SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – San Francisco not only leads California in swearing, with residents using 24 swear words a day on average, but it is tied for No. 5 in the nation.
A survey of 1,500 residents of 30 major American cities by the tutoring company Preply made the finding, and uncovered more about Americans’ use of profanities and obsenities.
The top seven cities for swearing were reported as:
- Columbus, Ohio (36 swears a day, on average)
- Las Vegas, Nev. (30)
- Jacksonville, Fla. (28)
- Oklahoma City, Okla. (25), Dallas, Texas (25), Philadelphia, Pa. (25), and Indianapolis, Ind. (25)
- San Francisco, Calif. (24), Fort Worth, Texas (24), and Louisville, Ky. (24)
- Washington, D.C. (22)
- Los Angeles, Calif. (21), and Austin, Texas (21)
The average American swears 21 times a day, though it varies by age. Generation Z swears an average of 24 times a day, and Baby Boomers swear an average of 10 times a day. Men (22) swear more than women (18).
KRON ON is streaming live
San Franciscans start swearing at an average of age 10. Over 3 in 4 report swearing in the workplace (Philadelphia, Columbus and Detroit, Mich. are tied for No. 1), and residents are the second most likely in the United States to report swearing when receiving good news.
The No. 1 person Americans swear at? 54% say it’s primarily at themselves. The No. 1 time people swear is when they accidentally hurt themselves.