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
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
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
| Rank | State |
|---|---|
| 1 | California |
| 2 | Oklahoma |
| 3 | New Jersey |
| 4 | New York |
| 5 | Florida |
| 6 | Kansas |
| 7 | Vermont |
| 8 | Arkansas |
| 9 | Rhode Island |
| 10 | Pennsylvania |
| 11 | Maryland |
| 12 | Missouri |
| 13 | Texas |
| 14 | Nevada |
| 15 | Connecticut |
| 16 | Hawaii |
| 17 | Delaware |
| 18 | New Hampshire |
| 19 | South Carolina |
| 20 | Illinois |
| 21 | Ohio |
| 22 | Virginia |
| 23 | Oregon |
| 24 | North Carolina |
| 25 | Michigan |
| 26 | Massachusetts |
| 27 | Maine |
| 28 | Tennessee |
| 29 | Colorado |
| 30 | Iowa |
| 31 | Georgia |
| 32 | New Mexico |
| 33 | Indiana |
| 34 | Arizona |
| 35 | Nebraska |
| 36 | North Dakota |
| 37 | Washington |
| 38 | Wisconsin |
| 39 | Montanta |
| 40 | Utah |
| 41 | Mississippi |
| 42 | South Dakota |
| 43 | Idaho |
| 44 | Kentucky |
| 45 | Louisiana |
| 46 | West Virginia |
| 47 | Alaska |
| 48 | Wyoming |
| 49 | Alabama |
| 50 | Minnesota |
Author
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.
