Atlanta moves up two spots on list of most sinful cities in U.S.
“Of the seven deadly sins, lust is definitely the pick of the litter,” author Tom Robbins is quoted as saying. Atlanta residents apparently agree, moving up to take the top spot for the vice in WalletHub’s annual ranking of the most sinful cities in America.
The approaching holidays tend to bring out the lust, envy, greed, excesses and other vices we humans experience. For Atlantans, that’s more true this year than last.
To determine the most sinful cities of 2022, the financial website compared 182 cities — including the 150 most populated in the U.S., plus at least two of the most populated in each state — across seven key dimensions: anger and hatred; jealousy; excesses and vices; greed; lust; vanity; and laziness.
It then examined those dimensions using 38 relevant metrics, each of which was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of sinfulness.
Las Vegas once again retained its title as most sinful, but Atlanta is moving up. We cracked the top 5 this year, with an overall score of 53.39, up from 49.22 and a rank of No. 7 last year.
Most notable was the city’s leapfrog from No. 5 to No. 1 in the lust dimension. We ranked in the top 10 for two other vices: No. 2 for jealousy and No. 9 for vanity.
Georgia’s two other cities in the analysis were Columbus, which finished at No. 100 with a score of 35.99, and Augusta, which ranked No. 127 with an overall score of 33.85.
The bright spot for Georgia is all three cities ranked low for greed: Atlanta at No. 176, Augusta at No. 180 and Columbus at No. 181.
Our picks this week
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is your No. 1 source for things to do, see, make, buy and eat through the holidays. Here are our recommendations:
LISTEN: What’s on Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ holiday playlist?
DRINK: Here’s the holiday spirit Atlanta’s sipping this Christmas
DO: Seven places to show off your ice skating moves in and around Atlanta
VISIT: Full AJC holiday guide for things to do, buy and enjoy
For our full coverage of holiday events around metro Atlanta, check out the AJC’s Things to Do page.
About the Author
Nancy Clanton is a lead producer for The AJC's platforms team, but also writes stories about health, travel, events and entertainment. A native of Knoxville and graduate of the University of Tennessee, she has worked at the AJC for 24 years.
