American Samoa Has the Highest Military Enlistment Rate in America

It can be difficult to define patriotism, and difficult to measure it in any meaningful sense. But if one of your requirements was a person's readiness to defend their nation by enlisting in the military, you would have to give American Samoan citizens credit for being among the most patriotic in the country. In the entire country of the United States, American Samoa has the highest rate of military enlistment.

Despite having the greatest proportion of poverty in the nation and a population of only 46,000, the small island's recruiting office is ranked number one out of 800 statewide. American Samoa consistently recruits the most soldiers per capita of any other state. Residents have the chance to join the military and improve their ability to support their family back home. The NFL or the military, it seems, are the only two options for leaving the island, according to locals.