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October 20th, 2021

Watch Your Step! Asurion Ranks the Clumsiest Cities in America

New Orleans, Raleigh, NC & Jacksonville, FL are the top three cities where feet and fingers fumble the most

Nashville, TN - Being clumsy is a trait most Americans can relate to, but even the slightest misstep can mean an early demise for your phone, whether it's crushing your screen or destroying delicate components in water. Based on findings from tech care company Asurion, people from the coast of San Diego to the peaks of Vermont have spilled energy drinks on their phones, dropped their devices in toilets or cracked their screens. That's why Asurion and its subsidiary, tech repair retailer uBreakiFix® by Asurion, dove into their customer data and localized statistics to take a closer look at the cities where trips and slips happen the most.

“Look, accidents happen, even to the most cautious phone owners like myself,” said Dave Barbuto, CEO of uBreakiFix® by Asurion, which recently announced plans to rebrand to Asurion Tech Repair and Solutions in 2022. “There's no reason to be embarrassed by how, or how frequently, you've broken your phone. Not only does our Clumsiest Cities in America Index show that you're not alone, the rankings themselves provide hints about what could be making you a little more accident-prone with your tech. Regardless of how, when or where clumsy strikes, the tech experts at Asurion are here to help, without judgement.”

HOW DO YOU MEASURE CLUMSY?

Identifying clumsiness and where it's most prevalent meant taking a well-rounded approach. Asurion turned first to metropolitan areas ranked highest for per-capita Asurion protection plan phone breakage claims and phone repairs at its network of uBreakiFix by Asurion stores. The company also went a step further to identify the front lines of misfortune and clumsiness, ranking cities with the most personal injury lawyers and orthopedic surgeons per-capita. Keeping in mind that some people prefer to suffer in silence, Asurion mixed in additional data surrounding the frequency of online searches for phrases like “I think I sprained my ankle” or “how do I get water out of my phone.” A year's worth of data was collected, evaluated and analyzed to determine the “Clumsiest Cities in America.”

A LOOK AT THE RANKINGS:

So, what did we learn? Over half of the Clumsiest Cities are located in southern states, with New Orleans taking rank as “the Clumsiest City in America.” It was closely followed by Raleigh, NC and Jacksonville, FL, as two and three respectively. Other cities also featured in the top ten list included Richmond, VA; Atlanta; Charlotte, NC; Birmingham, AL; Cincinnati; Grand Rapids, MI and Tampa, FL.

On the flip side of the spectrum, San Francisco is home to some of the most “graceful” residents in America. It came as no surprise that a city so known for its tech innovation is the very best when it comes to calculated footsteps and handling their phones with care. Other big cities, Chicago and New York, also ranked as the second and third most graceful cities.

Map of clumsiest cities in America

Top 10 Clumsiest Cities

1. New Orleans, LA

2. Raleigh, NC

3. Jacksonville, FL

4. Richmond, VA

5. Atlanta, GA

6. Charlotte, NC

7. Birmingham, AL

8. Cincinnati, OH

9. Grand Rapids, MI

10. Tampa, FL

Top 10 Most Graceful Cities

52. San Francisco, CA

51. Chicago, IL

50. New York, NY

49. Seattle, WA

48. Tulsa, OK

47. Dallas, TX

46. Los Angeles, CA

45. Riverside, CA

44. Baltimore, MD

43. Detroit, MI

The “Clumsiest Cities in America Index” was calculated by leveraging anonymous data collected over a 12-month period ending June 30, 2021 by tech care company Asurion, including tech repair retailer uBreakiFix by Asurion. And once they got their hands on it, the data nerds at Asurion couldn't stop at just ranking the clumsiest cities. They wanted to figure out why some cities were so much clumsier than others. We may never know for sure why a New Orleanian is far more likely to break their tech than a San Franciscan (although we have our suspicions), but we do have some ideas:

Watch the Weather: Water and electronics just don't mix. That's probably why we see cities with more than 100 days of rain per year like Raleigh, New Orleans and Grand Rapids making our top ten list. Unless your tech has an itty-bitty umbrella, best to keep it stashed away until the sun comes out.

Perspiration May Be Problematic: Our top ten clumsiest cities are about ten percent more hot and humid than the average city in our study. Could it be that slippery hands = shattered devices?

Revelry is Ruinous: It's all fun and games until someone's phone screen is smashed. And speaking of smashed, our data team found that over half of our top ten clumsiest cities are home to SEC football teams (and their legendary tailgating), 40 percent of our cities are traditional Spring Break cities, and some 60 percent of the cities have legalized marijuana to some extent.

Regardless of your city's ranking, the tech experts at Asurion are here to help you when accidents happen. No matter what tech breaks or where it happens, they can help fix it. If you have an Asurion protection plan through one of the leading wireless carriers, you can easily file a claim to receive options like same-day device replacement or cracked screen repair delivered to your door, or stop in to one of our uBreakiFix by Asurion stores nationwide for fast on-site cracked screen repair through your protection plan coverage.

Don't have an Asurion protection plan? No worries! With nearly 700 stores across the country, uBreakiFix by Asurion stores offer same-day repair in select locations and free device diagnostics on all repairs, including water damage.

Customers can even book a 'We Come to You' repair appointment in select locations, and a uBreakiFix by Asurion professional repair technician can meet you at your home, vacation rental, place of work or any convenient location, with most repairs complete on-site in two hours or less. For more information, visit uBreakiFix.com.

About uBreakiFix® by Asurion*

uBreakiFix® by Asurion specializes in the repair of small electronics, ranging from smartphones, game consoles, tablets, computers, and everything in between. Cracked screens, software issues, camera issues, and most other problems can be repaired by visiting uBreakiFix stores across the U.S. and Canada. Since 2016, uBreakiFix has served as the exclusive walk-in repair partner for Google Pixel customers. In 2018, uBreakiFix became a Samsung Care authorized service provider offering same-day, in-person support for Samsung Galaxy customers across the U.S. In 2019, uBreakiFix joined the Asurion® family and in 2021 announced plans to rebrand all U.S. stores to Asurion Tech Repair & Solutions. For more information, visit ubreakifix.com.

About Asurion*

Asurion is a global tech care company that provides insurance, installation, repair, replacement, and 24/7 support for a wide range of technology, from mobile phones and laptops to major household appliances. Our 12,000 experts are available online, on the phone, in store, or can even come to you. Asurion eliminates the fears and frustrations associated with technology to ensure its 300 million customers get the most out of their devices and connections.

*Both brands recently announced that the company will be changing its name to Asurion Tech Repair and Solutions in 2022.

About Asurion

As the world’s leading tech care company, Asurion eliminates the fears and frustrations associated with technology, to ensure our 300 million customers get the most out of their devices, appliances and connections. We provide insurance, repair, replacement, installation and 24/7 support for everything from cellphones to laptops and household appliances. Our experts are available online, on the phone, at one of our more than 700 stores, or can even come to you.

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