Believe it or not, I take these findings as a compliment. We take it nice and slow and get it right down here in Louisiana.

Our friends at Preply.com recently took part in a deep dive look into speech rates across the United States. Speaking about their findings, they say, “In an attempt to identify U.S. cities, states, and regions with the fastest and slowest talkers, we analyzed data from two nationwide studies based on YouTube videos and call recordings. We then ranked the average speech rates of Americans from 114 cities and in all 50 states.”

Once the numbers came through, here’s what they report to be their key findings:

• The average rate of speech among U.S. states is 5.09 syllables per second
• The U.S. state with the fastest average speech rate is Minnesota at 5.34 syllables per second
• The U.S. state with the slowest average rate of speech is Louisiana at 4.78 syllables per second
• The U.S. city with the fastest average rate of speech is Portland, Oregon, at 5.38 syllables per second
• The U.S. city with the slowest average speech rate is Peoria, Illinois, at 4.71 syllables per second

Nine of the top-10 slowest-speaking states were found in the South, with Illinois being the lone-northern state.