Wings or meatballs? Which Super Bowl food is most popular in your state?

ALGONQUIN, Ill. — Planning your Super Bowl snack lineup for the big showdown on Feb. 12th? A recent poll finds you might want to load up on meatballs this year — instead of gameday classics like nachos and chicken wings! The meaty, bite-size treats rank as the number one food football fans are searching for online. Shockingly, pizza isn’t even on the list!

When you think of the Super Bowl, do you think of Buffalo wings as something to look forward to? Well, it turns out wings are only the sixth most popular Super Bowl food across the nation (don’t tell Bills fans). However, in the survey of nearly 1,000 people, commissioned by Bid-On-Equipment, two in five Americans still plan to eat them on Super Bowl Sunday. Specifically, wings are still the most popular football food in seven states: Illinois, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Meatballs take number one, followed by guacamole (#2), chips and salsa (#3), tater tots (#4), and chili (#5). Rounding out the top 10, you can also find hummus, nachos, pigs in a blanket, and spinach artichoke dip. Yum!

Interestingly, meatballs are the most popular Google search in only five states: Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Wyoming.

super bowl food map

The Super Bowl is all about finger foods

Researchers also found that appetizers make up most people’s diets on gameday. In fact, 70 percent of Americans skip the entree and stick to appetizers on Super Bowl Sunday. Also, 41 percent say they tend to overeat. The delicious, time-honored snacks are something we all look forward to. In fact, a recent study finds that more than half of people look forward to Super Bowl parties because of the food.

Aside from food, a big part of the Super Bowl is the drinking that comes along with it. Surprisingly, though, non-alcoholic drinks are the most popular choice of beverage. More than two in five (43%) prefer alcohol-free drinks compared to 41 percent who drink beer, according to the survey.

Are you planning on tuning in? More than four in five people (83%) are planning to tune into the Super Bowl in 2023. When it comes to prepping for the big game, 74 percent plan to make food at home, while 26 percent plan to order from restaurants.

The findings, based on Google search terms, also show which cities are planning to be a bit more health-conscious than others. Denver tops the list as the healthiest, followed by Seattle, Washington D.C., Portland, and Baltimore. The unhealthiest cities also happen to be the most populated, with New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Phoenix, and San Antonio being the top five that serve up the most junk food on gameday.

Thinking of opting for something healthier, but still delicious? StudyFinds has compiled some of the best plant-based Super Bowl recipes, according to experts. That way, you can still feel in tune with the tradition of snacking, but with the twist of a healthier route.

super bowl food

Survey methodology:

In December 2022, Bid-On-Equipment researchers surveyed 1,053 people about their Super Bowl plans. 50% were male, 49% female, and 1% non-binary/non-conforming. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 80 with an average age of 40.

To determine the top Super Bowl food by state, researchers analyzed Google search volume of 9,150 terms related to Super Bowl parties such as “buffalo chicken recipe dip,” “baked buffalo wings,” and “7 layer nacho dip” over the period of December 2021 to March 2022. For this report, they analyzed the most disproportionately popular Google search terms to determine the most popular Super Bowl food by state. The survey then compared each state’s search results to the national average in order to determine which search term has a higher search volume when compared to the national average.

To determine the healthiest and unhealthiest cities, researchers analyzed 334 Google search volume terms related to healthy Super Bowl food recipes such as “whole 30 meatballs,” “keto chicken wings,” and “healthy salsa.” The total search volume during this period was then calculated per capita and visualized per 100,000. They then analyzed the 30 most populous cities in the United States to determine the rankings.

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About the Author

Sophia Naughton

Meet StudyFinds’ Associate Editor, Sophia Naughton. Sophia graduated Magna Cum Laude from Towson University with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication directly focused in journalism and advertising. She is also a freelance writer for Baltimore Magazine. Outside of writing, her best buddy is her spotted Pit Bull, Terrance.

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