According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than a third of Americans eat fast food on any given day. That is about 84.8 million adults consuming fast food everyday. How much do Americans spend on fast food? On average, Americans spend $1,200 a year on fast food, and the average American household spends around 10% of their annual income buying it! The United States is a massive country with incredible cultural diversity, so fast-food eating habits vary greatly by state. The team at HowLongtoCook.org explored fast-food consumption data to showcase which states and cities have the most and least fast-food restaurants per capita and cook up an understanding of fast-food trends in America:
What State Has the Most Fast-Food Restaurants?
Alabama is home to the most fast-food restaurants per capita, with 6.3 restaurants per 10,000 residents. What fast food is Alabama known for? As far as regional fast-food restaurants go, Jack’s is one of the most beloved places in the Cotton State. Jack’s is known for its hefty burgers, hand-scooped shakes, and freshly made-from-scratch biscuits. According to Cheapism.com, the most popular fast-food chain in Alabama overall is McDonald’s, followed by Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell, and Subway.
Here are the top 10 states with the most fast-food restaurants and the top fast-food chain in each:
What City Has the Most Fast-Food Restaurants?
The city with the most fast-food places is Orlando, Florida, with 18.4 restaurants per 10,000 residents. According to Hoodline.com, the most popular fast food in Orlando is Beefy King, which offers steamed roast beef sandwiches and salads. Other favorite fast-food joints in Orlando are King Bao (Asian fusion), Culver’s (burgers), and Chick-fil-A (chicken sandwiches).
What State Has the Least Fast-Food Restaurants?
The state with the least amount of fast-food restaurants is Vermont, with only 1.9 per 10,000 residents. The fast-food situation in Vermont is stingy overall; there are only 29 McDonald’s locations across the entire state. And what is the only state capital to not have a McDonald’s? You guessed it! Montpelier, Vermont. Of course, that’s not necessarily a bad thing at all; there may be a correlation with the fact that Vermont has the fifth-lowest obesity rate in the United States.
What City Has the Least Fast-Food Restaurants?
The U.S. city with the least number of fast food restaurants is New York, New York, with only 0.6 fast food restaurants per 10,000 people. Of course, New York City has no shortage of dining options from every cuisine imaginable. How many restaurants are in New York City? The World Cities Culture Forum estimates that there are 26,697 restaurants in the Big Apple. VinePair.com calculated that it would take 22.7 years to eat at them all!
Fast-Food Restaurants per Capita by State
State | Fast-Food Restaurants per 10,000 Residents |
Alabama | 6.3 |
Nebraska | 5.4 |
West Virginia | 5.3 |
Oklahoma | 5.3 |
Tennessee | 5.2 |
District of Columbia | 5 |
Georgia | 4.9 |
Missouri | 4.9 |
South Carolina | 4.9 |
Kentucky | 4.8 |
Nevada | 4.7 |
Ohio | 4.7 |
Arkansas | 4.7 |
Kansas | 4.7 |
Iowa | 4.7 |
Arizona | 4.6 |
North Carolina | 4.5 |
Illinois | 4.5 |
Louisiana | 4.4 |
Texas | 4.3 |
New Mexico | 4.3 |
South Dakota | 4.3 |
Virginia | 4.3 |
Delaware | 4.1 |
Wyoming | 4.1 |
Colorado | 4 |
Michigan | 4 |
Wisconsin | 4 |
Maryland | 3.9 |
Idaho | 3.8 |
Montana | 3.8 |
Minnesota | 3.7 |
North Dakota | 3.6 |
Utah | 3.6 |
Oregon | 3.6 |
California | 3.6 |
Florida | 3.3 |
New Hampshire | 3.2 |
Pennsylvania | 3.2 |
Hawaii | 3.2 |
Washington | 3.1 |
Maine | 3.1 |
Massachusetts | 3.1 |
Alaska | 2.6 |
Rhode Island | 2.5 |
Connecticut | 2.4 |
Mississippi | 2.1 |
New York | 2.1 |
New Jersey | 2 |
Vermont | 1.9 |
Top 10 Cities With the Most Fast-Food Restaurants per Capita
City | Restaurants per 10,000 Residents |
Orlando, FL | 18.4 |
Cincinnati, OH | 13.2 |
Las Vegas, NV | 13.1 |
Miami, FL | 11.9 |
St. Louis, MO | 11.9 |
Atlanta, GA | 11.3 |
Minneapolis, MN | 9.8 |
St. Paul, MN | 9.7 |
Cleveland, OH | 8.2 |
Tucson, AZ | 8.2 |
Top 10 Cities With the Least Fast-Food Restaurants per Capita
City | Restaurants per 10,000 Residents |
New York (Manhattan), NY | 0.6 |
Ventura, CA | 0.7 |
New York (Bronx), NY | 1.6 |
Lexington, SC | 1.7 |
Colorado Springs, CO | 1.8 |
Los Angeles, CA | 1.8 |
Jersey City, NJ | 1.9 |
San Francisco, CA | 2.2 |
Oakland, CA | 2.3 |
Boston, MA | 2.3 |