New Jersey Revealed as America's Most Ice Cream-Obsessed State

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Steve Christensen, executive director of the Missouri-based North American Ice Cream Association, notes how neighborhood ice cream shops create welcoming spaces for families and friends.

If you're from the Northeast, chances are you've had ice cream on the brain — and in the stomach.

A recent analysis by Innerbody Research found that New Jersey 'is America's most ice cream-obsessed state' based on Google search trends from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., between April 2025 and April 2026.

The Northeast region, including Delaware, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York, dominated the list of top 10 'most enthusiastic' states for ice cream search interest.

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The top five 'least enthusiastic' states, according to the search data, were Arkansas, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Strawberry emerged as the undisputed national champion for ice cream flavors searched online, while chocolate chip and cookie dough followed closely behind.

Search behavior, purchases, and self-reported preferences often differ, however.

Instacart reported that vanilla was the most-ordered ice cream flavor in the summer of 2024, accounting for 27% of all ice cream sold during that season — followed by chocolate, then cookies and cream.

Chocolate remains America's favorite ice cream flavor, according to the International Dairy Foods Association's biannual National Ice Cream & Frozen Novelty Trends Survey, released in April.

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Butter pecan ranked second, followed by vanilla.

Steve Christensen, executive director of the North American Ice Cream Association, said he wasn't surprised that New England and the broader Northeast ranked high on the list of ice cream searches.

The region has some of the highest concentrations of ice cream shops per capita.

Vermont boasts the strongest concentration of ice cream shops, with 18.51 shops per 100,000 residents, according to an analysis by Daily Herd.

Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and New York follow closely behind.

The seasonality of many Northeast ice cream stores, which often have a 'big launch at the beginning of the season and a big, grand finale at the end,' might contribute to the intensity of the searches, Christensen noted.

Christensen also questioned the ranking of the Midwest in the Innerbody research.

"The Midwest didn't really feature highly in some of the stats here," he said. "They love their butterfat. They love their sugar and their sweet things. They may have been misrepresented. The Midwest needs a little bit of an oomph when it comes to the ice cream stats in the study."

"Going to an ice cream shop is like a 15-minute vacation."

Midwesterners and Southerners "love the rich flavors like butter pecan and black walnut," Christensen said the association has observed.

Meanwhile, those in the Northeast tend to gravitate to "more crisp, clean flavors, like mint" — while the West Coast has "very strong emerging, new-trend flavors like matcha and ube."

Internet search data shows that "people are very passionate about their local brand and some of the origin states where their ice creams come from," Christensen said.

Brands using less-processed, more natural sweeteners are gaining popularity, Christensen said, indicative of people's health consciousness and concern about their waistlines.

"There's a movement of people using raw, bespoke ingredients and making ice cream with a very clean label," Christensen said.

People have been increasingly making ice cream at home and selling it at local farmers markets and in their communities, he said.

Despite the health craze, ice cream is still typically made with a lot of fat and sugar.

"Making good health choices should perhaps be done before you step into the ice cream store," Christensen said.

The average American eats about 18 pounds of ice cream, or about 4 gallons, each year, according to the IDFA.

Ice cream shops bring a community together, uniting young people and families alike, Christensen said.

Christensen's advice for ordering ice cream is simple.

"Try the vanilla first," he said. "If the vanilla's good, then everything's good."