From burgers and fries and fried chicken sandwiches to tacos, pizza and donuts, Americans love their fast food. But which states have the most fast food restaurants?
New analysis reveals the fast food capital of America.
The study, conducted by price-watching website PriceList, analysed the number of popular fast-food restaurants in each state and compared this to the state’s population to see which restaurants have the most outlets per 100,000 residents.
The study included 22 fast-food franchises, including Arby’s, Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, Dairy Queen, Domino’s, In-N-Out, KFC, Dunkin’ Donuts, Five Guys, Wendy’s, White Castle, Whataburger, Sonic Drive-In, Subway, Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, Popeyes, Burger King and Raising Cane’s.
West Virginia reigns as the fast food capital of America, with roughly 50 of the most popular fast food chains per 100,000 residents. The state is home to 868 fast food restaurants surveyed. The most common franchises are Subway, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s, with 164, 104, and 72 restaurants, respectively.
Coming in second is Kentucky, with 47.21 fast food restaurants for every 100,000 people in the state. The most common chain in the state is Subway, with 362 franchise locations, or roughly 8 restaurants for every 100,000 residents.
Coming in a close third is Kansas, with 47.1 fast food restaurants per 100,000 residents. Pizza Hut is the second most common chain in Kansas, with 165 restaurants. That’s a 120% increase over rivals Domino’s Pizza and Papa John’s, which have just 75 restaurants in Kansas combined.
Mississippi ranks fourth with 46.71 fast food franchises per 100,000 people. Sonic Drive-In, Wendy’s, and Burger King are the most common fast food chains in the state, with a combined total of 307 locations.
Rounding out the top five is Ohio, with 46.43 fast food restaurants per 100,000 residents. The state is home to the ninth-most Starbucks franchises in the nation, with 519.
Meanwhile, Vermont has the fewest fast food restaurants per 100,000 people with 27.65, followed by New York with 29.47, Idaho with 29.78, California with 30.05 and Alaska with 30.82.
Complete Ranking: Fast Food Capitals of America
This also includes the number of restaurants per 100,000 people.
1. West Virginia — 49.04
2. Kentucky — 47.21
3. Kansas — 47.1
4. Mississippi — 46.71
5. Ohio — 46.43
6. Indiana — 46.37
7. Arkansas — 46.19
8. Louisiana — 45.41
9. Tennessee — 44.72
10. Wyoming — 44.34
11. Alabama — 43.18
12. Illinois — 42.66
13. Virginia — 42.62
14. Oklahoma — 42.38
15. Missouri — 42.27
16. New Mexico — 42.05
17. New Hampshire — 41.44
18. Georgia — 41.24
19. Nebraska — 40.74
20. Connecticut — 40.58
21. Colorado — 40.32
22. South Carolina — 39.86
23. Texas — 39.50
24. Maryland — 39.48
25. North Carolina — 39.08
26. Nevada — 38.95
27. Rhode Island — 38.69
28. Maine — 38.26
29. South Dakota — 37.96
30. Arizona — 37.71
31. Massachusetts — 37.35
32. Michigan — 36.25
33. Florida — 35.93
34. Iowa — 35.55
35. North Dakota — 35.08
36. Wisconsin — 35
37. Delaware — 34.98
38. Oregon — 34.35
39. (tie) Montana/Minnesota — 34.16
40. Hawaii — 34.07
41. Pennsylvania — 33.74
42. Washington — 33.09
43. Utah — 32.77
44. New Jersey — 31.45
45. Alaska — 30.82
46. California — 30.05
47. Idaho — 29.78
48. New York — 29.47
49. Vermont — 27.65
