SAN FRANCISCO, CA – November 3, 2014 – SquareTrade®, the #1-rated protection plan trusted by millions of happy customers, today released the results of its annual Clumsiest States Index.[1] The Index reveals how states fare when it comes to their citizens’ rate of device accidents and damage, based on warranties purchased during the calendar year 2013. In what is now a national epidemic, SquareTrade expects that more than 54 million smartphones and tablets will be damaged or will die in 2015. This is the third consecutive year SquareTrade has published its Clumsiest States Index.
“With Election Day right around the corner, we immediately noticed the symmetry at the top and bottom of this year’s rankings: the ten clumsiest states are comprised of six red states and four blue states, and vice versa for the ten least clumsy states,” said SquareTrade’s CMO Ty Shay. “But regardless of your political persuasion, device damage is clearly on the rise; we hope that as we move into the busy holiday season, Americans keep their devices safe and protected.”
This year’s rankings include claims data for all brands of smartphones and tablets, whereas previous Clumsiest States Indexes were based on iPhone damage claims alone.
| Top 10 Clumsiest States in 2014 | Political Leaning* | Top 10 Least Clumsy States in 2014 | Political Leaning* |
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Red |
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Blue |
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Red |
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Blue |
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Blue |
|
Blue |
|
Red |
|
Red |
|
Blue |
|
Blue |
|
Red |
|
Blue |
|
Red |
|
Red |
|
Blue |
|
Red |
|
Red |
|
Red |
| 10. Minnesota | Blue | 10. Maryland | Blue |
*Based on Electoral College results from 2012 presidential election
[1] Based on the August 2014 Smartphone Subscriber Market Share report from comScore, Inc., the State of the Tablet Market report from TabTimes Inc., and analysis by SquareTrade of its mobile and tablet protection plans sold in 2013. The number of plans with a claim was compared to the total number of plans sold to generate rankings by state.
For more information on SquareTrade, go to www.squaretrade.com.
