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Is it possible you'll spend the Fourth of July in one of the least patriotic states in the country?

Utah is one of the "least patriotic states" in the nation, ranking 47th, according to a WalletHub.com study.

The personal finance website decided based on eight quantitative measures that Utah has more to think about than fireworks this July. Virginia earned the top spot.

"Instead of subjective, qualitative data, we wanted to use data like military engagement," said Jill Gonzalez, a WalletHub spokeswoman. That means patriotism is defined by cold, hard numbers: how many people are enlisted in the military, number of veterans and peace corps volunteers per capita. Plus, to measure civic engagement, the study looked at voting rates, volunteer rates, civics education standards and frequency of online searches for purchasing an American flag.

But that's exactly the wrong approach, said Roger Perkins, director of the University of Utah's Veterans Support Center.

"They're trying to quantify something that is essentially an emotion," Perkins said. "It's like trying to measure love. ... You can't put a yardstick on it. It's an emotional thing."

Perkins, who served for 21 years in the Army, said Utah is one of the most patriotic states out of the 39 states he's lived in.

He said he is treated well by Utahns as a veteran, receiving thank-yous and free meals — "I was stunned," he said — and even money left on his car.

"I never got that in Massachusetts, Kansas, California," he said.

Utah's low overall ranking also may be surprising because it is first in the nation for volunteer rates.

"From my personal observation around Salt Lake, people seem to be a lot more engaged," Perkins said.

But the numbers suggest something different. Utah ranks 48th for percentage of Utahns enlisted in the military and has one of the lowest voting rates, coming in at 42nd.

"Anyone can say and definitely mean that they love their country, but we took a quantitative look here," Gonzalez said. "People who love their country would want to go out and vote and have a voice in the matter. Yet only 50 percent of Utahns voted in the last [presidential] election."

Utah ranks 25th in Google searches for an American flag.

Perkins said if Utahns want to be more patriotic, "it's more what you feel than what you do."

In that way, patriotism, like love, is complicated.

"I'm very patriotic, but I'm not blindly patriotic. You've got to not only know what your government is doing, but know what it's supposed to do," he said.

Twitter: @amymcdonald89