. These terms govern all In Sight Publishing content—past, present, and future—and supersede any prior notices. In Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons BY‑NC‑ND 4.0; © In Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen 2012–Present. All trademarks, performances, databases & branding are owned by their rights holders; no use without permission. Unauthorized copying, modification, framing or public communication is prohibited. External links are not endorsed. Cookies & tracking require consent, and data processing complies with PIPEDA & GDPR; no data from children < 13 (COPPA). Content meets WCAG 2.1 AA under the Accessible Canada Act & is preserved in open archival formats with backups. Excerpts & links require full credit & hyperlink; limited quoting under fair-dealing & fair-use. All content is informational; no liability for errors or omissions: Feedback welcome, and verified errors corrected promptly. For permissions or DMCA notices, email: [email protected]. Site use is governed by BC laws; content is “as‑is,” liability limited, users indemnify us; moral, performers’ & database sui generis rights reserved.

#childPoverty #economicWellBeing #poverty #WalletHub

S.D. Ranks 31st in U.S. for Income, WalletHub Finds

https://www.mykxlg.com/news/state/s-d-ranks-31st-in-u-s-for-income-wallethub-finds/article_95e6baa9-94b6-425a-934e-e4ae60227632.html

#KXLGNews #NorthernPlainsNews #KXLGRadio991 #LiveandLocal #SouthDakota #WalletHub

America’s safest city is, uh .. South Burlington, Vermont?

Is a town of 20,000 comparable to a real city, #wallethub?

A: No, it is not.

https://wallethub.com/edu/safest-cities-in-america/41926

Find Out How Low #Louisiana #Ranks When It Comes To #Gender #Equality.

With #WomensEqualityDay around the corner and the #US ranking just 43rd for #gender #equality #worldwide, #WalletHub today released its #report on the #Best & #Worst #States for #WomensEquality in 2024 to determine where women receive the most #equal #treatment in #American #society. Where does #Louisiana rank?

#Women #Transgender #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #Misogyny #Discrimination

https://kpel965.com/find-out-how-low-louisiana-ranks-when-it-comes-to-gender-equality/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

These Are the #Worst States to Raise a #Family In: Report

https://themessenger.com/news/these-are-the-worst-states-to-raise-a-family-in-report
https://youtu.be/2Gy_8GqoXHo
https://youtu.be/SU1wyNmlfnE

#NewMexico, #Mississippi, and #WestVirginia are among the worst places to raise #children in the US, according to a new #WalletHub study

#wallethub is sending mixed messages on #utah. #hawaii looks great, though.

https://wallethub.com/edu/happiest-states/6959

https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-for-women-equality/5835