You may think you eat a lot of ice cream, but do you eat more than 12 pounds of it a year? That's how much Americans consume on average per year-12.7 pounds exactly, according to the most recent data. But it might surprise you to learn that how much ice cream you eat may have something to do with where you live. So what're the top ice cream states?
According to data from Zippia, there's no geographic coherence to their state-by-state comparison. States from east, west, north, and south topped the list. They report that Gravy Analytics compared customer attendance at dessert venues nationwide between January 2017 and March 2018. After comparing population numbers, they determined which states eat the most per capita.
As Zippia clarifies, "there's no guarantee states that lag behind aren't just buying by the gallon from grocery stores." However, this data gives valuable insight into which state's contain the biggest populations with ice-cold sweet tooths.
States That Eat the Most
- California
- Oklahoma
- New Jersey
- New York
- Florida
Considering consumers in the United States eat more ice cream than almost anyone else on earth—second only to New Zealand—if you live in one of these states, that means you could be eating (on average) more ice cream than almost anyone else on earth. Talk about a brain freeze!
California appears to reign supreme when it comes to ice cream eating. When it comes down to a city-level look, Fine Dining Lovers reported that Long Beach, California topped the list, although their methodology differed from Gravy Analytics.
With four of these five states containing major, walkable cities and hosting many tourists, the number of ice cream parlors may have skewed this data in their favor—but Oklahoma may just have an abiding love for vanilla and chocolate.
States That Eat the Least
- Minnesota
- Alabama
- Wyoming
- Alaska
- West Virginia
Although the statistics don't give us further information into why consumers behave the way they do, it might be safe to assume that these states are home to fewer ice cream outposts than their more urban neighbors. I grew up in a state (Georgia, #31 on the list) where we almost always purchased our ice cream at the store, after all.
