A new Nielsen Scarborough NFL Fandom Index measured how hard 30 NFL markets follow and engage with professional football, and Buffalo finished first — with a score more than double what the average market produces.
The Bills fanbase's average index score came in at 208. The baseline for a typical NFL market is 100.
Nielsen just released its first-ever NFL Fandom Index, which ranks how avid NFL fans are in each team market based on 8 key metrics:
— Ellyn Briggs (@EllynBriggs) August 17, 2026
-- Apparel purchases
-- Event attendance
-- Linear TV viewership
-- Streaming
-- Radio listening
-- Betting intent
-- Social media following
--… pic.twitter.com/C5iHuBqwZt
Kansas City finished second at 194, and Green Bay was third at 172, followed by Cincinnati at 160, and Philadelphia at 151. That is the
entire top five, and the leader is more than a dozen points clear of a Chiefs market that has spent the last half-decade hosting January football.
The bottom of the board is where it gets uncomfortable for the league's biggest cities. Los Angeles landed 29th with a score of 86. New Jersey presented as New York finished 30th at 85 — a market with two franchises scoring less than half of what the only actual team in New York produces on its own.
This is not a popularity poll about who claims the best fan base, but one that is data supported. The index tracks engagement across eight distinct behaviors: apparel buying, general interest in the sport, live-event attendance, betting intent, social media activity, radio listenership, streaming and traditional television viewing.
Buffalo graded out strongest in the categories. Radio remains a Buffalo institution, and Nielsen's data reflected it: the market tied into game broadcasts over the airwaves at a rate matched only by Green Bay and Kansas City. Buffalo also finished near the top in broadcast and cable viewership and in live attendance.
Nielsen described the broader trend as a "small market, concentrated loyalty" pattern. Cincinnati, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Cleveland all landed inside the top 10, reinforcing the finding that one-team markets and Great Lake City regions with strong regional identity generate more engagement per capita than sprawling multi-team metros.
Bills fans rank above all of them.
Franchises spend enormous money trying to manufacture what this index measured. Buffalo already had it, through four decades that included a Super Bowl drought, a 17-year playoff absence and a relocation scare. The score of 208 is not a marketing win — it is the receipt for all of that.
The Bills have the quarterback, the roster, and a new stadium to help take these numbers to the next level. And per Nielsen, they have the most passionate market in professional football backing it.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Nielsen ranks Bills Mafia No. 1 atop NFL fans ranking
