” width=”333″ height=”316″>States Most Likely to Cheat During Spring Break (College Edition)
- Ian Harper
- 20 Mar 2025
For many college students, spring break is the ultimate escape, a week of beaches, booze, and, for some, bad decisions. With thousands flocking to party hotspots like Miami, South Padre Island, and Cancun, the mix of alcohol, freedom, and a break from campus life can lead to more than just fun, it can lead to flings and infidelity.
By analyzing cheating-related search trends, travel interest, and party culture, we’ve ranked the U.S. states where college students are most likely to cheat during spring break. Some states make the list due to their wild party scenes, while others stand out for their high search intent for hookups. But one thing is certain: these are the top states where spring break romance often comes with no strings attached.
Spring Break: The States Most Likely to Cheat
While West Virginia takes the top spot, states like Texas, Iowa, and Indiana aren’t far behind. Interestingly, Idaho and Kentucky made the list without having any top-ranked party schools – their high placement is driven purely by cheating-related search volume.
Now, let’s dive into the details and explore what makes these states the most likely hotspots for spring break infidelity.
1. West Virginia
Although it only has one top-50 party college, West Virginia University, the state’s smaller population makes it the state where college students are most likely to cheat during spring break.
2. Indiana
Indiana comes in close behind West Virginia and dominates Google cheating searches, with an average trending score of 72.59. Indiana is home to its namesake college- Indiana University, with the Bloomington campus ranked as the 16th biggest party school in the country.
3. Iowa
Another state with just one top-50 party school, The University of Iowa, ranked 19th in the U.S., it’s smaller population means it scores highly per capita. Iowa is also the fourth-highest-ranked state in cheating search volume.
4. Texas
Texas has an astonishing number of top-party schools at 4, with The University of Texas’s Austin Campus leading the way, with its famous 6th Street bar scene. Texas also comes in second in cheating-related searches, making it a top state for spring break cheating and hookups.
5. Ohio
Ohio has an astonishing 5 top party schools and 0.53 party schools per 100,000 19-25-year-olds, making it one of the top states for party schools, with Ohio University placing 15th in the country.
6. Colorado
The specific number of people in Colorado looking for hookups isn’t the highest. Colorado however does lead the way in spring break travel searches, with an average Google trends score of 90.87, giving it a total Search score of 68.69.
7. Michigan
Michigan scores strongly thanks to ranking 6th in cheating-related searches, the addition of two top-50 party colleges boosts it even further, although the colleges per capita are not so high thanks to its larger population. Michigan State ranks 18th in the country for its party reputation.
8. Tennessee
Even top research colleges know how to party hard, as shown by Vanderbilt University appearing in the top 50 party colleges in the country. Tennessee ranks second in the country for cheating-related searches, which pushed the state up to 8th in the rankings.
9. Oklahoma
With 9.1% of its population in the college-age range, Oklahoma has one of the highest young adult concentrations. With the addition of The University of Oklahoma, in 25th place in the country for parties, spring break in Oklahoma could see its share of hookups.
10. Alabama
Alabama is home to one of the top party colleges in the country, The University of Alabama, which places 4th in the country. The state also scores highly in cheating searches on Google, helping it to round off the top 10 states.
11. Delaware
Delaware may be small, but it ranks high in party schools per capita. Despite having the smallest college-age population on the list, its strong party culture keeps it in the top 15, with The University of Delaware in 36th, college nightlife is always buzzing.
12. Kansas
Kansas scores highly across the board, both in searches and party schools per capita, and has a high percentage of college-aged people at 8.9%. The University of Kansas is the main spot for parties in the state, ranking 35th in the country.
13. Wisconsin
The University of Wisconsin’s Madison campus ranks as a top party school in the country in 7th. A high search volume score for cheating-related searches bumps of 64.16 bumps Wisconsin up the rankings, making it among the top states for spring break hookups.
14. Idaho
Idaho is a surprise entry in the top 15. Idaho has none of the top 50 party schools in the U.S., despite this, a high search ranking of 66.10 moved Idaho up the rankings, meaning that the people of Idaho are interested in a casual encounter. Perhaps a spring break trip out-of-state is the place to find it?
15. Kentucky
Kentucky is another top 15 state that does not have a top-party school in its borders. Like Idaho, its position is mostly driven by a high search volume, and its higher-than-average college-age population.
Florida: Why the Spring Break Capital Doesn’t Make the List
Florida famously is the home of spring break, where the tradition started back in 1934 when a swimming coach from New York Colgate University took his team to Fort Lauderdale. Since then, it gradually evolved into spring break as we know it today.
Florida has since cracked down on spring break festivities, with one of its campaigns titled “Miami Beach is Breaking Up with Spring Break”. Other measures imposed across South Florida involve curfews, early alcohol sale cutoffs, and additional police on the scene. Fort Lauderdale has additionally banned alcohol and coolers on the sand, with the beach closed at 5:30 pm for cleanup to begin.
Melissa Berthier, director of marketing and communications for the City of Miami Beach added “City leaders are implementing tough new measures aimed at putting an end to spring break. These included restricted beach access, bag checks, parking garage closures, DUI checkpoints…and heightened enforcement for alcohol consumption in public, drug possession and violent behavior.”
Full Ranking
| Rank | State | Spring Break Cheating Searches | Party Colleges per 100,000 19-25’s | Spring Break Cheating Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | 66.82 | 0.71 | 86.57 |
| 2 | Indiana | 72.59 | 0.17 | 85.80 |
| 3 | Iowa | 69.21 | 0.37 | 85.25 |
| 4 | Texas | 70.52 | 0.15 | 84.37 |
| 5 | Ohio | 65.32 | 0.53 | 81.68 |
| 6 | Colorado | 68.69 | 0.20 | 81.18 |
| 7 | Michigan | 67.46 | 0.23 | 80.80 |
| 8 | Tennessee | 69.46 | 0.17 | 80.69 |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 65.11 | 0.28 | 80.58 |
| 10 | Alabama | 66.51 | 0.23 | 79.78 |
| 11 | Delaware | 50.84 | 1.29 | 77.36 |
| 12 | Kansas | 60.13 | 0.40 | 76.55 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | 64.16 | 0.20 | 76.38 |
| 14 | Idaho | 66.10 | 0.00 | 76.16 |
| 15 | Kentucky | 66.46 | 0.00 | 75.79 |
Methodology
States were ranked based on three key factors, with a total maximum score of 100.
- Cheating & Hookup Search Volume (40 points) – Measured using Google Trends search interest for the term “hookup”. Data was collected from February 13 to March 13, 2025.
- Spring Break Travel Intent (30 points) – Analyzed Google Trends search volume for “Spring Break 2025” and flight searches to major party destinations like Cancun, South Padre Island, and Panama City Beach.
- Party Culture (20 points) – Determined by the number of top-50 party schools in each state, adjusted per 100,000 college-aged residents. Party school rankings were sourced from Niche.
- College Population Percentage (10 points) – Based on the percentage of each state’s population that falls within the 19-25 age range, using data from the American Community Survey via KFF.
