The Best States For Couch Potatoes

2020 was the year of the couch potato.

With shutdowns and social distancing, there was never a better time to Netflix and couch. But not all states have people rocking the couch potato lifestyle and some are downright a bad place to sprawl out and enjoy the telly.

In fact, some are comfy blanket desserts with wi-fi that will your shows buffering. It begs the question, where in the country offers all the amenities to be a couch potato paradise?

Using internet speed, hours spent watching tv, home size, and the amount spent on comfy furniture, we found where the sofa spuds are— and where those who aspire for the leisurely lounge life should go.

States With The Most Couch Potatoes

Surprised? The hardworking hardy Midwestern states apparently disproportionately enjoy the streaming life.

How We Determined This

We ranked each state 1-to-50 in 4 areas:

Hours spent watching tv (The more, the more the couch potato lifestyle is thriving in a state)
Home size in square feet (the bigger the home, the more space to sprawl on an oversized sectional)
Internet speed (the higher percent of the population with broadband, the better for streaming)
Amount spent on bedding and furnishing per capita (the more spent on blankets and cozy furnishing, the better for couch potatoes)

We started by looking at the hours spent watching tv in each state, according to the American Time Use Survey. Obviously, the more time spent watching tv, the more couch potatoes in the state.

From there, we looked at Realtor.com’s data on average home size. The more spacious the house, the more room for soda spuds to sprawl out. However, for a couch potato paradise, you don’t just need space… you need comfy furniture and blankets. To find where they go all out on plush furniture, we broke down sales on furniture and bedding per capita in each state.

Finally, we added the cherry on top of the Sunday- internet speed. After all, streaming is king now and fast internet is a must for streaming. The higher the percent or residents with broadband internet according to the ACS Census, the better for potatoing.

1. Wyoming

wyoming class=

Hours of tv watched: 3:14:32
Home size (Sq ft): 2,052
Furniture/Bedding Spending Per Capita:$414

Wyoming is where the couch potatoes are at. Couch potatoes in Wyoming spend an impressive $414 per person yearly to deck out their above average sized homes. All the better for watching those 3+ hours of television a day.

2. Delaware

delaware class=

Hours of tv watched: 3:47:09
Home size (Sq ft): 1,800
Furniture/Bedding Spending Per Capita:$380

Delaware is the 2nd best state for couch potatoes. While the homes aren’t as spacious as out west, Delaware watches an impressive 3 hours and 47 minutes of tv a day– only beat by West Virginia.

3. Maryland

maryland class=

Hours of tv watched: 2:53:23
Home size (Sq ft): 1,920
Furniture/Bedding Spending Per Capita:$390

Maryland has some of the longer commutes in the country. Perhaps it’s no surprise that after a long day at work, workers just want to put their feet up and take advantage of Maryland’s speedy fast internet.

4. North Dakota

north dakota class=

Hours of tv watched: 3:34:29
Home size (Sq ft): 1,788
Furniture/Bedding Spending Per Capita:$424

North Dakota has stunning national parks, but many in North Dakota know that the view from the couch is pretty great too. Residents of North Dakota spend around $321,700,000 each year on furniture and bedding– an amount that works out to $424.36 per person.

5. Colorado

colorado class=

Hours of tv watched: 2:28:22
Home size (Sq ft): 2,126
Furniture/Bedding Spending Per Capita:$385

Colorado is known for its great nature and fun outdoor activities. However, it’s speedy internet and large homes mean it’s also a couch potato haven.

6. Connecticut

connecticut class=

Hours of tv watched: 2:41:03
Home size (Sq ft): 1,804
Furniture/Bedding Spending Per Capita:$400

Spacious and well decked out houses make Connecticut homes a great choice for a movie marathon. While they watch about 20 minutes less tv a day than the national average, what they do watch is in supreme comfort.

7. Massachusetts

massachusetts class=

Hours of tv watched: 2:57:52
Home size (Sq ft): 1,744
Furniture/Bedding Spending Per Capita:$397

In 7th place is Massachusetts. Massachusetts is also one of the most educated states in the nation. Instead of street smarts do they have tv smarts?

8. New Jersey

new jersey class=

Hours of tv watched: 3:19:55
Home size (Sq ft): 1,740
Furniture/Bedding Spending Per Capita:$385

The garden state might just be the perfect place to stay home. Despite tiny homes, New Jersey residents have great internet access and watch about 24 hours (a whole day!) of TV a week.

9. Virginia

virginia class=

Hours of tv watched: 2:54:03
Home size (Sq ft): 1,896
Furniture/Bedding Spending Per Capita:$389

Virginians watch slightly less tv than most of the country, but have all the other ingredients for a perfect Netflix and chill.

10. South Dakota

south dakota class=

Hours of tv watched: 3:02:21
Home size (Sq ft): 1,984
Furniture/Bedding Spending Per Capita:$387

In 10th place is South Dakota. Residents of South Dakota have the 6th largest homes in the nation. Toss in well-furnished homes and it’s easy to see those 3 hours of television a day are spent comfortably.

It’s ok to be a couch potato

It’s been a weird, stressful year. If you spent more time on the couch than usual, that’s okay.

Of course, if you’re looking to be less sedentary, you can always explore outdoor jobs or occupations that will keep you on your feet.

On the other hand, you could just move to Hawaii the least couch potato state in the nation. Which sounds a lot more fun.

Every state, from most couch potato to least

Rank	State	Hours Tv Watched Daily	Home Size Sq Ft	Furniture/Bedding Bough	Fast Internet %
1	Wyoming	3:14:32	2,052	$414	87
2	Delaware	3:47:09	1,800	$380	88
3	Maryland	2:53:23	1,920	$390	89
4	North Dakota	3:34:29	1,788	$424	84
5	Colorado	2:28:22	2,126	$385	91
6	Connecticut	2:41:03	1,804	$400	88
7	Massachusetts	2:57:52	1,744	$397	88
7	New Jersey	3:19:55	1,740	$385	89
9	Virginia	2:54:03	1,896	$389	86
10	South Dakota	3:02:21	1,984	$387	85
11	Minnesota	2:33:50	1,828	$394	87
11	Montana	2:36:39	2,040	$399	85
13	Washington	2:35:15	1,903	$378	91
14	West Virginia	4:30:54	1,714	$403	81
15	Georgia	3:26:29	1,963	$358	85
16	Idaho	2:56:41	1,932	$345	88
17	Texas	3:04:35	2,031	$344	86
18	Pennsylvania	3:13:50	1,700	$391	85
19	New York	2:52:31	1,764	$391	86
20	Alabama	3:27:25	1,800	$382	81
21	Nebraska	2:59:41	1,714	$385	87
22	Rhode Island	2:47:26	1,688	$395	87
22	Utah	2:13:55	2,305	$308	90
24	Oregon	2:46:23	1,780	$378	89
25	Louisiana	3:41:20	1,786	$379	80
25	Ohio	3:19:40	1,620	$390	85
27	Illinois	3:08:03	1,632	$386	86
28	South Carolina	3:22:23	1,846	$369	82
28	Vermont	2:19:43	1,815	$412	83
30	Mississippi	3:29:20	1,879	$364	76
30	Oklahoma	3:36:34	1,746	$376	83
32	Alaska	2:20:24	1,789	$384	87
32	Florida	3:21:39	1,694	$371	86
32	Kansas	2:56:30	1,782	$385	85
35	Nevada	3:34:53	1,712	$357	85
36	Wisconsin	2:39:09	1,669	$397	86
37	Kentucky	3:21:29	1,750	$381	83
38	Arkansas	3:24:52	1,792	$374	79
38	Iowa	3:07:56	1,550	$392	83
40	Arizona	2:57:36	1,763	$355	87
40	North Carolina	2:50:50	1,800	$375	85
42	Missouri	3:02:37	1,650	$387	84
43	New Hampshire	2:40:22	1,768	$323	89
44	Michigan	3:02:22	1,530	$384	85
44	Tennessee	2:56:36	1,848	$373	83
46	New Mexico	2:52:06	1,838	$381	78
47	Indiana	3:04:35	1,742	$374	83
48	Maine	2:17:37	1,663	$409	84
49	California	2:39:03	1,625	$345	89
50	Hawaii	2:32:58	1,308	$351	88

Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

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.

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