October is one of the busiest months on the sports calendar — NFL is in full swing, and MLB is in the throes of its postseason, while the NBA and NHL kick off their regular seasons.
With that in mind, USA TODAY was curious to know which professional sports teams in those four leagues are the most popular in every state. To find the answer, we turned to Google Trends, which allows us to track the search interest for teams across every state.
To account for single-season variability, we looked at search interest from 2021 to 2026 to give us a five-year trend. Going back a single year, for instance, could unfairly weigh teams with a singular season — good or bad.
Many teams ranked atop their home state, but a select few managed to extend their dominance
past state lines. None more so than the Kansas City Chiefs, who topped four states in the center of the country.
Most popular pro sports team in every state by Google search interest
In total, 31 unique MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL teams ranked as the No. 1 most searched team in a state between 2021 and 2026.
Here’s the full map:
Which sports leagues lead the most states?
Football is the most popular sport to watch in the U.S., so it’s no surprise that the NFL rules the data here.
Across the country, 28 states are led by an NFL team, the most out of the four leagues:
The Vegas Golden Knights were the only NHL team to lead a state, ranking ahead of the Raiders and Dodgers in Nevada.
Which teams have the widest reach?
When it comes to cross-state dominance, 11 teams ranked No. 1 across multiple states.
As mentioned above, the Chiefs were the only team to top four states. However, six teams ranked No. 1 across three states, with four more topping a pair of states:
What are the top three teams in your state?
We also identified the three most-searched pro teams in each state. Explore the rankings in the interactive map below.
Can’t see the interactive map? Click here to view.
Most-searched pro sports team in every state
Here is the most-searched team in every state going back to 2021:
- Alabama: Atlanta Braves
- Alaska: Seattle Seahawks
- Arizona: Phoenix Suns
- Arkansas: Dallas Cowboys
- California: Los Angeles Dodgers
- Colorado: Denver Broncos
- Connecticut: New York Yankees
- Delaware: Philadelphia Phillies
- Florida: Miami Dolphins
- Georgia: Atlanta Braves
- Hawaii: Los Angeles Dodgers
- Idaho: Seattle Seahawks
- Illinois: Chicago Bears
- Indiana: Indianapolis Colts
- Iowa: Kansas City Chiefs
- Kansas: Kansas City Chiefs
- Kentucky: Cincinnati Bengals
- Louisiana: New Orleans Saints
- Maine: Boston Red Sox
- Maryland: Baltimore Orioles
- Massachusetts: Boston Celtics
- Michigan: Detroit Lions
- Minnesota: Minnesota Vikings
- Mississippi: New Orleans Saints
- Missouri: Kansas City Chiefs
- Montana: Denver Broncos
- Nebraska: Kansas City Chiefs
- Nevada: Vegas Golden Knights
- New Hampshire: Boston Red Sox
- New Jersey: New York Yankees
- New Mexico: Dallas Cowboys
- New York: New York Yankees
- North Carolina: Carolina Panthers
- North Dakota: Minnesota Vikings
- Ohio: Cleveland Browns
- Oklahoma: Oklahoma City Thunder
- Oregon: Portland Trail Blazers
- Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Phillies
- Rhode Island: New England Patriots
- South Carolina: Atlanta Braves
- South Dakota: Minnesota Vikings
- Tennessee: Tennessee Titans
- Texas: Dallas Cowboys
- Utah: Utah Jazz
- Vermont: Boston Red Sox
- Virginia: Washington Commanders
- Washington: Seattle Mariners
- West Virginia: Pittsburgh Steelers
- Wisconsin: Milwaukee Brewers
- Wyoming: Denver Broncos
Methodology: USA TODAY analyzed Google Trends data for NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL teams in all 50 states, using web search across all categories from Oct. 13, 2021, through Oct. 12, 2026. Teams were ranked by their average weekly search interest, with results normalized using a common team when a state required multiple comparisons. Google Trends measures relative search interest, not total searches or fan support, and rankings were limited to the teams evaluated in each state.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What's the most popular pro sports team in your state? See the map
