You Won’t Believe What Fast Food Reigns In Your State

There's nothing like reaching your hand into a brown bag and snatching up a handful of hot, perfectly-salted french fries. Though we all try to eat healthier or we get caught up in the latest dieting trend- but one thing remains- Americans LOVE our fast food.

New data released in the beginning of 2026 shows what chain the residents in each state turn to most when they need a drive-thru.

A FinanceBuzz and VisualCapitalist analysis mapped the most popular fast-food chains across the U.S. using google search data and number of locations per capita. Across the country:

• 30 different fast-food brands claimed the “favorite” spot in at least one state.

• Chains like Wendy’s and Sonic led the country, each being the top pick in five states.

  So, which one took the top spot in New York? According to that state-by-state map, New York’s favorite fast-food brand is Shake Shack — the only major national chain with origins in New York — giving the Empire State local pride on this list.

Read More: Shake Shack to Open New Location in Poughkeepsie, NY | https://hudsonvalleypost.com/shake-shack-coming-poughkeepsie-ny/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

You may have been surprised to not see the familiar golden arches on the map, but McDonald's didn't make the list for several reasons.

The biggest being the methodology used in the FinanceBuzz and VisualCapitalist data analysis:

• Google Trends search popularity for each chain
  Number of locations per capita in the state

Though McDonald’s tends to have lots of locations — that doesn’t automatically make it top favorite if people aren’t searching it as much relative to other chains and other brands are punching above their weight locally.

According to global data, the United States is the top consumer of fast-food around the world.

Full list of Favorite Fast-Food Chains in Each State:

A
• Alabama – Captain D’s
• Alaska – Domino’s Pizza
• Arizona – Jack in the Box
• Arkansas – Sonic

C
• California – In-N-Out Burger
• Colorado – Qdoba
• Connecticut – Jersey Mike’s

D
• Delaware – Chick-fil-A
• District of Columbia – Shake Shack

F
• Florida – Pollo Tropical

G
• Georgia – Chick-fil-A

H
• Hawaii – Panda Express

I
• Idaho – Papa Murphy’s
• Illinois – Jimmy John’s
• Indiana – Arby's

K
• Kansas – Sonic
• Kentucky – Papa John's

L
• Louisiana – Popeyes

M
• Maine – Subway
• Maryland – Chipotle
• Massachusetts – Panera Bread
• Michigan –Little Caesars 
• Minnesota – Jimmy John’s
• Mississippi – Sonic
• Missouri – Taco Bell
• Montana – Wendy’s

N
• Nebraska – Arby's 
• Nevada – Jack in the Box
• New Hampshire – Five Guys
• New Jersey – Jersey Mike's
• New Mexico – Sonic
• New York – Shake Shack
• North Carolina – Bojangles
• North Dakota – Subway

O
• Ohio – Wendy’s
• Oklahoma – Sonic
• Oregon – Papa Murphy’s

P
• Pennsylvania – Wendy’s

R
• Rhode Island – Burger King

S
• South Carolina – Bojangles
• South Dakota – Taco John’s

T
• Tennessee – Hardee’s
• Texas – Whataburger

U
• Utah – Wendy’s

V
• Vermont – Subway
• Virginia – Hardee's

W
• Washington –MOD Pizza
• West Virginia – Wendy’s
• Wisconsin –Culver's
• Wyoming – Taco John’s