Vice capitals of the US

by Christina Lavingia

No matter how buttoned up someone is in his day to day, it’s normal to occasionally let loose. While the definition of fun varies for everyone, many adults turn to a handful of vices to blow off steam. Although some activities are best enjoyed in moderation, sometimes moderation is exactly what you need a break from.

The teams at FindTheHome and FindTheCompany wanted to identify the best city in each state to free yourself from inhibitions. To do this, we used 2015 Dun & Bradstreet data to calculate the Vice Score, which aggregates the density of gambling establishments, liquor stores, adult entertainment venues, dating and escort services, and body piercing and tattoo shops per 10,000 people. Cities that met the 95th percentile or higher in population size in their states, according to 2014 American Community Survey data, were included in this analysis. We then identified the city in each state with the highest Vice Score and ranked them from low to high. For each city, we’ve included the Vice Score, population size and the most accessible local vice.

Note: The Vice Score was rounded to two decimal points. True ties are denoted with an asterisk.

#50. Utah: Salt Lake City

Vice Score: 2.22
Population: 189,267
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Tattoo and Piercing Shops

#49. Arizona: Scottsdale

Vice Score: 2.95 Population: 223,519 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#48. New Hampshire: Dover

Vice Score: 2.97
Population: 30,332
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Tattoo and Piercing Shops

#47. Maine: Portland

Vice Score: 3.47 Population: 66,317 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Tattoo and Piercing Shops

#46. Texas: Texas City

Vice Score: 3.93
Population: 45,802
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#45. Missouri: Maryland Heights

Vice Score: 4.01 Population: 27,420 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#44. Virginia: Charlottesville

Vice Score: 4.04
Population: 44,505
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#43. Louisiana: Lake Charles

Vice Score: 4.08 Population: 73,503 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#42. Idaho: Coeur d’Alene*

Vice Score: 4.14
Population: 45,848
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Tattoo and Piercing Shops

* Tied with Providence, Rhode Island

#42. Rhode Island: Providence*

Vice Score: 4.14 Population: 178,562 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores * Tied with Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

#40. Tennessee: Knoxville

Vice Score: 4.24
Population: 181,759
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#39. Alabama: Pelham

Vice Score: 4.52 Population: 22,106 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Tattoo and Piercing Shops

#38. Massachusetts: New Bedford

Vice Score: 4.53
Population: 94,873
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#37. Hawaii: Kailua

Vice Score: 4.57 Population: 39,353 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Tattoo and Piercing Shops

#36. Illinois: Chicago Heights¹

Vice Score: 4.60
Population: 30,410
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

¹ Chicago Heights is an outer suburb of Chicago.

#35. Iowa: Storm Lake

Vice Score: 4.65 Population: 10,743 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Tattoo and Piercing Shops

#34. Indiana: New Albany

Vice Score: 4.66
Population: 36,496
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#33. Georgia: Martinez

Vice Score: 4.97 Population: 36,190 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Tattoo and Piercing Shops

#32. Maryland: Baltimore

Vice Score: 4.97
Population: 622,271
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#31. New Mexico: Las Vegas²

Vice Score: 5.06 Population: 13,833 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores ² Las Vegas is a metro in New Mexico located in San Miguel County.

#30. Ohio: Sandusky

Vice Score: 5.07
Population: 25,626
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#29. North Carolina: Asheville

Vice Score: 5.13 Population: 85,783 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#28. Oregon: Grants Pass

Vice Score: 5.16
Population: 34,916
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#27. California: San Francisco

Vice Score: 5.36 Population: 829,072 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#26. Minnesota: Winona

Vice Score: 5.45
Population: 27,526
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#25. Connecticut: Waterbury

Vice Score: 5.55 Population: 109,887 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#24. Oklahoma: Woodward

Vice Score: 5.65
Population: 12,389
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#23. New York: Saratoga Springs

Vice Score: 5.93 Population: 26,998 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#22. Wisconsin: Superior

Vice Score: 5.94
Population: 26,932
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#21. Colorado: Lakewood

Vice Score: 5.96 Population: 145,880 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#20. Arkansas: Hot Springs

Vice Score: 6.20
Population: 35,486
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#19. Washington: Olympia

Vice Score: 6.27 Population: 47,847 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#18. West Virginia: Weirton

Vice Score: 7.17
Population: 19,523
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#17. Kansas: Arkansas City

Vice Score: 7.31 Population: 12,316 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#16. Florida: Miami Beach

Vice Score: 7.50
Population: 90,669
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#15. Vermont: Bennington

Vice Score: 7.84 Population: 8,933 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#14. Delaware: Dover

Vice Score: 7.88
Population: 36,826
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#13. Michigan: Detroit

Vice Score: 7.88 Population: 695,437 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#12. Kentucky: Paducah

Vice Score: 8.38
Population: 25,046
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#11. Pennsylvania: Washington

Vice Score: 8.75 Population: 13,715 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#10. North Dakota: Rugby

Vice Score: 10.04
Population: 2,989
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#9. Wyoming: Riverton

Vice Score: 10.09 Population: 10,902 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#8. Mississippi: Vicksburg

Vice Score: 10.19
Population: 23,559
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#7. South Carolina: Myrtle Beach

Vice Score: 10.19 Population: 28,455 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#6. Nebraska: Plattsmouth

Vice Score: 10.81
Population: 6,473
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#5. Nevada: Paradise³

Vice Score: 11.34 Population: 223,182 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Gambling ³ Paradise contains the majority of the Las Vegas strip.

#4. South Dakota: Sturgis

Vice Score: 12.03
Population: 6,652
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Gambling

#3. Montana: Belgrade

Vice Score: 14.43 Population: 7,625 Most Accessible Vice Fix: Gambling

#2. Alaska: Ketchikan

Vice Score: 15.91
Population: 8,173
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Liquor Stores

#1. New Jersey: Atlantic City

Vice Score: 17.21
Population: 39,521
Most Accessible Vice Fix: Gambling