Seattle Wins Wallet Return Test, Honestly

SEATTLE — Lose a wallet in Seattle and the odds are pretty good you’ll get it back, according to an unscientific experiment by a magazine.

Reader’s Digest left a trail of 120 “lost” wallets in 12 communities across the nation and kept track of how many were returned with the $50 cash contents intact. Seattle had the best rate of return, 9 in 10.

Three small cities were the next best, with a score of 8 in 10: Meadville, Pa.; Concord, N.H., and Cheyenne, Wyo.

Of the two other big cities tested, St. Louis returned 7 in 10 and Atlanta trailed with 5 in 10, according to the magazine.

Reader’s Digest interviewed those who returned wallets. Some cited religion or ethics. Some said they were moved by the baby picture placed in each billfold.