These 10 States Watch the Most TV. Here’s How Your State Ranks.

Apr 3 | By Kaylee Palmer

It’s no secret Americans like their TV. Original scripted TV series have skyrocketed 69% since 2012h, and a record-breaking 495 scripted series aired in 2018. With this influx of quality TV such as fiber-optic TV services—and streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu reaching an ever-climbing audience—one thing’s clear: TV is one of America’s most popular pastimes.

But how much TV do Americans actually watch? The team at verizonspecials.com dug into national statistics to determine which states watch the most and least TV.

The results show that most states’ residents enjoy their TV time. And it’s no wonder TV viewership has increased with hit shows making waves with audiences, such as Little Fires Everywhere, Blow the Man Down, and season 2 of The Umbrella Academy

As you await these highly-anticipated series premieres and season drops, make sure your home is equipped with quality TV services. Find out below how your TV-watching habits compare to your neighbors’.  

Methodology

To determine where states ranked on the list of most-watched TV and least-watched TV, the team at verizonspecials.com looked at “TV watch-time data” from the 2017 American Time Use Survey. The team then found each state’s favorite TV genre using search data from Google Trends between January 2018 and December 2018.

Interesting Findings

  • “Sitcom” is the most popular TV genre in the US. Nine states—and Washington, D.C.—prefer these short comedies over any other category.
  • Western states—along with Minnesota, Vermont, and Maine—lead the US in least-watched TV.
  • West Virginians watch TV an average of 4.5 hours a day, adding up to 1,642.5 hours a year. In that amount of time, you could watch all eight seasons of Friends 13 times.
  • The four states with the most national parks—California and Alaska, which each have 8; Utah, which has 5; and Colorado, which has 4—watch significantly less TV than the rest of the country. Could they be too busy being outside to watch TV?
  • Reality shows are the biggest hits in the states that host them, including Nevada, which hosts Pawn Stars; Georgia, which hosts Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta and The Real Housewives of Atlanta; and New Jersey, which hosts Jersey Shore and The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
  • Kids under age 20 only make up 20% of Massachusetts’ population, yet the most popular genre is children’s programing. Perhaps the Boston filmings of kids’ shows Zoom and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody play a role.

Top 10 States That Watch the Most TV

RankStateAvg. Hr:Min:SecWatched Per DayFavorite TV Genre
1West Virginia4:30:54Soap Opera
2Delaware3:47:09Reality TV
3Louisiana3:41:20Soap Opera
4Oklahoma3:36:34Animated Cartoon
5Nevada3:34:53Reality TV
6North Dakota3:34:29Sitcom
7Mississippi3:29:20Soap Opera
8Alabama3:27:25Sitcom
9Georgia3:26:29Reality TV
10Arkansas3:24:52Sitcom

Top 10 States That Watch the Least TV

RankStateAvg. Hr:Min:SecWatched Per DayFavorite TV Genre
1Utah2:13:55Animated Cartoon
2Maine2:17:37Cooking Show
3Vermont2:19:43Late-Night Talk Show
4Alaska2:20:24Soap Opera
5Colorado2:28:22News
6Hawaii2:32:58News
7Minnesota2:33:50Sitcom
8Washington2:35:15News
9Montana2:36:39News
10California2:39:03News

TV Watch Time in All 50 States + Washington, D.C.

StateAvg. Hr:Min:Sec Watched Per DayFavorite TV Genre
Utah2:13:55Animated Cartoon
Maine2:17:37Cooking Show
Vermont2:19:43Late-Night Talk Show
Alaska2:20:24Soap Opera
Colorado2:28:22News
Hawaii2:32:58News
Minnesota2:33:50Sitcom
Washington2:35:15News
Montana2:36:39News
California2:39:03News
Wisconsin2:39:09ESPN
New Hampshire2:40:22Children’s TV Series
Connecticut2:41:03Sitcom
Oregon2:46:23Animated Cartoon
Rhode Island2:47:26Reality TV
North Carolina2:50:50Soap Opera
New Mexico2:52:06Animated Cartoon
New York2:52:31Daytime TV
Maryland2:53:23Reality TV
Virginia2:54:03Reality TV
Kansas2:56:30ESPN
Tennessee2:56:36Reality TV
Idaho2:56:41Cooking Show
Washington, D.C.2:57:09Sitcom
Arizona2:57:36News
Massachusetts2:57:52Children’s TV Series
Nebraska2:59:41ESPN
South Dakota3:02:21Children’s TV Series
Michigan3:02:22Sitcom
Missouri3:02:37Sitcom
Indiana3:04:35Sitcom
Texas3:04:35Telenovela
Iowa3:07:56ESPN
Illinois3:08:03Sitcom
Pennsylvania3:13:50Reality TV
Wyoming3:14:32News
Ohio3:19:40ESPN
New Jersey3:19:55Reality TV
Kentucky3:21:29ESPN
Florida3:21:39Telenovela
South Carolina3:22:23Soap Opera
Arkansas3:24:52Sitcom
Georgia3:26:29Reality TV
Alabama3:27:25Sitcom
Mississippi3:29:20Soap Opera
North Dakota3:34:29Sitcom
Nevada3:34:53Reality TV
Oklahoma3:36:34Animated Cartoon
Louisiana3:41:20Soap Opera
Delaware3:47:09Reality TV
West Virginia4:30:54Soap Opera

About VerizonSpecials.com: VerizonSpecials.com is an online authorized retailer of Verizon. Verizonspecials.com blog is for informational purposes and does not represent the views of Verizon.

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