Not Nebraska, Not Kansas: These Two States Were Ranked As America's 'Most Boring' In 2026

When you think of Nebraska, you likely think of wide empty plains as far as the eye can see, with two mid-sized cities best known for less-than-exciting industries like insurance and finance. Meanwhile, when people think of Kansas, they likely think of Kansas City — the one in Missouri. Neither state is especially known for the things young people find exciting, like the nightlife, bars, and music that define party towns like New Orleans and Las Vegas. Yet Nebraska and Kansas are not the most boring states in America — at least according to one study. That "honor" goes to Idaho and South Dakota.

In a 2026 updating of a 2022 study, career advice site Zippia crunched the numbers of boredom, using the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, and Idaho and South Dakota lapped the pack. Zippia based its findings on four key points and how they reflect popular, youthful notions of what an exciting life is like: the percentage of a state's population that is older than 60, the percentage of a state's population older than 15 that's married, the percentage of households with children, and the state's population density. The higher the first three numbers are, the more boring the state supposedly is, while a lower number for population density equates to more boredom. So, basically, if you define excitement as going to the club, small towns with lots of older people and families are a little dull. When all of that is factored into the equation, America's potato capital and North Dakota's southern neighbor evidently become the twin kings of boredom. Apologies to the fine residents of both states, but honestly, few of you are probably upset about being married and having kids. (Look, priorities change as you get older.)

Let's count 'em down, from two all the way to one. Even with a giant mountain covered in presidents, South Dakota ranks as the second-most boring state in the union for two major reasons. First off, it has the fifth-lowest population density in the whole country, with roughly 12 people for every square mile. That's a lot of wide open spaces. And it ranks in the top 10 for marriage, with over 50% of its population 16 and above getting hitched. Sure, it might have one of America's most charming state capitals and rank as one of America's most affordable places to retire, but there aren't a lot of South Dakotans to begin with, and the ones that exist are less likely to be single and ready to mingle than in other states.

South Dakota still beats out one other state, at least. Idaho might be proud of its granite peaks and scenic hot springs, but it comes in dead last for excitement — or dead, uh, first for boredom, if you want to put a more positive spin on this negative news — for the same basic reasons. Its population density is a little higher than South Dakota's; it boasts the seventh-lowest number of all 50 states, with just under 24 people per square mile. And those 24 people per square mile just love to get married, with almost 55% of the state's population putting a ring on it. At this point, it probably seems like a draw between Idaho and South Dakota, but the number that really gives the Gem State the edge is what often happens after (and, yeah, sometimes before) marriage: kids. 35% of people in Idaho have kids, so they're probably too busy keeping the next generation alive to go out raging all night long. Ensuring the survival of our species: so boring, am I right?