A newspaper reporter’s email inbox is the target of tons of unsolicited, often nonsensical statistical reports. Prudent journalists immediately relegate unwanted, eyebrow-raising data to the junk folder.
But, lucky for you, occasionally a frivolously inclined cultural correspondent will collect these unverified factoids. Here are a few choice examples of Louisiana spam-sourced stats from our “grain of salt” file.
1. Louisiana likes Chinese food best
Forget Cajun and Creole, “Chinese is the most popular cuisine in Louisiana according to the website Pricelisto. “Search terms such as ‘cuisine/food,’ ‘cuisine/food near me,’ or ‘cuisine/recipes’ were used to gather data, resulting in 68,368 monthly searches for Chinese food in the Bayou State. Mexican came in second, followed by Indian, Italian, and Thai.
What about sushi? No sushi? That's ridiculous, we love sushi!
2. Louisiana is the No. 1 state for fishing
The gambling.com website surveyed five factors — water area, number of fishing licenses issued, license cost, charter boat cost, and the sale of fishing equipment — to determine that the Sportsman’s Paradise lived up to its billing. Wisconsin came in second, followed by Minnesota and Oklahoma.
Plus, there's a really long bridge named after Frank Davis. Beat that.
And speaking of fishing …
Accoding to spam statistics, Louisiana is the best state for fishing in the natiuon. But, there's also a chance of being lured in by online romance con artists practicing something called 'catfishing.'
3. Louisiana is the 31st worst state for being catfished
According to a study by the Social Catfish website, 155 Louisianians were victims of online romance scams, losing $4.3 million in 2022. California was the most catfished state, followed by Texas and Florida. Vermont was the least catfished.
The press release that announced this statistic offered to put us in touch with “A reformed Nigerian romance scammer … who has a leaked romance scam training manual we can provide to you.”
A romance scam training manual? As tempting as that is, we'll pass.
Despite those who are unlucky in love …
4. Louisiana is the 5th luckiest state
By “analyzing the states with the highest number of jackpot winners per million people,” the OLBG: Sports Betting Community website determined that Louisiana has “2.2 jackpot winners per million people in the last 20 years!” Delaware came in first and New Mexico came in 15th. The folks at OLBG did not provide the identity of the unluckiest state. We think it might be Georgia, because they have the Falcons.
Now, from the practice makes perfect department, we have this ...
5. Louisiana is the most emergency-prepared state
According to the Assurance website, “76% of Louisiana residents reported that they have flashlights, first-aid kits, batteries, and other necessary items” at hand.
“Nearly 80% of Louisiana residents have mobile alerts for emergencies, and 66% have stashed away non-perishable food and water.” Plus, over half of the residents (58%) even know their evacuation routes, the site claims.
Apparently the survey did not check for red wine (that requires no refridgeration), the instruction manual for the generator (which is lost, but it doesn't really matter, because we couldn't figure it out anyway), and a canoe.
South Carolina was the second-most prepared, followed by Tennessee and Florida. Nevada is the least prepared. At least that’s the conclusion of the Assurance Team, which is “made up of data science, editorial content, and internal subject matter experts dedicated to making insurance and finance more accessible.”
And don't forget those MREs left over from the last hurricane (those things never go bad, right?) Staff Sgt. Gregory Cavalier sorts MREs at a National Guard supply station Thursday, September 2, 2021, in Lockport, La. in Lafourche Parish.
6. Louisiana is the 5th laziest state
According to the TotalShape.com website, Alabama is the laziest state, with data showing 31.5% of adults being physically inactive. Mississippi and Arkansas came in second and third with West Virginia and Kentucky tied for fourth. Louisiana came in fifth.
Being described as fifth laziest may seem totally judgy, but TotalShape assures us it is not. “This data shouldn’t serve as a condemnation,” the site assures us, “but more of an inspiration to add some kind of fitness routine into your lifestyle.”
This information was apparently compiled by AmericasHealthRankings.org. At this writing, the TotalShape website won’t open because it is at capacity, so we don’t know which state is the least lazy. I bet it’s California or Colorado, or one of those C states, right?
Speaking of technical troubles …
7. Louisiana is the 6th most in need of tech support
Based on Google searches in each state for tech support-related terms such as “computer repair,” “phone screen repair,” Florida appears to be the state most in need of IT. Georgia came in second, then Nevada, Texas, California and Louisiana.
Are they saying we're not the fastest charger cords in the drawer?
This data was apparently found on windowsreport.com
Azula, a 8-year-old Cane Corso, sniffs out a scent during a demonstration at the Louisiana Capital City Obedience Club's “Meet the Breeds” meeting at Main Library in Baton Rouge, La., on Sunday, November 14, 2021.
8. Louisiana’s favorite dog is the Cane Corso
We’d never heard of a Cane Corso, but, according to our extensive research – OK, Wikipedia – we’ve learned it is “an Italian breed of mastiff, usually kept as a companion dog or guard dog."
The dog’s status was apparently determined, like most of the stats on this list, by measuring online searches. The breed is apparently super popular. “The Cane Corso is (also) the most Googled dog breed in 46 states, including Florida, Georgia, Connecticut, and Indiana,” according to the Dog Advisory Council.
Truth is, they look a lot like pit bulls from a distance. And since we like to keep pit bulls at a distance, we may never know the difference.
The second favorite dog in Louisiana is the French Bulldog, then the Australian Shepherd, Boxer, and Shih Tzu.
9. Louisiana is the 10th sleepiest state
“Louisiana has been named the 10th sleepiest state, with 38% of people reporting getting an insufficient amount of sleep,” according to the CBD product site CBDfx, analyzed data issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the study, the sleepiest state is West Virginia, then Alabama, then Kentucky. Nebraska apparently gets plenty of sleep.
Can we assume that the folks at CBDfx believe that a hemp oil gummy or a little tincture at bedtime would be better than counting sheep?
And if the gummies don’t do the trick …
According to spam statistics only two other states like Bourbon more than Louisiana.
10. Louisiana is the 3rd most Bourbon-loving state
Only Kentucky (no surprise) and Missouri appreciate Bourbon whiskey more than we do, according to the LouisianaBets sports gambling site. We have to try harder, people. Come on, we can do this.
As the Pinettes sing it, “There ain’t no city like the one I’m from.” So true. So true. And to help celebrate our inescapable unusualness, her…
According to a survey by the WordTips website, more people approve of the New Orleans manner of speech than any other accent. Yeah, you right!
Who knows how these things get started? More than one reader asked if it was really true that sorority houses are not allowed in New Orleans, …
