Now that the NFL season has arrived, the battle between teams – and their fans – is ready to reignite.
Franchises with the biggest fanbases aren’t always the best, and some organizations in smaller markets have a greater reach than their state lines. So, which team has the largest group of supporters?
While it is a tough thing to quantify, internet searches offer a glimpse at which teams are sparking the most interest. Here’s a look at what the numbers say about NFL teams’ popularity nationally and by state:
Which NFL team is the most popular in the U.S.?
The Dallas Cowboys remain “America’s Team,” at least in terms of search trends.
USA TODAY obtained Google data from 2017 through 2022 and found the following 10 teams as the ones searched most often:
- Dallas Cowboys
- New England Patriots
- Green Bay Packers
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Kansas City Chiefs
- San Francisco 49ers
- Chicago Bears
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Cleveland Browns
For a look at which NFL teams are trending right now, click here.
Which NFL team is the most popular in each state?
The Cowboys are the most popular team in the most states. Dallas was the most popular search result dating back to 2017 in seven states, including Texas.
The Patriots and Seattle Seahawks are next on the list. Unsurprisingly, the Patriots are the most popular team in all six New England states, while the Seahawks are well-represented with four states in the Pacific Northwest, along with Alaska.
NFL
Along with the Cowboys, the 49ers, Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers prevailed in states that are home to multiple NFL teams. That left teams like the New York Giants, New York Jets, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers and Miami Dolphins without a single state.
Here is the full breakdown of the most popular NFL teams by state, according to Google trends data, with 25 of the 32 franchises making the cut:
- Alabama: Dallas Cowboys
- Alaska: Seattle Seahawks
- Arizona: Arizona Cardinals
- Arkansas: Dallas Cowboys
- California: San Francisco 49ers
- Colorado: Denver Broncos
- Connecticut: New England Patriots
- Delaware: Philadelphia Eagles
- District of Columbia: Washington Commanders
- Florida: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Georgia: Atlanta Falcons
- Hawaii: San Francisco 49ers
- Idaho: Seattle Seahawks
- Illinois: Chicago Bears
- Indiana: Indianapolis Colts
- Iowa: Green Bay Packers
- Kansas: Kansas City Chiefs
- Kentucky: Cincinnati Bengals
- Louisiana: New Orleans Saints
- Maine: New England Patriots
- Maryland: Baltimore Ravens
- Massachusetts: New England Patriots
- Michigan: Detroit Lions
- Minnesota: Minnesota Vikings
- Mississippi: New Orleans Saints
- Missouri: Kansas City Chiefs
- Montana: Seattle Seahawks
- Nebraska: Kansas City Chiefs
- Nevada: Las Vegas Raiders
- New Hampshire: New England Patriots
- New Jersey: Philadelphia Eagles
- New Mexico: Dallas Cowboys
- New York: Buffalo Bills
- North Carolina: Carolina Panthers
- North Dakota: Minnesota Vikings
- Ohio: Cleveland Browns
- Oklahoma: Dallas Cowboys
- Oregon: Seattle Seahawks
- Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Eagles
- Rhode Island: New England Patriots
- South Carolina: Dallas Cowboys
- South Dakota: Minnesota Vikings
- Tennessee: Tennessee Titans
- Texas: Dallas Cowboys
- Utah: Dallas Cowboys
- Vermont: New England Patriots
- Virginia: Washington Commanders
- Washington: Seattle Seahawks
- West Virginia: Pittsburgh Steelers
- Wisconsin: Green Bay Packers
- Wyoming: Denver Broncos