States With The Longest Bucket Lists

Visiting a new country, skydiving, attending a music festival — these are just a few of the things many Americans hope to do in their lifetime. For some people, a bucket list is a term thrown around when talking about things they want to do but don’t necessarily have a plan for. However, for others, a bucket list is a guide to the future.

At Choice Mutual, we work closely with people who are planning for their final days, so we understand the importance of living life to the fullest. Whether that includes kicking your feet up and relaxing with your family or setting out on an adventure to see the world, we encourage everyone to embrace meaningful experiences and enjoy the life they’re living. So, if you have things you want to do in life, be sure to create a bucket list and start planning now.

Where Americans Have The Most Bucket List Items To Check Off

Bucket lists for many people are a mental list of activities and milestones they want to accomplish. However, 33% of Americans’ lists are digitized or written down on paper.

With so many people tracking bucket list items, we wanted to uncover how many things people in the U.S. really consider to be must-do experiences in life.

Leading the way with the longest bucket lists on average are Wisconsin residents, with about 25 items. Although this may not seem like a very long list, we found that Wisconsin residents have some big-ticket items on their list, and they may take some time to check off.

Overall, visiting specific landmarks in Europe, learning a new language, and visiting specific landmarks in North America are among the top three most common activities residents of the state want to accomplish in life.

In second place for lengthy bucket lists is New Jersey, where residents have similar dreams to Wisconsin residents with hopes of visiting Europe and adding another language to their skillset. However, becoming a millionaire is the second most common item on The Garden State’s residents’ list.

Up next in third place is Maine, where residents have goals similar to those of our top two states, as 43% of residents hope to visit specific landmarks in North America.

On the other end of the spectrum, we found Arkansas (13.16), Tennessee (13.66), and South Carolina (13.77) claimed the top spots for the shortest bucket lists.

Overall, we discovered the average American bucket list has 19 items to check off. Additionally, the average person has already checked off about 20% of the things they listed.

The Most Common Items On Americans’ Bucket Lists

A bucket list can look very different from one person to the next. While one person may be a thrill seeker ready to jump out of a plane or scale a mountain, others might find those activities too intense and prefer to learn a new language or see their favorite artist in concert.

So, in addition to the overall length of Americans’ bucket lists, we analyzed respondents’ choices for specific items on their lists and found the most common must-do tasks on people’s lists across the U.S.

Leading the way as the most popular bucket list item is visiting specific landmarks in Europe. From the Eiffel Tower in Paris to Stonehenge in the U.K., there are many breathtaking sites across Europe, which is why it is no surprise that 1 in 2 Americans dream of visiting one day.

Traveling dominates the bucket list of Americans as the second most common item is visiting specific landmarks in North America. We found that 43% of respondents hope to travel the continent to see all it has to offer.

In third place, we pivot from travel to skills, as 4 in 10 Americans want to learn a new language. Perhaps this bucket list item plays a role in people’s travel plans as they set out to improve their communication skills before visiting another part of the world.

Many Americans are reaching for the stars with our fourth most common bucket list item, becoming a millionaire. Whether through a successful career, lottery win, or simply successful saving, we found that 39% of people want to have seven figures in their bank accounts.

We return to travel hopes for the fifth and sixth most common bucket list items as travel via cruise (37%), and travel via train (34%) are among Americans’ must-do activities in life.

We discovered that 86% of people say their financial situation prevents them from accomplishing items on their bucket list, which may explain why nearly 3 in 5 Americans don’t think they will be able to check everything off their lists.

Start Planning For Your Future Today

While living in the moment is a preferred state of mind for some people, others like to plan ahead. There are so many exciting things to do in life that it can feel impossible to accomplish them all.

However, by creating a carefully crafted list, you can better plan for the future. Whether you’re a young teenager looking to live life to the fullest or an older adult looking to check off a few must-do items in life, bucket lists offer a guide to doing it all.

At Choice Mutual, we know a thing or two about planning for the future. We help people find peace of mind through final expense insurance, which ensures all your funeral costs are paid for rather than burdening your loved ones.

With final expense insurance, you can focus on the things that really matter, like traveling the world or seeing your favorite band in concert and let us worry about the costs associated with end-of-life.

Methodology

In this study, we set out to determine where Americans have the longest bucket lists. We surveyed 1,900+ residents across the country, asking a variety of questions, such as how many items are on their bucket list, what percentage of it is checked off, what kind of items are on their bucket list, and more.

Using these responses, we calculated the average length of bucket lists for each state and city. We also created a ranking for the bucket list items Americans have on their list to determine which tasks are most popular among people.