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With Las Vegas just under a five-hour drive north from Phoenix, Sin City seems to have rubbed off on the region’s other desert metropolis.
The financial planning site WalletHub recently released a study ranking the 180 most “sinful” cities in the United States. The study used 37 “key indicators” within seven broader categories, which are basically the seven deadly sins:
- Anger and hatred (Wrath)
- Jealousy (Envy)
- Excess and vices (Gluttony)
- Greed
- Lust
- Vanity (Pride)
- Laziness (Sloth)
And Phoenix, you lusty, vain desert oasis — you’re in the top 10.
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Phoenix, with its binge-drinking hub downtown and its abundance of strip clubs and casinos, ranks as the ninth-most sinful city in the country. It’s edged out by Denver and Atlanta, while Las Vegas, Houston and Los Angeles top the list. Phoenix narrowly beat out New Orleans, home of Mardi Gras debauchery, for No. 9.
What makes Phoenix so wicked? Vanity and lust.
Phoenix is the fifth-most vain city in America, according to the study. That ranking was determined by the number of tanning salons per capita — folks, have you tried simply stepping outside? — and by the popularity of the Google Search “Top 5 Plastic Surgeries.” If you were wondering, those are boob job, liposuction, a nose job, eyelid surgery and a tummy tuck. Notably, Phoenix tied with Scottsdale and several other cities for the top rank in tanning salons.
All those tans and silicon parts apparently rev our engines. The Valley is also the sixth-most lustful city, according to the study. That metric is based on four factors, including the number of adult entertainment establishments per capita, Google searches for “XXX Entertainment” and “Tinder” and the teen birth rate. If those are the criteria, then that certainly tracks.
In Phoenix, it seems, one is never far from a windowless building that usually denotes a strip joint. A Yelp search shows at least 50 of these clubs across the Valley. Additionally, the birth rate among 15-to-19-year-olds in Phoenix is 16.6 per 1,000 girls, which is higher than both the state and national averages, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Phoenix ranks lower in the other metrics. It’s the 53rd-laziest city, which is calculated based on lack of exercise, TV consumption and the high school dropout rate, among other factors. It’s ranked as 63rd on the excessive index, which is based on vices like drinking, weed usage and fast food. Based on a variety of crime factors, it’s the 65th-most angry city. It’s also the 67th-greediest city, which is based on the number of casinos and gambling disorders. It’s the 82nd-most jealous city, based on theft and fraud.
While Phoenix is the only Arizona city among the top 10 or even the top 40, it’s not the only Arizona city on WalletHub’s list. Gilbert earned special recognition for having among the fewest violent crimes and thefts per capita, while Scottsdale had one of the highest percentages of adults exercising. Here’s how they all stack up.
9. Phoenix
45. Tempe
60. Tucson
63. Scottsdale
78. Glendale
103. Gilbert
113. Mesa
120. Chandler
149: Peoria
