States That Like Ice Cream The Most Research Summary
The state that likes ice cream the most is California, where there are 4,263 ice cream shops.
The state that likes ice cream the least is Minnesota; probably a little chilly there for a cold snack.
The average American consumes 20 pounds of ice cream per year.
As of 2022, the U.S. ice cream industry is worth $9.9 billion.
On average, Americans consume 12.1 pounds of ice cream every year.
That means ice cream isn’t just delicious in America it’s big business. As of 2021, 126,462 people were employed in the ice cream industry.
All those scoopers better start working on arm strength because all of July is National Ice Cream Month. To find out what states will be enjoying the most ice cream cones, we hit the data.
You can see the most (and least) ice cream-loving states below:
10 Most Ice Cream Loving States
- California
- Oklahoma
- New Jersey
- New York
- Florida
- Kansas
- Vermont
- Arkansas
- Rhode Island
- Pennsylvania
Sunny California eats more than its share of ice cream sundaes. Similarly, so does Florida. However, the majority of states in the top aren’t the ones you’d imagine would be ordering the most ice cream cones.
10 Least Ice Cream Loving States
- Minnesota
- Alabama
- Wyoming
- Alaska
- West Virginia
- Louisiana
- Kentucky
- Idaho
- South Dakota
- Mississippi
Surprisingly, southern states dominate the bottom for ice cream consumption. Maybe they’re sick of dripping cones.
How We Figured This Out
This one was pretty simple. We turned to data from Gravy Analytics.
Gravy Analytics used location intelligence to compare consumer attendances at ice cream venues nationwide, from January 2017 to March 2018. They then compared population number to determine which states eat the most ice cream for their size.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that states who lag behind aren’t just buying their ice cream by the gallon from grocery stores.
I scream, you scream…
We all scream for ice cream. If you want to make ice cream more than just a snack, why not make it a job? If you’re interested in management or scooping up smiles, you can explore options in popular chains or local mom and pop shops.
However, basically any career can be an “ice cream job.” The US is home to many corporations dealing with America’s favorite treat including Ben and Jerry’s, Blue Bell’s, Breyer’s, and more.
Check out their Zippia company profile to see if they’re hiring, and what kind of benefits other than (hopefully) a deal on ice cream they offer.
States That Eat Most (And Least) Ice Cream
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Author
Kathy Morris
Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.
FAQs
The state that likes ice cream the most is California, where there are 4,263 ice cream shops. The state that likes ice cream the least is Minnesota; probably a little chilly there for a cold snack. The average American consumes 20 pounds of ice cream per year.
Which state eats the least ice cream? ›
It's no shock that the state that eats the least ice cream has some pretty chilly weather. Yup, you won't find as many Minnesotans chowing down on ice cream after dinner as you would in all the other states.
Which US state has the most ice cream? ›
California is the nation's largest ice cream producer. The most popular ice cream flavors in the nation are Vanilla, Chocolate, Neapolitan and Strawberry.
What 5 state produces the most ice cream in the United States? ›
California (140 businesses), Florida (91 businesses) and Illinois (47 businesses) are the States with the most number of Ice Cream Production businesses in the US.
Where is ice cream eaten the most? ›
Which Countries Consume the Most Ice Cream?
- The top spot: New Zealand! ...
- Second place: United States! ...
- Third: Australia The Aussies love ice cream almost as much as their southern neighbors.
Massachusetts had the #42 highest consumption per capita, beat out in New England by Rhode Island at #2. Topping the sweet ranking was Washington, DC at #1, followed by Rhode Island at #2 and Wisconsin at #3. Texas followed Massachsuetts at #5.
Is Alaska the largest consumer of ice cream? ›
It's been claimed that Alaska consumes more ice cream per capita than any other state in the country. This is surprising information to many people, considering it's the northernmost state and famous for snow and winter.
What is the #1 ice cream in America? ›
1. Vanilla. Above all types of ice cream flavors, vanilla is America's favorite for a reason: it's simple and it goes with everything.
Does Alaska eat the most ice cream? ›
It's been said that Alaska consumes more ice cream per capita than any other state in the country! A local favorite microcreamery, Wild Scoops crafts small batches of seasonal ice creams that feature Alaska ingredients to make everything from wildberry ice cream to Alaska potato chip toffee with a fudge swirl.
What is America's favorite ice cream? ›
With 21 states favoring vanilla, this classic, reliable flavor holds true. According to Laurentia Romaniuk, Instacart's trends expert, “It's no surprise most states in the country are partial to vanilla ice cream because it's arguably the most versatile of them all.
Millennials (those born between 1977 and 1992) are more likely than consumers of all other generations to order every dessert. The sole exception is with ice cream and gelato—Gen Zers slightly beat out Millennials, with 75% saying they'd likely purchase ice cream or gelato versus 74% of Millennials.
What is the most eaten ice cream in the world? ›
Vanilla Ice Cream
Vanilla is the most popular ice cream flavor in the world so it only makes sense to start this list with vanilla ice cream.
What city makes the most ice cream in the world? ›
Everybody's got a claim to fame. Ours is that Le Mars, Iowa, is the Ice Cream Capital of the World. More ice cream is made in Le Mars than in any other place on Earth, which means we also have the largest freezer of its kind in North America—12 stories high!
What is the least popular ice cream? ›
Coffee ice cream is surprisingly not more popular, as it has been around since 1869 when it was used as a parfait. Only four percent of Americans count the flavor as their favourite.
What state eats the most junk food? ›
The state that loves fast food the most is Alabama, where there are 6.3 restaurants for every 10,000 residents. The state that with the least fast food restaurants is Vermont, where there are only 1.9 restaurants for every 10,000 residents. There are 194,395 fast food restaurants in the U.S.
What percent of the US likes ice cream? ›
ARCTIC ZERO Fit Frozen Desserts reveal National Ice Cream Month survey. Among the findings: While 99% of people like ice cream, more than half of Americans say they do not eat ice cream or limit their consumption due to "health" concerns.
What percentage of Americans don't like ice cream? ›
It turns out that a love of ice cream isn't universal
This survey reveals that 7% of respondents don't eat ice cream and 17% only eat it when the weather is warm.
