The 10 Most Sunburned States (And The Least)

Feeling hot, hot hot.

It’s getting hot in here…

I’m gonna soak up the sun.

Ok, I’m done. Here comes the sun.

Seriously, though. I’m done now. Since summer has officially arrived in the U.S., people are spending more time outside. This doesn’t come without a cost. It seems that many are going out unprotected. That’s right, they’re skimping on the sunscreen. And, in return, the sun is delivering its natural gift of sunburn.

Turns out, that people in some states are more likely to receive this gift than in other states. Now, it’s time to lather up with aloe and maybe next time these states will think twice when it comes to sunscreen.

Summary of the Most (and least) Sunburned States

• So, it’s not surprising that Hawaii turned up first as being the most sunburned state. After all, there are endless things to do there that all require you to be outside. Surfing, hiking, swimming, visiting a volcano and climbing a coconut tree. All outside.

• And, again, it’s no surprise that Alaska came in last. The only type of burn that may be common there is if you get too close to the fireplace.

• Now, something that is surprising is that California was 2 spots away from being in the least sunburned state. You would think with the beaches that everyone would be out enjoying themselves and getting sunburned. But maybe it’s not that everyone stayed inside last week. Maybe instead it’s that almost everyone in California knows to wear sunscreen. A tip of the hat to Californians.

• After Hawaii, South Carolina and Florida tied for being the second most sunburned states. With Florida being the Sunshine State, we were surprised it wasn’t first on the list.

Don’t forget to check out the full list of sunburned states below.

How We Determined The Most Sunburned States

This one was fairly simple. We turned to google trends to find which states saw the biggest increase in search traffic for ‘sunburn.’

Odds are pretty good if you’re googling sunburn treatments you’re lobster red. Related searches include shaving cream, menthol, and a Luke Bryan song (Sunrise, sunburn, sunset.) So there is a slight chance some country-loving states may rank a bit higher. But if you’re blasting music on the 4th, there’s a good chance you’re doing it outside.

We opted to look at July 1st to July 6th, accounting for a long weekend and time off.

The 10 Most Sunburned States

1. Hawaii
2. South Carolina
3. Florida
4. Maine
5. West Virginia
6. Alabama
7. Iowa
8. Delaware
9. Wyoming
10. Arkansas

Good News for Aloe Companies

With more and more people heading outside, the chances of sunburn have been increasing drastically. In the last couple of weeks, the search volume for “sunburn” has skyrocketed. And what happens when you look like a lobster? You run to the store for aloe.

So really all this boils down to is that companies that sell aloe are probably sitting pretty in the sales department. Of course, after one really bad sunburn usually, people are smart enough to remember sunscreen for the next time. So maybe the sunscreen companies aren’t doing so bad either.

While it all seems like a ploy, or a marketing scheme between the sun and these companies, it’s probably smart to just go along with it. After all, you don’t want to end up with skin cancer. As with other things in life, it’s essential to use protection. And in this particular case, that means sunscreen.

State	Sunburn Search Volume
Hawaii	100
South Carolina	50
Florida	49
Maine	49
West Virginia	48
Alabama	46
Iowa	44
Delaware	43
Wyoming	43
Arkansas	42
Kentucky	42
Oklahoma	42
Nebraska	40
Rhode Island	40
North Dakota	39
South Dakota	39
Indiana	38
Utah	38
Wisconsin	38
Michigan	37
Mississippi	37
New Hampshire	37
North Carolina	37
Pennsylvania	37
Missouri	36
Ohio	36
Idaho	35
Louisiana	35
Kansas	34
Massachusetts	34
New Jersey	34
Tennessee	34
Minnesota	33
Montana	33
Vermont	33
Connecticut	31
Georgia	31
Texas	30
Virginia	30
Colorado	29
Illinois	29
Arizona	28
Nevada	28
Maryland	27
New York	27
New Mexico	26
California	25
Oregon	25
Washington	22
Alaska	19