The Last 10 Decades (1920s-2010s) Ranked: Most stagnant to most changeful

Every decade, particularly since the Colonial Era, contains events or breakthroughs that alter the course of history in one way, shape, or form, or another.
However, in no century is this truer than the 20th Century. In that century alone, the world has gone from traveling by horse and buggy and having the newspaper as the only source for what was happening in the outside world, to having the internet and being able to communicate with someone from the other side of the world right in the comfort right in your own home. Now, we're only a stone throw away from being a score into the 21st Century, and the world has changed further, we're now in the age of smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, PCs, and what have you that can stream books, videos, video games, or music whenever you want it to, it's now easier to make friends with someone from the other side of the world, to play video games with them, make a video together with them, and it's easier to date someone from the other side of the world as well.

Today, we're going to be focusing on the last ten decades, the 1920s-2010s, and determine how transformative all ten decades were, by ranking them in terms from most stagnant to most transformative, looking at all the social, pop cultural, political, and technological advances, whether they came out in that decade or became standard in that decade, to determine which decades are more transformative, and which ones are more stagnant.
With that out of the way, let's get on with the list;

10. The 1930s

The biggest reason the '30s are at the bottom of this list is that the decade was heavily stagnated by the Great Depression, which lasted throughout the entirety of the decade. Not only that but a lot of the changes that did happen in this decade already had footprints in the '20s. However, that's certainly not to say that this decade was totally void of transformability, as it wasn't. This was the decade in which landmarks such as the Empire State Building, Golden Gate Bridge, and Hoover Dam were completed, the latter of which was a result of the New Deal enforced by then-president Franklin D. Roosevelt. Speaking of which, the New Deal itself was a huge landmark within American History, it was with that deal that programs such as the CCC, FHA, SSA, and many others of which we still live by today, came out of. It was also in this decade in which a racial barrier in sports was broken by Olympic Athlete Jessee Owens, whom won four gold medals and was the most successful athlete at 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin. Also, there are the technological changes. This was the decade in which you had King Kong, the first blockbuster monster film, which innovated the use of stop-motion animation, a standard of which many later films would go by up until CGI became more available. This is also the decade when colorized films really started out, with the innovation of three-strip Technicolor, with the release of Becky Sharp in 1935, and the cel-animated Snow White & The Seven Dwarves in 1937, both of which were very revolutionary for their time. Also, at the tail end of the decade, you had the start of World War II, with Britain and France declaring war on Nazi Germany following the invasion of Poland.

9. The 1970s

This decade ranks at the near bottom as it was far more stagnant than the last few decades before and next few decades after. It was a decade fully after the social revolution of the '60s, but before the big tech revolution of the next three decades following it. That being said, this decade still had plenty of significant changes that keep it from being at the bottom. This was the peak in popularity for rock music, as well as saw the advent of rock subgenres such as metal and punk, sure the latter technically started in the '60s, but it didn't truly emerge on its own until Black Sabbath released their self-titled album, which is widely considered the first metal album. It was also in this decade when Color TV became standard, as well as when personal computers, VHS players, and video game consoles first became a thing. At the end of the decade, you had music starting to become electronic with the rise of New Wave, the first mainstream rap song, as well as "Video Killed the Radio Star". This was also a pretty transformative time politically as well. Although Richard Nixon's legacy is certainly tainted by Watergate, we should not forget that he was the one who established a detente with the USSR and China, which were baby steps to ending the Cold War, as well as the one who ended the draft, created the EPA, signed Title IX and the National Cancer Act, and met with legislators from southern states to bring a full end to segregation. Later in the decade, president Jimmy Carter would broker a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, although unfortunately for him, it was also around that time the Iranian Revolution occurred. 

8. The 2010s

Granted, being that this decade is still not finished yet, it may seem rather unprofessional to judge it in this category. That being said though, we're only a stone's throw away from 2020, so any changes that happen until then would just be last moment changes for the decade, maybe this list will be revamped if I edit it a year and a half from now, maybe not. The biggest changes by far in this decade are the political ones, with trust in the mainstream news media plummeting, with the rise of ISIS and new tensions with Russia and to a lesser extent China, a rise in terrorist attacks and mass shootings, as well as an apex in Political Correctness leading to a big rise in the Alt-Right Movement. American society is now at the most divided it's been since the Civil War, which is nearing 160 years ago! As for technology, this was the decade in which smartphones became standard, as well as an essential to every life. Netflix and other video streaming services became the standard movie platform, Spotify and other music streaming services became the standard music platform, Amazon surpassed Walmart, and many retail stores are now going out of business. Plus, the advent of self-driving cars, which are guaranteed to become more standard by the 2020s. All of these changes alone help this decade rank in the middle of the bottom 5 despite the fact that the decade isn't over yet, but I believe even once the decade is done, it probably won't move a spot, but we'll see. 

7. The 1980s

A large number of technologies that we take for granted today either started out or were popularized in the '80s. Video games became much more popular in the early part of this decade with the advent of arcade games such as Pacman, Galaga, and Donkey Kong, and later on, in the decade, it became an industry standard with the advent of the Nintendo Entertainment System. This was also the decade in which Cable TV and VHS became standard, and even Personal Computers started making their way into homes. The Walkman became tremendously popular and began an era of kids listening to music on portable devices, which they are still doing now. This was also when the first commercially available mobile home first entered the market, and when microwaves really started to become a standard within people's homes. Pop culture saw a very big change with the advent of MTV when music videos started exploding in popularity, and with the music industry becoming commercialized as a result. Mainstream music also became more electronic and synth-based, and rap music started to become far more popular and confrontational, this started with Grandmaster Flash's "The Message" in 1982, but by 1988, once you had NWA debut in the mainstream with "Straight Outta Compton", gangsta rap had entered the mainstream and was now challenging the status quo. There was also a big shift politically, with Ronald Reagan's presidency, and the final chapter of the Cold War, with Reagan increasing spending to challenge the USSR while also increasing diplomatic efforts with Soviet president Gorbachev, his Berlin Wall speech in 1987, all the way to the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, which was really when the Cold War truly ended. 

6. The 2000s

First off, this was the decade that brought us into a brand new century, and on top of that, a brand new millennium. Beyond that, this decade saw a huge political change with the advent of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, after that came to the War on Terror, and the Department of Homeland Security. Plus, at the tail end of the decade, the US elected its first African American president when Barack Obama won the 2008 election against John McCain. The biggest change of all though in the '00s was the technological change. In the early years of the decade, the internet became a standard in American homes, but then in 2004, you had high-speed internet surpass the adoption rates of dial-up, ushering in a new high-speed era for the internet. Later on, you had the advent of YouTube, popularizing a new form of media that is free to produce and consume. Plus, you had social media go from an alternative media to a dominant media in this decade as well, plus with the internet going portable with the advent of the PSP and smartphones. Netflix launched its streaming service and Spotify launched in this decade, and HD started to overtake CRT TVs and composite video by the end of this decade. 

5. The 1990s

The '90s started out with the last days of the USSR, with it finally collapsing by Christmas Day 1991, bringing the world into a new Post-Cold War World Order. It was also in this decade when modern political correctness started out, and when the crime rate began to rapidly decline. Fashion became much more similar to what we know now, with sneakers and baseball caps becoming casual fashion. Music went through a very huge change in this decade, starting with mainstream music sharing an '80s residual theme, until the advent of the grunge music, g-funk, and Britpop ushered in a new era, mainstream music got more edgy and confrontational, until the latter part of the decade when you had the rise of Y2K bubblegum pop. However, by far, the biggest change of the '90s was in the technology department. This was the decade in which video game industry went from the 8-bit NES being Nintendo's popular console in 1990, to the 128-bit Dreamcast being Sega's popular console in 1999, plus PC gaming becoming more popular as well. Cell phones started becoming more mainstream, and you had Toy Story ushering in the age of CGI animated movies. By far, however, the biggest innovation of the '90s was the World Wide Web, which first went public in 1991, and started to become mainstream in 1995 with the advent of Windows 95. By the decade's end, only a little under half of the American households had an internet connection. At the tail end of the decade, there was Columbine, which for the first time brought mass media and social attention to the issue of school shootings. 

4. The 1950s

The '50s are often regarded as "the First Modern Decade". Officially, that moniker belongs to the '20s, but it isn't hard to see why the '50s is often regarded as such. The '50s were the first decade to take place completely after World War II, and it was a decade in which American society began to resemble much of what it is today. For one this is the decade in which construction on the Interstate Highway System was first authorized, by then-president Dwight Eisenhower in 1956. For two, this is the first decade of the Television Age, as television became standard in American homes by 1954. The most successful and revolutionary TV show of the '50s was the sitcom "I Love Lucy", for the fact that it popularized the concept of TV sitcoms, and it also pushed racial boundaries, as Lucille Ball, both on the show and in real life, was married to Cuban-American Desi Arnaz, which was highly controversial at the time. It was also in the '50s when the Civil Rights Movement really came in full swing, with the Supreme Court ruling segregation unconstitutional in the Plessy vs. Ferguson and Brown vs. Board of Education cases, as well as with the rise in riots and resistance coming from African Americans, most notable case being Rosa Parks. It was also in this decade when Hugh Hefner would publish the first Playboy magazine, featuring Marilyn Monroe. This new series of magazines would be a prelude to what would eventually be the Sexual Revolution of the decade following. Very notably about the '50s is the rise in youth culture, with drive-in theaters, burger joints, a more casual sense of fashion, and with the Rock & Roll and Rockabilly movement led at the forefront by Elvis Presley, whom is still to this day the second best selling music artist of all time, plus you also had the rise in a youth counter-culture as well, with the greaser and beatnik counter cultures being fully established in this decade. To top it off, this is the decade in which NASA was formed. 

3. The 1920s

The '20s is the decade with the official moniker of being "The First Modern Decade", and it's not hard to see why. With the American economy booming following World War I, the American public was able to spend their money on goods and appliances that have since become a standard of modern American living. It was in this decade when automobiles, radio, electric stoves, and telephones all became standard, plus when appliances such as electric refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, irons, and toasters really started making their way into homes. In the later years of the decade, you had the birth of commercial aviation, as well as commercially sold pre-sliced bread, and I'm sure you've all heard the saying, "the greatest thing since sliced bread". With all of this, the '20s was the decade that birthed Mass Culture. Another momentous milestone of the '20s is the Jazz Age, which in many ways birthed the age of modern pop culture. With prohibition in place came the rise of speakeasies and a nightclub culture in which jazz musicians were hired as entertainment, plus there was also the Great Migration of African Americans moving from the south to northern cities such as Chicago, Detroit, and New York, where the Jazz Age really exploded. The '20s were also a major breakthrough decade for cinema, with the term "celebrity" first becoming a thing, with the advent of Walt Disney with the first Mickey Mouse cartoons, plus the first Silly Symphony cartoons at the tail end of the decade, with "The Jazz Singer" coming out as the first feature film with recorded dialogue and popularizing the age of talking films, and even the first talkie feature-length film in COLOR, "The Viking", was released in 1928! Plus, there was also a bit of a sexual revolution in this decade as well, with flapper fashion becoming popular, with the diaphragm becoming more widely available, and most notably with the 19th Amendment in 1920 allowing women the right to vote. A more modern political landscape also really began to take shape in the '20s, with communism and fascism on the rise in Europe, and an anti-communist Red Scare becoming widespread across the United States, to the point where immigration really began to become a controversial issue. 

2. The 1960s

According to CNN, the '60s are "the decade that changed the world", and the decade is very often argued to be THE most transformative and revolutionary decade of the modern era. Sure, it may have not ranked as first on this list, but it sure as hell is in the competitor spotlight, being in second place. Western society went through a drastic change in this decade. It was in this decade when the Civil Rights Movement reached its apex, with Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963. Only a year later, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, and a year after that there was the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It was also in this decade when The British Invasion would bridge the gap between American and European youth culture, with The Beatles at the forefront, plus this would also be when rock music would go from being a fad to a music industry standard. Youth culture, in general, would also start to play a major role in global affairs, with tensions towards the Vietnam War and the rise of the Hippie Movement and student protests, one of the biggest reasons for this being the fact that this was when the Baby Boomer generation, which was monumentally bigger than the one preceding it, was starting to come of age. The '60s were also the decade of the official Sexual Revolution, with women's fashion becoming more revealing, and pre-marital sex and birth control becoming normalized. African Americans also began to develop their own distinct culture around this time, with Motown becoming popular, afros becoming more common, and with the Black Power Movement in which African Americans became far more confrontational towards the white conservative American status quo. Crime rates and riots also went on the rise, all of this was all part of the Social Revolution of the '60s, what Western society had become in 1969 was a complete contrast to the way it was in 1960, the conservative status quo that was revered in previous decades took a huge beating in the '60s. To top it all off, this was the decade when the Golden Age of Hollywood ended, as well as the decade in which the First Super Bowl happened. The technological changes in this decade were a lot smaller compared to the social, political, and pop cultural changes, but there still were some of them. For one, this was when commercially available color television sets first became a thing, when the handheld calculator and cassette tape were first invented, and at the end of the decade, you had the first ATM  machine, and you had man walk on the moon for the first time. 

1. The 1940s

So, how is the '40s at the top of this list, how is this decade more transformative than the '60s or even the '20s? How? Three words; World War Two. If there's one event that truly shaped the modern world, it was most certainly World War II, the most deadly and most expensive war in human history. The technological advances of World War II were momentous, Penecilin became more mass distributed, the cavity magnetron was developed for the improvement of Radar and invention of the Microwave Oven, synthetic oil and rubber was first developed, jet engines became a standard in airplanes, the V-2 missile, the precursor to space rockets, was first launched, and even the first computer, ENIAC, was invented. The end of the war is when the world entered the modern era, in fact, there's even a TIME magazine article referring to 1945 as "The Year That Changed The World", and it most certainly was. The war ended with atomic bombs being dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bringing the world into the Nuclear Age. Fascism and colonialism came to an end, and modern-day international institutions that we still live by today such as the United Nations and International Monetary Fund first came into place, and in 1949, the first Geneva Convention was held. Tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union would bring about the beginning of the Cold War, and in 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, was first formed. World War II veterans returning home also brought about a huge shift in American society as well, with the rise of suburbia and the beginning of the baby boom, the nuclear family had become the societal norm. It was also in this decade when television started to make its way into homes, as well as when the Long Play Record became a thing, being introduced in 1948 by Columbia Records. Believe it or not, the '40s were also the first decade of youth culture as well, even though it wasn't as ubiquitous as it was in the '50s, it was still there. Frank Sinatra was the first true "teen idol" with a plethora of giddy teenage female fans, and would even be the one to pioneer the concept album in 1946 with "The Voice of Frank Sinatra". Teens in this decade also started taking part in social outings such as dance halls and the Monkey Parade during this decade. 

So what are your thoughts, comments, or concerns regarding this list? I'd love to hear them.

Anyways, I hope you've found this entry to be fun and educational. 

New Generation Theory: 9-year Model

I've studied generation theory for quite some time now, and will say, I'm definitely not a fan at all of the traditional BB-X-Y-Z model used for generations.



Biggest reason being is that the boundaries are way too muddled.



While 1946-1964 may be the most concrete definition for Baby Boomers, it isn't universal, there are some definitions that start the Boomers in 1943, as well as some that end it in 1960, with Generation X starting in 1961, and some even split the Baby Boomers in half, into Post-War Boomers and Generation Jones. The X-Y and Y-Z boundaries are muddled as hell. You have some sources that end Generation X as early as 1976, and others ending it as late as 1984. The Y-Z boundary is by far the worst offender, you have Statistics Canada ending Generation Y as early as 1992, and then you have Strauss & Howe ending it as late as 2004, leaving a 12-year overlap!
That's why I gave this a lot of thought, and came up with a solution to this problem; a new generation theory, where each cohort spans 9-years. It's much much better than the current BB-X-Y-Z model if you ask me, because the dates aren't muddled, and the spans aren't too long, their coming of age years (16-20) should roughly consist of the same time period, in some way or another.
Here are the cohorts;


1883-1891 = Edwardian Generation

They are named the Edwardian Generation because they came of age in the 1900s decade, which is when King Edward VII reigned as King of the British Empire. Last generation to grow up as kids in the 19th Century and first to come of age in the 20th Century, they'd have more value for technologies such as cars and radio than future generations as those were just becoming mainstream by the time they were already adults.



1892-1900 = World War I Generation

Would've been coming of age or still in their early twenties during World War I, and therefore would've been the cohort most affected by it as they were in the perfect shape to fight in the war. Grew up as kids and teens during the 1900s and early 1910s when modern technologies such as automobiles and motion pictures were becoming mainstream, so they had a rather naive worldview growing up of how perfect the world was, until that worldview was destroyed by World War I in the mid 1910s.



1901-1909 = Prohibition Generation

All under 18 by the time World War I ended, and would've been coming of age in the prohibition era following that war. Grew up as kids and teens during World War I, which helped them develop a conscious worldview. Would popularize the jazz and movie culture of the Roaring Twenties, many others would become mobsters and become powerful off of alcohol.



1910-1918 = Depression Generation

Came of age either just before or during the Great Depression, and therefore would've been the most affected by it. Like the WWI Generation, they would've grown up with a naive worldview that was crushed by a certain event. They grew up as kids and teens in a prosperous time period following World War I, only to then experience adulthood during the Great Depression where they had to struggle to succeed.



1919-1927 = World War II Generation

Would've been coming of age or still in their early twenties during World War II, and therefore were the cohort most affected by it as they were in the perfect shape to fight in that war. Would've grown up as kids and teens during the Great Depression and would've experienced normalized hardship, so once the war was over and they came home to a prosperous nation, they didn't take it for granted, and would conform to society by creating the baby boom generation.



1928-1936 = Silent Generation

Would've all been under 18 by the time World War II ended; however like the previous generation would've grown up as kids during the Depression and World War II before coming of age in the latter 1940s and earlier 1950s , so would have also experienced normalized hardship and would've therefore also conformed to society as well as to the baby boom generation.



1937-1945 = Civil Rights Generation

Would've been coming of age during the pinnacle of the Civil Rights Movement, and would've therefore been the generation that contributed the most to that. Grew up in a prosperous period following World War II, and too young to remember the Great Depression, therefore would've been more critical of the 1950s status quo, which led many whites from this generation to support the cause for the Civil Rights Movement.



1946-1954 = Baby Boomers

Born during the post-World War II baby boom. Would've been coming of age during the mid 1960s to early 1970s during the Vietnam War, which was particularly unpopular among this generation, so many would join the Hippie counter culture and popularize bands and artists such as The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. Are a lot more socially liberal and social cause oriented because of these experiences.



1955-1963 = Generation Jones

Often lumped in with the Baby Boomers due to still being born when birthrates were high, but this cohort would actually be a lot more conservative than their Post-War counterparts as they would've been coming of age in the mid 1970s to early 1980s, and therefore would've been a lot more affected by the Carter presidency than the Vietnam War. Would've also been big supporters of Ronald Reagan because of this.



1964-1972 = MTV Generation

Last generation to come of age during the Cold War, and would've witnessed the Iron Curtain fall during these formative years. Would be more conservative as they'd have more fond memories of Ronald Reagan. Would've been in high school for MTV, and would've popularized dance pop, R&B, glam metal, and hip hop music as a result of it. Also the first generation that would've used Personal Computers in high school.


1973-1981 = Generation Catalano

First generation to come of age after the Cold War. Are a lot more liberal than their Reagan Generation counterparts, as they would've been very fond of Bill Clinton due to Bush Sr's gulf war. Would've popularized grunge, Bad Boy - Death Row era hip hop, and pop-punk during their coming of age years. First generation to take video games seriously as they would've grown up as kids in the Atari and NES days and came of age in the SNES/Genesis and PS1/N64 days.


1982-1990 = Millennials

"Millennials" as they would've come of age at the dawn of the new millennium. Would be a very liberal cohort, as they would have distasteful memory of George W. Bush, particularly due to the Iraq War and Recession. Would've been huge supporters of Barack Obama because of this. Popularized 2000s Hip Hop (Eminem, 50 Cent, Nelly, etc.), emo, and alternative metal, and the first generation to use social media during these formative years.


1991-1999 = Centennials

"Centennials", as they would've grown up as kids at the dawn of the 21st Century, and then came of age during the formative years of the 21st Century. Are very diverse but more radical politically due to coming of age after Obama's election and in the time of the Tea Party Movement, Ron Paul wave, Crimea Annexation, ISIS, and Trump Election, so would therefore have more radical views on either the Far-Right or Marxist-Left. Would've popularized electropop, indie, and rap ballad pop, and first to use smartphones, tablets, and digital movie and TV streaming media during their coming of age years.



2000-2008 = iGen

The oldest of this cohort is just barely coming of age, so not much is known about this cohort, but will likely be heavily affected by politics due to growing up as kids and teens at the time of Trump's election.



2009-2017 = Generation Alpha

To be determined, as they're all only children at this point.



I'd also like to point out that this also all works out as a lineal generation theory, as one's parents would be from three generations on average before their own, being they would be 19-27 years older than the oldest in that generation and 27-35 years older than the youngest in that generation. Those older in the cohort are still likely to have parents from four cohorts back, and those younger in the cohort are still likely to have parents from two cohorts back, but to make a rough estimate, it would be a three cohort difference between parents and children.

So;



Centennials (1991-1999)

Parents = MTV Generation (1964-1972)

Grandparents = Civil Rights Generation (1937-1945)

Great-Grandparents = Depression Generation (1910-1918)

Great-Great-Grandparents = Edwardian Generation (1883-1891)



iGen (2000-2008)

Parents = Generation Catalano (1973-1981)

Grandparents = Baby Boomers (1946-1954)

Great-Grandparents = World War II Generation (1919-1927)

Great-Great-Grandparents = World War I Generation (1892-1900)



Generation Alpha (2009-2017)

Parents = Millennials (1982-1990)

Grandparents = Generation Jones (1955-1963)

Great-Grandparents = Silent Generation (1928-1936)

Great-Great-Grandparents = Prohibition Generation (1901-1909)

Ranking all 50 States Flags

Rating Scale
8-10 = Great
4-7 = Average (4-5 being mediocre, 6-7 being decent)
1-3 = Awful


1. New Mexico

This was also ranked first place by NAVA, and it isn't hard to see why. Its simple design, warm Spanish colors, and sacred Native American symbol perfectly encompasses the Hispanic culture of this state with solid simple imagery.
Rating = 10/10

2. Texas

This is a solid flag right here, and probably the most iconic state flag in the United States. It's simple, yet its large stripes and big star makes it feel bold and powerful at the same time.
Rating = 10/10

3. Tennessee

Another great flag. The 3 stars, representing the 3 geographic divisions in Tennessee, are iconic to this state, used by the USS Tennessee and the NFL's Tennessee Titans. It's simple, balanced, uses 3 colors, strong symbolism, what more can I say?
Rating = 10/10

4. Colorado

This flag is seen everywhere in Colorado, and its not hard to see why. The yellow and red encompass this state's Hispanic vibe, while the blue and white encompass this state's alpine vibe. This is also the right way to make a flag with lettering in it, by making it a component instead of a line of text.
Rating = 10/10

5. Arizona

Like with the flags of Colorado and New Mexico, the red and yellow in this flag nicely encompass Arizona's Hispanic vibe. The brown star and the blue field at the bottom are also neatly symbolic of this states mining history. The only thing keeping this flag from a 10/10 rating is how the brown star contrasts with the yellow up top.
Rating = 9/10

6. Maryland

This flag may not be simple in design, but it feels unique and powerful at the same time. The yellow and black look great together and contrast perfectly, and this flag also uses strong religious symbolism with the red and white cross thing. This is great right here.
Rating = 9/10

7. South Carolina

Sure, it uses the same background color as the many shitty seal-on-blue state flags, but don't let that fool you. The moon and palm tree are a strong symbol within South Carolina, and its easy to see why. This design looks clean, comforting, and nicely encompasses southern charm that this state is known for.
Rating = 9/10

8. Ohio

The overall design of this flag is nice, as it uses three colors, strong symbolism, and it feels related to the American flag. What makes this flag stand out the most though is its burgee shape, as its the only US state flag not to be square or rectangle. Only downsides to this is that the shape does raise the risk of the flag fraying in the wind, and the stars furthest right should be centered a bit better, but very good design overall.
Rating = 8/10

9. Alabama

The use of the St. Andrew's Cross does nicely pay homage to both the Spanish and the Confederate history of this state. This is another strong symbol right here, but its downsides are that the symbol isn't unique enough to Alabama, and the red X on a white background doesn't give all that powerful of emotion. Still, for being a strong and simple design, this is the last flag here to get a great rating.
Rating = 8/10

10. Wyoming

This would get a great rating, and would rank higher than Alabama and possibly even Ohio, if it weren't for the state seal within the buffalo. The people of Wyoming know this as well, they sell hats of this state flag without the state seal. The buffalo itself is a great symbol, just get rid of the seal.
Rating = 7/10

11. Rhode Island

Remove the "Hope" and center the anchor, and this design could perhaps work. I'd also probably suggest making the stars and anchors completely blue instead of yellow, as it would contrast far better with the white background.
Rating = 7/10

12. California

The bear is a strong symbol, the red stripe and the red star look great. However, this flag also contains text, which is a big no-no in vexillology. Still though, this is the flag with text that can almost get away with it, mainly because this flag is very iconic. But still, a flag should be iconic without the need of text.
Rating = 7/10

13. Georgia

This flag has the potential for a great design. First, remove the stars to make it less identical to the CSA flag. Second, simplify the seal in the middle by removing the person, the ribbons, and the text, then enlarge it a bit, and violla, you have a great state flag.
Rating = 7/10

14. Hawaii

The Union Jack obviously is the biggest no-no within this flag, especially since Hawaii was never a British colony. One reason it ranks higher than some others though is because it doesn't use text, and it does give off a tropical island vibe, as the Union Jack canton is also seen on the flags of other tropical paradises such as the Cayman Islands and Bermuda. Still though, this flag shouldn't look like the flag of a British colony. Plus there should be a solid color for the top stripe instead of white.
Rating = 6/10

15. North Carolina

Remove the "N" and "C", as well as the ribbons with dates both above and below the star. Then switch out the red and blue so it doesn't look like the flag of Texas flag. That is mostly the design the original 1861 flag of North Carolina used.
Rating = 6/10

16. Arkansas

The design itself is a neat remix of the Confederate Battle Flag, allowing it to show its history without being blatantly racist. But of course, what ruins this flag is the "Arkansas" text. Get rid of the text, and re position the stars so they're centered, and this could work. Maybe also get rid of the stars on the narrow blue field as well.
Rating = 6/10

17. Alaska

This is a simple design meant to represent big dipper, but the stars feel too scattered, and it feels like there's too much blue empty space on this flag, like an unfinished kindergarten project. Still though, this is the last flag on this list to get a decent rating.
Rating = 6/10

18. Mississippi

This is the lowest ranking a text-less state flag is going to get. Obviously, the Confederate Battle Flag in the canton has got to go, but also, the blue and red stripes on this flag also look awkward as they do not go all the way in and touch the canton.
Rating = 5/10

19. Oklahoma

The Osage shield is a nice symbol made too complex by laying the pipe and olive branch on top of it. Also, this flag has the states name on it. Remove the text, branch, pipe, and change the background color from blue to white, and this could stand out. Until then, this is just the best of the seal-on-blue bunch, which isn't a good accomplishment.
Rating = 5/10

20. Indiana

This design is actually pretty iconic, but still flawed nonetheless. Like with Alaska's, the stars on this flag feel too scattered, but at least Alaska's flag used its stars to showcase the Big Dipper. Here, it just looks like they're all placed at random, plus this flag has text of this states name.
Rating = 5/10


21. Massachusetts

The shield does help make this flag a bit distinct, but the person inside is too detailed, and the ribbon is also an unnecessary inclusion. Remove the ribbon and the swimming arm up top, plus the guy inside the shield, and make the star inside the shield bigger and center it inside, and it could work.
Rating = 4/10

22. Missouri

This is a defaced Dutch flag right here, however the Dutch colors do help it stand out and keeps it from getting an awful rating. Still, there are too many stars in this flag, both within the seal, and within the round narrow patch of blue surrounding the seal, and there's way too much complexity within the center.
Rating = 4/10

23. Iowa

A defaced French flag, but like with Missouri's, the French colors do help Iowa's flag stand out and keeps it from getting an awful rating. Still, the eagle looks like it has a broken neck, and the ribbon looks way too messy.
Rating = 4/10

24. Washington

This is the last state flag on this list to get an average rating. While the design of this flag is bad, what saves it from an awful rating is the fact that the center image is merely an image of George Washington and isn't too complex, and the green background on this flag does encompass the green forestry feel of this state.
Rating = 4/10


 25. Illinois

Now we're in the awful section. This flag is too complex, and uses too many colors, yet also feels inconsistent since the grass isn't a solid green field. The ribbon is also very messy, and the word "Sovereignty" is upside down on it.
Rating = 3/10

26. Florida

This is Florida's state seal placed on Alabama's flag. A unique and well-known state like Florida deserves way better. Get rid of the seal, and change the white to yellow to differentiate this flag from Alabama's, as well as to give a Hispanic feel to the state flag. Until then, this is just awful design.
Rating = 3/10

27. Delaware

What keeps this from getting a 1 or 2 rating are the colors on this flag made to represent the uniform of George Washington. The picture inside is way too complex, yet also looks lazy at the same time, as the people look more like mannequins than actual people. Also, the date at the bottom uses a typewriter font, which looks bad.
Rating = 3/10

28. Oregon

This would be a decent, if not, great flag if they just used the beaver on both sides, as well as perhaps invert the colors. The front design is terrible, the letters spelling out "State of Oregon" look like they were cut out and glued on by a kindergartner. The center image is too complex as well.
Rating = 3/10

29. New Jersey

Terrible flag design, but at least the tan background helps it stand out a bit.
Rating = 2/10

30. Louisiana

Oh wow. Baby pelicans trying to breastfeed from their mother? Oh, and the mother is bleeding because of this? This is just terrible design, only ranking higher than others because it's simpler in design. Still terrible though.
Rating = 2/10

31. Pennsylvania

This would perhaps look nice as a promotion for like a horse race or something, but is obviously a terrible design for a flag.
Rating = 2/10

32. Maine

This sort of picture would look nice in a log cabin, or on a food can or something, but again, terrible as a flag.
Rating = 2/10

33. Vermont

Like with Maine's and Pennsylvania's, the picture itself is neat, just not good for a flag design. What makes it slightly worse than those aforementioned two is the use of gradients on this flag.
Rating = 2/10

34. Wisconsin

Like with the three flags above, the picture in the middle looks good as a stand alone picture, but fails as a flag. What makes this one rank lower though is the big bold letters for the states name and the date.
Rating = 2/10

35. Utah

Wow, Utah, how pathetic. While all three of your Four Corners neighbors (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico) all have top tier flag designs, you went with a shitty seal-on-blue flag, and your seal looks like it belongs as a flag of a federal agency rather than a US state. Shame, if Utah had a great flag like the rest of the Four Corners states, that region would be America's Vexillology Holy Grail.
Rating = 2/10

36. Michigan

This is the last flag on this list to not get a 1/10 rating. Like with many mentioned above, this would look good as a picture on something else, like on a can of beer or something, but not on a state flag. What makes this rank lower however is that the eagle on this flag looks hideous, no matter what this picture is placed on. Its legs look like pants, its right foot is fatter than its left, and it has a white beak, which doesn't save any colors since it already has yellow feet.
Rating = 2/10

37. Nevada

Now we're scraping the bottle of the shit barrel. The worst part about this flag is that the image is in the canton, with nothing but empty space covering the rest of the flag. This one could maybe be decent, not great, but decent, if the image was centered, but the fact they decided to put it in the canton makes this flag look empty and unfinished.
Rating = 1/10

38. Kansas

At this point, the big bold name on the state flag is actually what's keeping it from being even further down the list, because at least is makes it distinguishable, albeit in a bad way. The picture in the middle looks garbage ugly, and it uses gradients to make matters worse. It has a sunflower, sure, but the sunflower should encompass the entire central part of this flag, with the state seal and the state name gone.
Rating = 1/10

39. Montana

Same case as Kansas, only the picture inside Montana's flag is even worse. Is that plow larger than those trees? Are those even trees, or are they bushes?
Rating = 1/10

40. Nebraska

Sorry, limiting the number of colors does not change the fact that this flag is shit. I can barely tell whats going on in there.
Rating = 1/10

41. New Hampshire

Identical to Nebraska's, only this one does incorporate many colors, and the "*1776*" is closer to the word "Seal" than the word "Hampshire".
Rating = 1/10

42. North Dakota

Deformed Eagle. The state banner is not outlined. There's no solid yellow field for the sun/crown thingy above the eagle. Nothing looks centered. Godawful design.
Rating = 1/10

43. West Virginia

The picture in the middle looks way too small, you can barely even tell what the hell is going on in there. It looks ugly nonetheless.
Rating = 1/10

44. Connecticut

Poorly drawn grape vines inside a plain white shield. Need I say more?
Rating = 1/10

45. Virginia

Virginia, one of the most unique and most historic states in the country, has a kinky femdom session as its states flag. Just, why?
Rating = 1/10

46. Minnesota

My God, this one's laughably awful. The stars all look scattered, the picture in the center looks like it belongs in Candy Land, and this flag uses an ugly light shade of blue.
Rating = 1/10

47. South Dakota

How sad. When your state is so insignificant that even its flag has to advertise its biggest tourist attraction... Pathetic.
Rating = 1/10

48. Kentucky

The text at the top is almost unreadable, as well as not centered. Nothing much more to say about this one.
Rating = 1/10

49. Idaho

The word "Idaho" is written twice on this flag. Not only is the picture in the center too complex, but there's even a picture within the picture. What in the hell were they thinking when designing this flag?
Rating = 1/10

50. New York

Why is this one the worst, you may ask? Well, not only is this another seal-on-blue flag with a terrible center image with a face on the sun, mannequin women, and an eagle that looks like a seagull, but... this is supposed to be the flag of NEW YORK! The empire state, the same state that's had the biggest city in the US since shortly after it became a country! This is one of the most unique and well-known states in the union, why the hell is its flag so atrocious?
Rating = 1/10