The Most Popular Fast-Food French Fries in Every State
Is there any better way to cap off a fast-food burger or order of chicken nuggets than with an order of hot, crispy fries?
If you're someone who eats fast food on occasion, you might have a favorite French fry in mind. Maybe you consider McDonald's the ultimate classic or you're partial to the waffle fries from Chick-fil-A. But have you ever wondered what everyone else is loving? If you're curious about the most popular fast-food fries, you're in luck. The Cost Guys have put together a list of the most popular fast-food fries in every state, using data from Google Trends searches within the last five years.
And it might not come as a surprise, but according to The Cost Guys' data, the most-searched fast-food fries in every state except Wyoming were McDonald's fries. Maybe people are searching for answers about why McDonald's changed the fry recipe? And while there isn't enough search data on fries in Wyoming to come to a definitive answer, we compared general searches for McDonald's in the state with searches for Wendy's, Chick-fil-A, and Burger King over the same time period. The search volume was higher for McDonald's, so we're guessing that the Golden Arches are the most popular fries in Wyoming, too.
After McDonald's, though, which fries are the second-most-popular in every state? You'll find regional chains like In-N-Out, along with classics like Chick-fil-A. Here are the second-most-popular fast-food fries in every state, based on The Cost Guys' Google Trends analysis. But if you want to stick with McDonald's, we won't blame you.
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ALABAMA: Chick-fil-A
Would you expect any less from a Southern state? Alabama has a soft spot for Chick-fil-A's waffle fries.
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ALASKA: Burger King
McDonald's was the only fry restaurant The Cost Guys listed in its fry research. But on average, Burger King saw more searches in Alaska than Wendy's and Chick-fil-A did over the same time period.
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ARIZONA: Burger King
Arizona knows that Burger King's fries are an underrated treasure.
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ARKANSAS: Burger King
Another vote for the crown!
CALIFORNIA: In-N-Out Burger
Is it any surprise that California loves In-N-Out Burger? Even though McDonald's fries were still the most popular in California, the state has a special place in its heart for the regional chain.
COLORADO: Burger King
Colorado knows that a Whopper is just as good as a Big Mac—and so are the fries that come with both sandwiches.
CONNECTICUT: Burger King
The King reigns supreme in many states, including Connecticut.
DELAWARE: Burger King
As with Alaska, McDonald's was the only fry spot listed for Delaware in The Cost Guys' chart. But searches for Burger King trumped the other three fast-food spots on The Cost Guys' list in general searches.
FLORIDA: Burger King
In sunny Florida, Burger King fries will make your day even brighter.
GEORGIA: Chick-fil-A
Another Southern state, another win for Chick-fil-A. Don't forget sweet tea to go with those fries!
HAWAII: Burger King
The Cost Guys didn't pull data beyond McDonald's for Hawaii, but among the five fast-food chains included in their list, Burger King was the second most-searched in the state.
IDAHO: Burger King
As with Hawaii, Burger King was the second-most-searched fast-food chain in Idaho among the five options on The Cost Guys' list.
ILLINOIS: Burger King
Are you picking up on a theme yet? Burger King's fries are seriously underrated!
INDIANA: Burger King
With all of these votes for Burger King, we're starting to crave the chain's fries, too.
IOWA: Burger King
The monarch continues his reign in the midwest.
KANSAS: Wendy's
Not every state favors Burger King, and Kansas is one of those exceptions.
KENTUCKY: Burger King
The real question is, which dipping sauce do Kentucky residents use on those Burger King fries?
LOUISIANA: Burger King
Louisiana residents can't resist those salty pockets of goodness from Burger King.
MAINE: Burger King
Maine is another state where The Cost Guys couldn't pull data past McDonald's for fry-related searches. But searches for Burger King in the state far exceed searches for Wendy's.
MARYLAND: Chick-fil-A
For Maryland residents, nothing is as good as a bag of Utz crab chips. But Chick-fil-A fries are up there, too.
MASSACHUSETTS: Burger King
Dunkin' has a reputation for being a favorite fast-food destination in Massachusetts, especially in Boston. But when you want fries, McDonald's and Burger King are the places to be.
MICHIGAN: Burger King
We'd like to think that Michigan customers enjoy dipping fries in their soft serve.
MINNESOTA: Burger King
Minnesota knows that you can't mess with a classic, like McDonald's or Burger King.
MISSISSIPPI: Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A's waffle fries, dipped in Chick-fil-A sauce, are pure perfection, and Mississippi knows it.
MISSOURI: Chick-fil-A
Missouri knows that waffle fries and a shake can be a complete meal if you want it to be.
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MONTANA: Chick-fil-A
There wasn't enough fry-specific data for The Cost Guys to pull from Google Trends beyond McDonald's, but the average number of searches for Burger King in Montana is higher than searches for Wendy's or Chick-fil-A.
NEBRASKA: Burger King
Nebraskans are fans of Burger King fries. But if you want to try something different, we suggest the $1 Jalapeño Cheddar Bites instead.
NEVADA: In-N-Out Burger
With animal-style fries as an option, it's no surprise Nevadans love In-N-Out Burger.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Burger King
New Hampshire is another state where there wasn't enough fry-specific data for The Cost Guys to pull past McDonald's. But searches for Burger King are higher than searches for Wendy's or Chick-fil-A in the state.
NEW JERSEY: Burger King
Another state, another vote for the monarch.
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NEW MEXICO: Burger King
While there wasn't enough fry-specific data for New Mexico, the state did have more generic searches for Burger King than for Wendy's or Chick-fil-A.
NEW YORK: Burger King
In the Empire State, Burger King reigns.
NORTH CAROLINA: Chick-fil-A
You can always count on Southern states to love the waffle fries at Chick-fil-A!
NORTH DAKOTA: Burger King
As with several other states on this list, North Dakota didn't have enough data about fast-food fries beyond McDonald's. But searches for Burger King were more frequent, on average, than searches for Chick-fil-A or Wendy's.
OHIO: Burger King
We suggest dipping those Burger King fries in the chain's Zesty sauce.
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OKLAHOMA: Chick-fil-A
In the Sooner State, fans will visit Chick-fil-A sooner than they'll visit Wendy's or Burger King.
OREGON: Burger King
While it's still second to McDonald's in every state, Burger King makes a formidable runner-up to the Golden Arches.
PENNSYLVANIA: Burger King
If you're still not sold on Burger King's fries, it's one of the only fast-food chains to offer onion rings, too.
RHODE ISLAND: Burger King
As with some of the other states, we had to do some extra research for Rhode Island, because The Cost Guys couldn't find fry-specific search data beyond McDonald's. In the Ocean State, Burger King is searched more often than Wendy's or Chick-fil-A.
SOUTH CAROLINA: Chick-fil-A
Not to be outdone by North Carolina, South Carolina also loves Chick-fil-A's fries.
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SOUTH DAKOTA: Burger King
While fry-related searches in South Dakota were scarce, residents of the state searched for Burger King a lot more often than they did for Wendy's or Chick-fil-A.
TENNESSEE: Chick-fil-A
We weren't exaggerating: Southern states really do love Chick-fil-A.
TEXAS: Chick-fil-A
Everything's bigger in Texas, including the state's love for Chick-fil-A.
UTAH: Burger King
We'd like to think Utah residents enjoy their French fries alongside chicken fries. Yum!
VERMONT: Burger King
While fry-related search data for Vermont was hard to come by, there was more interest in Burger King searches than in searches for Wendy's or Chick-fil-A.
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VIRGINIA: Chick-fil-A
Virginia didn't let its fellow Southern states down—Chick-fil-A fries are popular here, too.
WASHINGTON: Burger King
Washington joins so many of its fellow states in honoring Burger King as the second-best fast-food fries.
WEST VIRGINIA: Burger King
Country roads, take us home…to Burger King, which receives more searches on average than Wendy's or Chick-fil-A do in West Virginia.
WISCONSIN: Burger King
Wisconsin loves Burger King as much as the rest of the country does!
WYOMING: Burger King
While The Cost Guys didn't share data for Wyoming, searches for McDonald's and Burger King were more prevalent in the state than searches for Wendy's or Chick-fil-A.
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