Where Does Montana Rank on the “Redneck” Scale? You May Be Surprised
You have no idea how often I've been told that people in Montana are "rednecks." It doesn't make any sense to me, considering Montanans actually hold themselves with class (most of the time). A "redneck" is defined as a working-class person who is crass and unsophisticated and is classified as a derogatory term. However, the team at Mandatory.com ranked all 50 states on a "redneck" scale, and my suspicions were right; Montana doesn't even rank in the top 10.
Why do people assume Montanans are rednecks?
I think it has something to do with our rural background, but having more cows than people living in a state doesn't automatically make the residents rednecks. If anything, there are small groups of people who may proudly wear that moniker, but most people would think you were insulting them in my opinion.
Back in 2015, the website RoadSnacks.com put some Montana towns on blast with this article highlighting what they said was the "10 Most Redneck Cities in Montana." It's an interesting article, mainly because as a Montanan, I don't agree with it. (Red Lodge is on this list. Really?)
How did they figure out the most redneck states?
According to the article from Mandatory.com, the data they used combines the number of mobile homes per 100 housing units with the number of Walmart stores per 1 million people to get an overall "redneck score." Under this system, Montana has just above 14 mobile homes per 100 housing units and just above 7 Walmarts per 1 million people, coming in at a total of nearly 22.
Arkansas, on the other hand, has a total score of 37, which is the highest score on the list. The next nine after Arkansas are Mississippi, New Mexico, Alabama, South Carolina, West Virginia, Wyoming, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
So, yes, despite what others are thinking, Montana isn't as redneck as you think it is. Perhaps in some places, it is, but you should visit Bozeman, Missoula, or even Billings before assuming such things.