{"id":59948,"date":"2025-02-26T07:00:49","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T13:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escoffier.edu\/?p=59948"},"modified":"2025-07-14T11:00:55","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T16:00:55","slug":"which-us-states-eat-the-most-fast-food-americas-fast-food-hotspots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escoffier.edu\/blog\/world-food-drink\/which-us-states-eat-the-most-fast-food-americas-fast-food-hotspots\/","title":{"rendered":"Which U.S. States Eat the Most Fast Food? America&#8217;s Fast Food Hotspots"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The United States is, by far, the fast food capital of the world.<\/p>\n<p>A study published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2018 showed that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/products\/databriefs\/db322.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">36.6% of American adults ate fast food on any given day<\/a>. And with that level of consumption, it\u2019s no surprise that America is the leading consumer of fast food globally: 38% of the fast food industry\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ibisworld.com\/global\/industry\/global-fast-food-restaurants\/1480\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$1.1 trillion in global revenue<\/a> was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ibisworld.com\/united-states\/industry\/fast-food-restaurants\/1980\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">generated in the US<\/a> in 2024, despite the country only making up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/2024\/population-new-years-day.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">4.2% of the world\u2019s population<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>So, in this country of fast food lovers, who reigns supreme? Which state consumes the most fast food?<\/p>\n<p>We analyzed data on the number of fast food restaurants and on fast food consumption in all 50 states in order to determine the fast food capitals of the USA.<\/p>\n<p>But before we dive into our results, and the methodology we used to obtain them, let\u2019s have a glance at some of the key findings. <a href=\"#method\">(Jump down to see our methodology)<\/a><br \/>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"blog-article-callout-wrap\">\n\t\t<div class=\"blog-article-callout-text\">\n<h3>Fast Food Capitals of America \u2013 Key Findings<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Out of all 50 states, <strong>Maryland<\/strong> placed first as the fast food capital of America \u2013 largely owing to the fact that it easily has the highest share of fast food restaurants as a percentage of total restaurants.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hawaii<\/strong> had the most fast food restaurants per capita, while <strong>Nevada<\/strong> placed first for fast food spending as a percentage of total food spending.<\/li>\n<li>At the other end of the spectrum, <strong>Idaho<\/strong> ranked lowest on the list, placing last in two of the three categories we examined (and almost last in the third category).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\nBefore we begin, one note on terminology. This analysis incorporates United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) data on \u201climited-service restaurants\u201d as a proxy for fast food restaurants. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ers.usda.gov\/amber-waves\/2023\/june\/limited-service-restaurants-closing-gap-with-full-service-establishments-in-rural-united-states#:~:text=Limited%2Dservice%20restaurants%20typically%20specialize%20in%20a%20particular%20type%20of%20food%2C%20such%20as%20hamburgers%2C%20pizza%2C%20or%20chicken%2C%20and%20customers%20order%20and%20pay%20at%20a%20counter%20before%20they%20get%20their%20food%20or%20beverage.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Limited-service restaurants<\/a> are defined as restaurants that \u201ctypically specialize in a particular type of food, such as hamburgers, pizza, or chicken, and customers order and pay at a counter before they get their food or beverage.\u201d According to the USDA these terms are interchangeable, so limited-service restaurant data is referenced here.<\/p>\n<h2>America\u2019s Fast Food Capitals<\/h2>\n<p>We looked at three categories to determine our rankings:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fast food restaurants as a percentage of total restaurants in each state<\/li>\n<li>Number of fast food restaurants per capita in each state<\/li>\n<li>Spending on fast food restaurants as a percentage of total food spending in each state<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>After ranking states in each category individually and combining their scores, we were able to rank all 50 states on a scale of zero to 100. Here are the top 10:<\/p>\n<h4>Top Ten Fast Food States in America<\/h4>\n<div class=\"table-wrap\">\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">Rank<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">State<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">Score<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">1<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Maryland<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">100.00<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">2<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Nevada<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">97.24<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">3<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Illinois<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">95.70<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">4<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">New York<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">95.68<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">5<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Hawaii<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">94.85<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">6<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">California<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">84.62<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">7<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Ohio<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">79.33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">8<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Massachusetts<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">74.99<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">9<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">New Mexico<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">73.39<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">10<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Oklahoma<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">69.76<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>At first glance, a few things jump out about these results. For one thing, a number of the top spots on the list seem to be held by relatively dense, relatively wealthy states, several of which have large tourist economies.<\/p>\n<p>This would seem to track with previously documented findings\u2014for example, that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ers.usda.gov\/data-products\/chart-gallery\/gallery\/chart-detail\/?chartId=78430\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">density of fast food restaurants is correlated with population density<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s more to these findings than meets the eye, which we\u2019ll see as we dig into the specifics. Let\u2019s take a closer look at the numbers and learn more about fast food consumption habits in the United States.<\/p>\n<h3>Fast Food Restaurants as a Percentage of Total Restaurants<\/h3>\n<p>The first category we looked at was the proportion of the total restaurant scene that fast food restaurants make up in each state. Using data from the National Restaurant Association (NRA) and the US Census Bureau, we found the following results.<br \/>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"blog-article-callout-wrap\">\n\t\t<div class=\"blog-article-callout-text\">\nEscoffier found that, in Maryland, nearly half (46.76%) of restaurants are fast food restaurants \u2013 31% higher than the national average of 35.70%.<br \/>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h4>Top Five States with the Highest Percentage of Fast Food Restaurants<\/h4>\n<div class=\"table-wrap\">\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">State<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">Percentage<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Maryland<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">46.76%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">New Mexico<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">42.02%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Alabama<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">40.76%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">West Virginia<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">40.01%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Virginia<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">39.99%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>In Maryland, nearly half (46.76%) of restaurants are fast food restaurants. The national average is 35.70%, meaning the number in Maryland is 31% higher than the nation as a whole.<\/p>\n<p>This is partially owing to the fact that Maryland has an unusually small number of total restaurants\u2014187.26 restaurants per 100,000 people, compared with a national average of 211.17.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, the top two states in this category are among the bottom five states in terms of the total number of restaurants statewide, while the other three states rank low in that category as well (Alabama, 40th; West Virginia, 44th; Virginia, 37th).<\/p>\n<p>This indicates that, while these states may not have a high demand for restaurants in general, they have a disproportionately high demand for fast food in particular\u2014qualifying them as some of the fast food capitals of the country.<\/p>\n<h3>Number of Fast Food Restaurants per 100,000 People<\/h3>\n<p>We also wanted to take into account the number of fast food restaurants in relation to the population of each state, so we used Census Bureau data to compare the total number of fast food restaurants in each state with each state\u2019s population. These were the results.<br \/>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"blog-article-callout-wrap\">\n\t\t<div class=\"blog-article-callout-text\">\nEscoffier\u2019s analysis found that Hawaii and New York boast the highest numbers of fast food restaurants per capita \u2013 a finding that could partially be explained by their vibrant tourist economies.<br \/>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h4>Top Five States with the Most Fast Food Restaurants per 100,000 People<\/h4>\n<div class=\"table-wrap\">\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">State<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">Number of Restaurants<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Hawaii<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">95.11<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">New York<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">90.87<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Maryland<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">87.57<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Illinois<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">84.32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Ohio<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">82.42<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>In addition to placing first and second on this list, Hawaii and New York are also the first and third in terms of the ratio of tourists to residents, according to Escoffier analysis of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trade.gov\/us-states-cities-visited-overseas-travelers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">overseas tourist data from the US Department of Commerce<\/a>. This suggests that their high rank could partially be explained by their booming tourist economies, with many fast food restaurants offering convenient dining options to travelers.<\/p>\n<p>However, the rest of the top five is more of a mixed bag, with fifth-place Ohio ranking 40th on that same metric. So, once again, while these findings might be partially explained by other factors (like tourism), they also indicate that there are enough consumers in these states to support large numbers of fast food restaurants.<\/p>\n<h3>Spending on Fast Food Restaurants as a Percentage of Total Food Spending<\/h3>\n<p>Finally, we wanted to consider how much of their food budget the residents of each state are spending on fast food, so we used data from the USDA\u2019s Economic Research Series (ERS), and obtained the following results.<br \/>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"blog-article-callout-wrap\">\n\t\t<div class=\"blog-article-callout-text\">\nAccording to Escoffier, in each of the top five states for fast food spending (Nevada, Hawaii, New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts), out of every $5 residents spent on food, more than $1 was spent on fast food specifically.<br \/>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h4>Top Five States with the Highest Share of Spending on Fast Food Restaurants<\/h4>\n<div class=\"table-wrap\">\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">State<\/th>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\">Percentage<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Nevada<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">21.79%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Hawaii<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">21.66%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">New York<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">20.73%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Illinois<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">20.49%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">Massachusetts<\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\">20.38%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Perhaps not surprisingly, these top five states are the exact same states we identified in our study on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escoffier.edu\/blog\/world-food-drink\/us-states-best-food-scene\/#:~:text=Top%20Five%20States%20with%20the%20Highest%20Restaurant%20Spending%20as%20a%20Percentage%20of%20Total%20Food%20Spending\">US states with the best food scene<\/a>. So not only do these states appear to be big spenders when it comes to restaurants overall, they carry that habit over to fast food restaurants as well.<\/p>\n<p>What could be behind this trend? Do these states just have more money to spend on restaurants in general\u2014and on fast food in particular?<\/p>\n<p>While there are data that show that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nchs\/products\/databriefs\/db322.htm#:~:text=for%202013%E2%80%932016%3F-,The%20percentage%20of%20adults%20who%20consumed%20fast%20food%20increased%20with%20increasing,day.%20A%20similar%20pattern%20was%20observed%20for%20both%20men%20and%20women.,-Within%20each%20income\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fast food consumption rises with rising income<\/a>, that doesn\u2019t necessarily seem to be the case here. While New York and Massachusetts are in the <a href=\"https:\/\/fred.stlouisfed.org\/release\/tables?eid=257197&amp;rid=110\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">top five for personal income<\/a>, Nevada and Hawaii are actually right in the middle of the pack.<\/p>\n<p>Our conclusion? This category shows the real dining habits of people in these states, irrespective of income or other factors.<\/p>\n<h2>Methodology and Notes<a name=\"method\"><\/a><\/h2>\n<p>To obtain these findings, we first gathered data on the total number of restaurants in general and fast food restaurants in particular from the NRA<sup>1<\/sup> and the Census Bureau,<sup>2<\/sup> respectively; this enabled us to determine the proportion of fast food restaurants to total restaurants.<\/p>\n<p>We then compared the number of fast food restaurants to state population data from the Census Bureau<sup>3<\/sup> to determine the number of fast food restaurants per capita.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, we determined fast food spending as a percentage of overall food spending by consulting data from the USDA\u2019s ERS.<sup>4<\/sup> To do so, we first obtained state-by-state data on spending at fast food restaurants as a share of overall food spending in each state by obtaining the national average spending at limited-service restaurants; according to data from the ERS which dates back to 1997, spending at limited-service restaurants has averaged about 34.1% of overall food-away-from-home spending. We then applied that percentage to state level ERS data to determine spending for each state.<\/p>\n<p>We then normalized scores in each of these three categories, combined them for a weighted ranking, then normalized that weighted number to get our final ranking.<\/p>\n<p>This analysis indicates that, even when compared against other factors that could affect fast food consumption\u2014like income, tourism, and more\u2014some states consistently rise to the top. While dining habits vary around the country, in some US states fast food is king.<\/p>\n\t\n\t<h3 class=\"additional-articles-heading\">IF YOU ENJOYED THIS ARTICLE, CHECK THESE OUT NEXT:<\/h3>\n\n\t\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.escoffier.edu\/blog\/world-food-drink\/alcohol-and-beverage-trends\/\">2025 Alcohol and Beverage Trends: Key Statistics on What\u2019s Pouring in Bars and Homes<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.escoffier.edu\/blog\/world-food-drink\/us-states-best-food-scene\/\">States with the Best Food Scene in 2025: Where to Eat in the USA<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.escoffier.edu\/blog\/world-food-drink\/restaurant-industry-demographics-diversity-among-owners-and-employees\/\">2024 Restaurant Industry Demographics: Diversity Among Owners and Employees<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>(1) National Restaurant Association, <a href=\"https:\/\/restaurant.org\/research-and-media\/research\/industry-statistics\/state-statistics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">State Statistics, Fact Sheets: Industry Size by State<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>(2) United States Census Bureau, <a href=\"https:\/\/data.census.gov\/table?q=722513:%20Limited-Service%20Restaurants&amp;g=010XX00US$0400000&amp;y=2017&amp;d=ECN%20Core%20Statistics%20Selected%20Sectors:%20Franchise%20Status%20for%20the%20U.S.%20and%20States\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Economic Census, Core Statistics Selected Sectors<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>(3) United States Census Bureau, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/quickfacts\/fact\/table\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Quick Facts<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>(4) United States Department of Agriculture, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ers.usda.gov\/data-products\/food-expenditure-series\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National and State Food Expenditure Series<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Which US states consume the most fast food? We did the research to find out!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":59949,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1317],"tags":[1389],"class_list":["post-59948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-food-drink","tag-statistics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Which U.S. States Eat the Most Fast Food? America&#039;s Fast Food Hotspots - Escoffier<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Which US states consume the most fast food? 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