Montana is #1 – America’s Friendliest States — 2026 Study

Montana tops the nation with residents spending 95 minutes daily on community engagement activities.

SmartAsset analyzed data from the American Time Use Survey and other sources to rank all 50 states by the average daily minutes residents spend socializing, volunteering, and helping others outside the home. This ranking offers a behavioral snapshot of community connection and friendliness across the country.

Montana leads with an average of 95 minutes per day, including 43.36 minutes socializing, 35.62 volunteering, and 15.89 helping others. Utah and Wyoming follow with 91.65 and 83.13 total minutes, respectively. Notably, West Virginia residents spend the most time helping others outside their homes, about 30 minutes daily. The study also challenges stereotypes: Minnesota and Washington rank 11th and 10th, respectively, while three Northeastern states—Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maryland—appear in the top 20.

The data come from the 2025 version of the American Time Use Survey extracted by IPUMS and analyzed by SmartAsset, with no endorsement from the data providers.

While Montana’s leadership reflects the Mountain West’s strong community ties, this pattern may influence how businesses approach networking and local engagement in the state. Montana’s combination of social and volunteer activities might foster a workforce with unique collaborative strengths, potentially shaping economic and civic interactions.

America’s Friendliest States — 2026 Study 
By Toby Nelson, SmartAsset