South Carolina Ranks in the Top 20 Most Fun States in America – WalletHub Study

The personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2024’s Most Fun States in America, as well as expert commentary, to identify where residents and vacationers can enjoy the greatest variety and most cost-effective options for activities.

WalletHub compared the 50 states across 26 key metrics. The data set ranges from movie costs to the accessibility of national parks to nightlife options per capita.

Fun in South Carolina (1=Most Fun; 25=Avg.):

Overall Rank: 18^th
18^th – Restaurants per Capita
13^th – Golf Courses & Country Clubs per Capita
20^th – Amusement Parks per Capita
25^th – Performing-Arts Theaters per Capita
25^th – Fitness Centers per Capita
20^th – Variety of Arts, Entertainment & Recreation Establishments

Source: WalletHub

Restaurants per Capita

Most

T-1. California
T-1. New York
T-1. Florida
T-1. Texas
5. Illinois

Fewest

46. Vermont
47. Wyoming
48. South Dakota
49. North Dakota
50. Alaska

Golf Courses & Country Clubs per Capita

Most

1. Michigan
2. Iowa
3. Wisconsin
4. New York
5. Florida

Fewest

46. Nevada
47. Hawaii
48. New Mexico
49. Utah
50. Alaska

Methodology

In order to determine the most fun states in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states across two key categories, “Entertainment & Recreation” and “Nightlife.”

We evaluated those categories using 26 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 indicating the greatest number and variety of fun and cost-effective options.

We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available at only the city level, and in such cases we calculated a weighted average based on the size of the city population and we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities. For metrics marked with two asterisks (**), we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across states.

Entertainment & Recreation – Total Points: 80

Number of Attractions*: Quadruple Weight (~11.23 Points)
Variety of Arts, Entertainment & Recreation Establishments: Quadruple Weight (~11.23 Points)
Ideal Weather*: Quadruple Weight (~11.23 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Cities with the Best & Worst Weather” ranking.
Restaurants per Capita**: Double Weight (~5.61 Points)
Amusement Parks per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
Golf Courses & Country Clubs per Capita**: Half Weight (~1.40 Points)
Movie Theaters per Capita**: Half Weight (~1.40 Points)
Arcades per Capita**: Half Weight (~1.40 Points)
Fitness Centers per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
Skiing Facilities per Capita**: Half Weight (~1.40 Points)
Marinas per Capita**: Half Weight (~1.40 Points)
Shoreline Mileage: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
Note: Shoreline Mileage of the outer coast includes offshore islands, sounds, bays, rivers, and creeks to the head of tidewater or to a point where tidal waters narrow to a width of 100 feet. For the Great Lakes, shoreline mileage was measured in 1970 by the International Coordinating Committee on Great Lakes Basic Hydraulic and Hydrologic Data and cross-referenced with U.S. Lake Survey measurements for each state.
Beach Quality: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
Note: This metrics includes the beach access, water quality and the status of surfing areas.
Access to Scenic Byways: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
Note: This metrics includes both the Number of Scenic Byways and the Length of Scenic Byways.
Number of State Fairs & Events per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
Access to National Parks: Full Weight (~2.81 Points)
Note: This metric includes both the number and the gross area of national parks per capita.
Personal Spending on Recreation Services per Capita: Double Weight (~5.61 Points)
State & Local Direct General Expenditures on Parks & Recreation per Capita: Triple Weight (~8.42 Points)

Nightlife – Total Points: 20

Average Beer & Wine Price*: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Movie Costs*: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Nightlife Options per Capita**: Double Weight (~4.44 Points)
“Access to Bars” Grade: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Note: This grade is a combination of bars per capita and bars per square mile, a measure of both availability (per capita) and proximity (per square mile).
Time of Last Call: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Music Festivals per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Performing-Arts Theaters per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)
Casinos per Capita**: Full Weight (~2.22 Points)

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of July 23, 2024 from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, National Park Service, Council for Community and Economic Research, American Gaming Association, TripAdvisor, Beachapedia, America’s Scenic Byways, NOAA Office for Coastal Management, CarnivalWarehouse.com, Music Festival Wizard, Discotech and WalletHub research.