Mental Floss

10 States That Eat the Most Fast Food

Discover which U.S. states love fast food the most, based on spending habits and restaurant density.
ByCaLea Johnson|
Looks delicious.
Looks delicious. | Alexander Spatari/GettyImages

Whether they prefer McDonald’s Quarter Pounder or Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme, many Americans love fast food. However, some states are more obsessed with convenience cuisine than others. Below you’ll find the places where fast food makes up the largest portion of the local diet.

  1. These States Can’t Get Enough Fast Food

For this report, the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts first compiled the number of general restaurants and fast food places across states using data from the National Restaurant Association and the United States Census Bureau. Data analysts then determined each state’s number of fast-food restaurants per capita by comparing the number of fast-food restaurants to the state’s population data. They also calculated fast food spending as a percentage of overall food costs to find out which state is willing to spend the most on it. The analysts took all three factors into account when determining each state’s interest in fast food and its final ranking. 

According to the list, Maryland is a haven for lovers of quick, cheap eats. Almost half of the state’s restaurants (46.76 percent) are fast food establishments. That’s significantly higher than the national average. Escoffier explains that Maryland’s high ranking is partially due to its lower amount of restaurants in general. It has 187.26 places per 100,000 people, which is much fewer than the national average of 211.17. Even with this context in mind, it still has a notably higher demand for fast food joints compared to the rest of the country.

Meanwhile, Nevada comes in second. That’s mainly because its residents are spending a lot on fast food. Escoffier found that Nevadans were willing to pay 21.79 percent of their total food spending on fast food fare. Illinois residents spend around the same amount (20.49 percent), which is partially why the state earned the third spot on the list. 

These States Can’t Get Enough Fast Food

  1. Maryland
  2. Nevada
  3. Illinois
  4. New York
  5. Hawaii
  6. California
  7. Ohio
  8. Massachusetts
  9. New Mexico
  10. Oklahoma

Fast food used to be known for being cheap, but factors like inflation and employee shortages are starting to change that. These are the chains where prices have risen the most.

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