America’s Most Pizza-Obsessed Cities 2024
Whether it’s for lunch, dinner, or a late-night meal, pizza is a go-to food any time of the day. But some regions crave the cheesy-doughy goodness more than others (breakfast ‘za, anyone?). As a Chicago thin-crust institution and one of the nation’s leading frozen pizza brands, we simply had to ask:
Which cities in America are most pizza-obsessed?
To eliminate our own biases, we created a five-point pizza enthusiasm rubric, which includes the following criteria: pizza accessibility, pizza restaurant reviews (per 100,000 as well as share of highly rated pizza restaurants), average pizza restaurant rating, and level of interest in pizza (based on Google search volume analysis). Cravings, ravings, and ratings – needless to say, we covered all our bases.
Using this weighted scale, we compared cities across America to determine the hottest spots to grab a pie.
Key Findings:
- The West Coast turns out to be highly pizza obsessed: Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland claimed the top 3 spots on our list.
- New York and Chicago aren’t slipping, though – both traditional pizza capitals ranked within the top 10 most pizza-loving cities.
- Coming in at spot No. 7, Miami boasted the most pizza restaurants per capita by far, with 91.8 pizza restaurants per 100,000 citizens. The city with the next highest pizza parlor density (Portland, OR) had less than half that prevalence.
Which cities are the most obsessed with pizza?
#1. Seattle, WA
Seattle is known for its coffee culture, but pizza is emerging as the Emerald City’s latest piping hot fascination. With 46.2% of its pizza joints earning above 4 stars on Yelp, and nearly half the population Googling where to get their next slice (46,562 pizza-related searches per 100,000 residents), Seattle ranks high on pizza engagement and appreciation. Pair these factors with an overall pizza restaurant rating of 3.61 across the board, and you have a true pizza haven.
#2. San Francisco, CA
If appraisal were the only metric of pizza obsession, San Francisco would rank No. 1 on the list. With a whopping 17,002 Yelp reviews per 100,000 residents – almost twice as many as the next top-5 pizza-loving city – San Franciscans are tasting (and then judging) pizza very frequently. Despite this high volume, the city’s pizza restaurants still boast an impressive 3.66 out of 5 stars overall on Yelp.
#3. Portland, OR
The health- and environment-conscious city is also apparently crust-conscious, with 47.6% of pizza restaurants earning over 4 stars on Yelp. Quality defines the city’s pizza relationship, but that doesn’t mean quantity is low; for every 100,000 citizens, there are 42.8 pizza restaurants, making Portland one of the highest-scoring cities for pizza accessibility.
#4. Minneapolis, MN
Is pizza a casserole? You can find out in Minneapolis, one of America’s foremost cities for layered food and pizza-related Googling. For every 100,000 residents, 76,149 instances of pizza-related keyword searches are logged per year. With all that research, the city’s pizza restaurant ratings are generally high – 44.7% of pizza restaurants earn 4+ stars on Yelp, and the city’s average pizza shop review sits at a dependable 3.56 out of 5 stars.
#5. San Diego, CA
San Diego brings together the dream trifecta: sunshine, beer, and pizza. San Diego scores high on both overall pizza reviews (3.64 out of 5 stars on average) and share of 4+ star pizza restaurants (47.8%), meaning residents of “America’s finest city” are more likely to encounter pizza perfection than be forced into settling for a sub-par slice.
Peak pizza interest: cities with pizza most on the mind
One key ingredient in our analysis of America’s pizza-obsessed cities was Google searches for all things pizza. From “pizza near me” to “pizza recipes,” we dug into the search data to find out which cities search the most for pizza.
Atlanta tops the list for cities taking to Google to search for pizza. Overall, Atlanta conducts an average of 78,662 searches per 100,000 residents. Minneapolis trails close behind with 76,149 searches, followed by Vegas (71,926), Denver (66,362), and Baltimore (64,765).
Cities with the highest-rated pizza restaurants
While Chicago and New York have a long history of battling it out for pizza supremacy, we took a close look at how these cities rate their own pizza establishments.
Our analysis for pizza-obsessed cities also included average pizza restaurant ratings via Yelp. By the slimmest of margins, New Yorkers rate their pizza restaurants slightly higher (3.67) than Chicagoans (3.66).
If you’re looking to get your hands on a hand-crafted Home Run Inn pizza, then check out one of our Chicagoland locations or find our frozen pizzas in a store near you.
Methodology
In order to determine our rankings, we analyzed data from the top 50 cities in the U.S., using the following criteria and weighting system to form a comprehensive representation of pizza devotion:
Pizza Cravings: 35 points
Google Searches Related to Pizza Keywords, Per 100K (20 points): Google searches were used to measure the level of interest and curiosity about pizza in a particular city, capturing a community’s general enthusiasm and engagement with pizza. Source: Google Keywords
Number of Pizza Restaurants Per 100K (15 points): The density of pizza restaurants per capita is a good indication of how prevalent pizza consumption is in a city. A higher number of points corresponds to higher demand and a stronger pizza culture. Source: Yelp
Pizza Ratings: 20 points
Total Pizza Restaurant Yelp Reviews, Per 100K (20 points): By combining the quantity and quality of reviews, this criterion provides an indication of the popularity and engagement of the overall pizza scene in a given city. Source: Yelp
Pizza Ravings: 45 points
Share of Highly Rated Pizza Restaurants (20 points): Share of high-rated pizza restaurant Yelp reviews reflects instances of exceptional pizza in a given city, as rated by patrons. High ratings on Yelp indicate high quality and customer satisfaction. Source: Yelp
Average Pizza Restaurant Rating (25 points):The average pizza restaurant Yelp rating provides an additional layer of quality assessment indicating consistency and prevalence of well-regarded pizza. While exceptional ratings are important for judging quality, consistency in high ratings is key for establishing quality and quantity in measure. Source: Yelp
Fair Use: Feel free to use this data and research with proper attribution linking to this study.