Apr 3 | By Scott Harvey
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
| Rank | State | Avg. Hr:Min:SecWatched Per Day | Favorite TV Genre |
| 1 | West Virginia | 4:30:54 | Soap Opera |
| 2 | Delaware | 3:47:09 | Reality TV |
| 3 | Louisiana | 3:41:20 | Soap Opera |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 3:36:34 | Animated Cartoon |
| 5 | Nevada | 3:34:53 | Reality TV |
| 6 | North Dakota | 3:34:29 | Sitcom |
| 7 | Mississippi | 3:29:20 | Soap Opera |
| 8 | Alabama | 3:27:25 | Sitcom |
| 9 | Georgia | 3:26:29 | Reality TV |
| 10 | Arkansas | 3:24:52 | Sitcom |
Top 10 States That Watch the Least TV
| Rank | State | Avg. Hr:Min:SecWatched Per Day | Favorite TV Genre |
| 1 | Utah | 2:13:55 | Animated Cartoon |
| 2 | Maine | 2:17:37 | Cooking Show |
| 3 | Vermont | 2:19:43 | Late-Night Talk Show |
| 4 | Alaska | 2:20:24 | Soap Opera |
| 5 | Colorado | 2:28:22 | News |
| 6 | Hawaii | 2:32:58 | News |
| 7 | Minnesota | 2:33:50 | Sitcom |
| 8 | Washington | 2:35:15 | News |
| 9 | Montana | 2:36:39 | News |
| 10 | California | 2:39:03 | News |
TV Watch Time in All 50 States + Washington, D.C.
| State | Avg. Hr:Min:Sec Watched Per Day | Favorite TV Genre |
| Utah | 2:13:55 | Animated Cartoon |
| Maine | 2:17:37 | Cooking Show |
| Vermont | 2:19:43 | Late-Night Talk Show |
| Alaska | 2:20:24 | Soap Opera |
| Colorado | 2:28:22 | News |
| Hawaii | 2:32:58 | News |
| Minnesota | 2:33:50 | Sitcom |
| Washington | 2:35:15 | News |
| Montana | 2:36:39 | News |
| California | 2:39:03 | News |
| Wisconsin | 2:39:09 | ESPN |
| New Hampshire | 2:40:22 | Children’s TV Series |
| Connecticut | 2:41:03 | Sitcom |
| Oregon | 2:46:23 | Animated Cartoon |
| Rhode Island | 2:47:26 | Reality TV |
| North Carolina | 2:50:50 | Soap Opera |
| New Mexico | 2:52:06 | Animated Cartoon |
| New York | 2:52:31 | Daytime TV |
| Maryland | 2:53:23 | Reality TV |
| Virginia | 2:54:03 | Reality TV |
| Kansas | 2:56:30 | ESPN |
| Tennessee | 2:56:36 | Reality TV |
| Idaho | 2:56:41 | Cooking Show |
| Washington, D.C. | 2:57:09 | Sitcom |
| Arizona | 2:57:36 | News |
| Massachusetts | 2:57:52 | Children’s TV Series |
| Nebraska | 2:59:41 | ESPN |
| South Dakota | 3:02:21 | Children’s TV Series |
| Michigan | 3:02:22 | Sitcom |
| Missouri | 3:02:37 | Sitcom |
| Indiana | 3:04:35 | Sitcom |
| Texas | 3:04:35 | Telenovela |
| Iowa | 3:07:56 | ESPN |
| Illinois | 3:08:03 | Sitcom |
| Pennsylvania | 3:13:50 | Reality TV |
| Wyoming | 3:14:32 | News |
| Ohio | 3:19:40 | ESPN |
| New Jersey | 3:19:55 | Reality TV |
| Kentucky | 3:21:29 | ESPN |
| Florida | 3:21:39 | Telenovela |
| South Carolina | 3:22:23 | Soap Opera |
| Arkansas | 3:24:52 | Sitcom |
| Georgia | 3:26:29 | Reality TV |
| Alabama | 3:27:25 | Sitcom |
| Mississippi | 3:29:20 | Soap Opera |
| North Dakota | 3:34:29 | Sitcom |
| Nevada | 3:34:53 | Reality TV |
| Oklahoma | 3:36:34 | Animated Cartoon |
| Louisiana | 3:41:20 | Soap Opera |
| Delaware | 3:47:09 | Reality TV |
| West Virginia | 4:30:54 | Soap Opera |
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