Key Findings 

Big Hearts, Small Towns 

Smaller cities dominate the top spots, with Cheyenne, Fargo, and Round Rock all cracking the top five. It’s clear: places where people know their neighbors are also more likely to help a stranger. 

Urban centers didn’t fare as well.  

Larger cities like Jersey City, Newark, and Baltimore all landed near the bottom of the list. Crowded streets and faster-paced lifestyles may be making spontaneous roadside generosity harder to come by. 

 

Texas: The Ultimate Hitchhiker's State? 

Texas was a powerhouse, with 16 cities appearing in the top 50 alone. Waco (#2), Round Rock (#5), and Plano (#11) led the charge, proving that Southern hospitality is alive and well. 

Even mid-size Texas cities like Grand Prairie, Garland, and Killeen showed strong community spirit, offering travelers a better-than-average chance of scoring a ride. 

Weather Might Matter More Than You Think 

Colder, harsher climates seemed to boost willingness to help. Fargo (#3), Anchorage (#4), and Billings (#9) all made the top 10. When survival and safe travel are literally at stake, lending a hand becomes second nature. 

Meanwhile, sun-soaked cities like Hollywood, FL (#124) and Palm Bay, FL (#131) ranked far lower, suggesting that urgency - and not just kindness - might be part of the equation. 

Coastal Kindness vs. Inland Hospitality 

West Coast cities were a mixed bag. Berkeley (#6) showed classic countercultural openness, but many larger California cities - think Anaheim (#56), Riverside (#97), and San Bernardino (#107) - ranked much lower. 

 

The inland U.S. shone brighter. Cities from Utah, Idaho, and the Dakotas consistently landed in the top third, reflecting a quieter, sturdy tradition of helping others on the move. 

The Top 10 in Context 

Cheyenne’s #1 finish feels fitting: Wyoming’s vast, lonely highways make stopping to help more than just polite - it’s practical. 

Honolulu’s #7 spot highlights the island’s deep-rooted "aloha spirit," where community care isn’t an act of heroism—it’s just daily life. 

Olathe, Kansas (#10) quietly rounds out the top 10, a reminder that even in places not typically associated with "adventure," decency thrives. 

Final Thoughts 

The numbers don’t lie: hitchhiking may seem old-fashioned, but America's heart is still beating strong on its highways, backroads, and city streets. 

Small towns, harsh-weather states, and communities rooted in neighborliness led the way - proving that even in a world of smartphones and rideshares, some drivers are still willing to trust a stranger and lend a hand. 

 

Maybe it’s not just nostalgia. Maybe it's part of who we are. 

Methodology 

Online panel survey of 3,003 drivers based on age, gender, and geography. Internal data sources are used to obtain population data sets. We used a two-step process to ensure representativeness through stratified sampling and post-stratification weighting. 

Respondents are carefully chosen from a geographically representative online panel of double-opt-in members. This selection is further tailored to meet the precise criteria required for each unique survey. Throughout the survey, we design questions to carefully screen and authenticate respondents, guaranteeing the alignment of the survey with the ideal participants. 

To ensure the integrity of our data collection, we employ an array of data quality methods. Alongside conventional measures like digital fingerprinting, bot checks, geo-verification, and speeding detection, etc. each response undergoes a thorough review by a dedicated team member to ensure quality and contextual accuracy. Our commitment extends to open-ended responses, subjecting them to scrutiny for gibberish answers and plagiarism detection. 

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