The Most, Least Talkative States

It may not be a huge surprise that New York is ranked No. 1 in a list of the most talkative states, but any guesses on the least talkative? The distinction goes to Iowa, according to analytics firm Marchex. It arrived at this conclusion by analyzing 4 million phone calls between consumers and businesses from 2013 to 2015—those of the "this call might be recorded" variety, notes the Atlantic. Some highlights:

• Most talkative: New York, California, New Jersey, Nevada, and Maryland
• Least talkative: Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Oklahoma

• Fastest talkers: Oregon, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Kansas, and Iowa
• Slowest talkers: Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, Alabama, and North Carolina
• Most impatient: (those most likely to hang up when placed on hold) Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, New York, and West Virginia
• Most patient: Minnesota, Illinois, Florida, Colorado, and Louisiana

(More talking stories.)