The Average Age Americans Lose Their Virginity
With the Nordic countries taking the lead, the United States is ranked amongst the top five countries where people lose their virginity the fastest, on average. With a federal average of 16.9 years (almost 17), American teens are losing their virginity faster than most Asian or European countries. While there is no consensus of data available on a state-by-state basis, most states have different laws governing the conduct of their people, which either encourages or discourages their teens from intercourse.
States With The Highest Virginity Rate
With the definition of losing one's virginity meaning penetrative intercourse, about 70% of 15-19-year-olds responded to a census saying that they have engaged in sex. This means that 30% of those older have not, and of those who remain, are virgins. Utah is the state with the highest number of virgins, according to an OkCupid study. 20% of the users on the dating site's platform have identified themselves as virgins, with South Dakota, Idaho, Iowa, and Arkansas to follow.
These states traditionally enjoy the least amount of international tourism and have a more strict adherence to a traditional nuclear family. They also have a larger amount of farmland. As the list continues, most of the states follow suit, with the highest number of viruses being in southern states, particularly those that are homogenous and contribute to the food baskets of America. It is also noted that in more religious states, or those that have more enforcement of traditional religious values, virginity rates are higher as it is seen as a sign of morality and purity, especially for women. Utah is the highest, predominantly due to the large Mormon population, which has strict rules and guidelines for recreating sexual intercourse.
States With The Lowest Virginity Rate
In the same study, it was concluded that Vermont had the lowest number of virgins, as reported by OkCupid in 2015. It is also important to note that virginity is self-identified as it is illegal and largely unnecessary to scientifically confirm if someone is a virgin or not. This means that although this data is voluntary, the seeming importance placed on virginity is also an indicator of societal norms within the state.
Following Vermont, Delaware, New Mexico, Oregon, Montana, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Hawaii followed suit. Common themes across most of the states are that they are northern states, particularly in the northeast, or states that enjoy an influx of visitors, immigrants, and tourists. For example, Nevada is well known for its sin city, Las Vegas, an extremely popular tourist destination that is mainly associated with casinos and other nightlife activities, which promotes the increase in sexual intercourse. These states also do not have such strict adherence to culture, tradition or religion.
Surprisingly enough, large metropolitan states such as New York, California, and Florida are midway through the list. This may also suggest that as population size is increased, the law of large numbers takes into effect - meaning that the number of virgins becomes split between many of the other states.