A 2025 state-level map by @maven.mapping shows which brand has the most locations in each state.

Much of the country appears green for Starbucks. Dunkin’ remains the most common choice across the Northeast (New England) and also leads in Illinois and Virginia. Tim Hortons has the largest number of locations in Michigan and Ohio, which are close to the Canadian border. Caribou is the most common coffee chain in the Upper Midwest—North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

The post America’s Coffee Landscape: The Leading Brand in Every State appeared first on Vivid Maps.

What’s Your State Drinking?

Data Pandas created this intriguing map showing America’s favorite sodas by state. The data comes from a Holiday Calendar survey of 3,000 Americans conducted between May 25th and June 2nd, 2024, revealing some unexpected patterns in national drink preferences. The results show Mountain Dew has quietly become the go-to drink across many northern states. Who would’ve guessed?

The Mountain Dew North

Look at all that green spreading across the northern states. Mountain Dew dominates in places like Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Pretty surprising for a drink that started in Tennessee, right? Marketing research suggests it’s because Mountain Dew connected well with small towns and suburban areas in these regions. The drink’s high caffeine content probably doesn’t hurt during those long northern winters either.

Southern Coca-Cola Loyalty

Look at all that red across the South. It’s no coincidence – Coca-Cola started in Atlanta in 1886, and that connection to the South runs deep. Walk into any southern family gathering or local restaurant, and you’ll likely spot those familiar red cans. It’s more than just a drink choice down there – it’s part of southern identity.

The Pepsi Strongholds

Pepsi claims the top spot in 11 states, with notable strength in the Northeast. Places like New York, North Carolina, and Maryland prefer Pepsi over its competitors. The brand even beats Coca-Cola in Colorado and Montana, showing its appeal isn’t just limited to one region.

Dr Pepper Territory

Dr Pepper might not lead in as many states as the others, but it has passionate followers in places like Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas. Not bad for a drink that started in Waco, Texas, back in 1885. In fact, many Texans still call all sodas “Coke,” even when they’re reaching for a Dr Pepper.

Speaking of Names…

Your word choice for these drinks might give away where you grew up. Northerners usually say “pop,” while many Southerners use “Coke” for everything fizzy. Head to the Northeast, and you’ll hear “soda” instead.

What’s In Your Fridge?

Does your favorite match what most people drink in your state? Maybe you’re the one Mountain Dew fan in Coca-Cola country, or you keep the Pepsi faith alive where Dr Pepper rules. Share your thoughts – there’s always a story behind why we reach for certain drinks.

The map comes from a survey of 3,000 Americans, which isn’t huge, but it matches up with what many regional sales numbers show. Still, brand preferences can shift over time, and these patterns might look different in a few years.

The post The Great American Soda Map: Why Your State Drinks What It Drinks appeared first on Vivid Maps.

The Post-War Food Revolution: Unintended Consequences

After World War II, farming practices underwent a major transformation. According to a recent Food Foundation report, these changes were aimed at producing and selling “the most calories at the lowest cost.” While this approach met immediate post-war needs, it’s led to new problems. Today, we’re facing an abundance of cheap, processed foods that contribute to health issues and environmental damage.

The True Cost of Cheap Calories

At first glance, choosing less expensive, less nutritious foods might seem like a smart move for budget-conscious shoppers. However, this choice often backfires in the long run. A eye-opening Harvard study found that unhealthy diets add a whopping $50 billion to healthcare costs each year. And that’s not even counting the personal costs of health problems, lost income, and higher living expenses that often come with poor nutrition.

Mapping Healthy Food Costs: A State-by-State Breakdown

The PlushCare team set out to answer a key question: Just how much more does healthy food cost compared to less nutritious options?

How They Did It

The team carefully gathered price data for 20 healthy and 20 unhealthy food items (using Target’s store brands) across every state. They calculated the calorie content of each product, then grouped the data by state to compare the price per calorie for both healthy and unhealthy options. This allowed them to figure out the average cost of eating only healthy food in each state and see how affordable it is based on local average salaries.

Key Findings

The PlushCare team’s analysis turned up some surprising results:

• Hawaii has the biggest price gap, with healthy foods costing 3.70 times more than unhealthy options—way above the national average of 3.02.
• New York has the second-highest yearly cost for healthy eating at $14,525—much higher than the national average of $10,614.
• Colorado is the bright spot, with the lowest yearly cost for a healthy diet at $10,268.
• Washington state offers the best balance of health and affordability, with a healthy diet costing just 17.38% of the average yearly salary.

A Closer Look at Regional Differences

Hawaii’s High Prices: An Island Challenge

Hawaii’s position as the priciest state for healthy eating mostly comes down to its isolation. Importing 85-90% of its food is expensive, especially for fresh produce. The state’s scattered islands also lead to big price differences between areas, making it even harder for rural residents or those working long hours to find affordable healthy food.

New York’s Healthy Food Landscape: A Tale of Two Cities

New York shows a complicated picture, with healthy food costing 3.19 times more than less healthy options. This difference is especially noticeable in wealthy areas and New York City, where you can find more variety in healthy foods—but often at much higher prices.

Colorado’s Surprising Affordability

While Colorado has the cheapest healthy food basket (2.36% below the national average), getting to that food is still a problem for some residents. About 11% of Coloradans struggle with food insecurity, and 5% of low-income residents live more than ten miles from a grocery store. Oddly enough, even in cities where stores are nearby, many lack healthy options.

Alaska: Unique Challenges in the Last Frontier

Alaska ranks third for healthy food costs, mainly because of its huge size and harsh weather. These factors make it hard to distribute and stock food, especially in remote areas. To help with this, programs like the USDA’s Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations are working to improve access to traditional, healthy foods for Alaska Native communities.

Beyond Price: Can People Afford It?

When the PlushCare team factored in average salaries, they saw a different picture. Washington state, despite ranking 22nd in price, turns out to be the most affordable state for healthy eating because of higher average wages. This shows how important it is to consider local economic conditions when looking at food affordability.

Closing the Nutrition Gap

While the challenges are big, there are steps people can take to improve their diets. The USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2020-2025) offers some practical tips:

• Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables
• Mix up your produce choices
• Make at least half of your grains whole grains
• Cut down on added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium
• Watch your portion sizes

In the end, creating a culture of mindful eating and nutrition education at home might be our best tool for overcoming these dietary challenges.

How They Did It: Methods and Sources

The PlushCare team’s thorough study, finished in July 2024, followed these steps:

• They picked 20 healthy and 20 unhealthy products based on recommendations from the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine and Harvard Health.
• Using Target’s store brands, they collected prices from at least three stores in every state, gathering data on 7,200 products across 180 locations.
• They figured out the total calories for each product using nutrition info or average serving sizes.
• They grouped the data by state to compare prices per healthy and unhealthy calorie.
• Using the DGA’s recommended yearly calorie intake, they calculated how much it would cost to eat only healthy food for a year in each state.
• They looked at affordability by comparing these costs to median state salaries.
• They ranked states based on how much more expensive healthy food was compared to the national median.

This analysis by the PlushCare team gives us a comprehensive look at the economic landscape of healthy eating across America, showing how geography, economics, and nutrition all play a part in what we eat.

The post The Price of Health: Analyzing Food Costs Across America appeared first on Vivid Maps.

An experiment by The New York Times found that the combined cost of Uber Eats’ various surcharges was equivalent to a 91% markup on the restaurant cost of a meal, the highest of any leading food delivery app. This got the CouponBirds team thinking: where in the United States are Uber Eats users spending the most on hidden fees for their takeout? To answer this question, they calculated the average cost of hidden fees for fast food deliveries in every state and the most populated U.S. cities.

Key Findings

• Seattle has the highest hidden fees ($12.16) when ordering Uber Eats takeout of any major U.S. city.
• Toledo, Ohio, has the lowest average hidden Uber Eats fees ($2.13) of any city.
• Washington ($7.80) and California ($6.42) are the states with the highest hidden fees on Uber Eats.
• Delaware ($2.31) has the lowest average hidden Uber Eats fees of any U.S. state.

Seattle’s Uber Eats Hidden Fees: The Highest in the Nation

If you’re in Seattle and craving takeout, it might be kinder on your wallet to go out to eat instead: the average cost of hidden fees on an Uber Eats order here is $12.16, more than in any other U.S. city. Locals may grumble, but there’s a good reason: a new Seattle law implemented in January 2024 requires gig workers like delivery drivers to receive a minimum wage, leading Uber to add a “Local Operating Fee” of five dollars and increase its service fees.

Four Californian cities round out the top five spots, with the average hidden fees of ordering through Uber Eats in San Francisco totaling $7.35. Pricey fees don’t seem to bother Golden Gate locals, though: one Uber Eats report noted that San Francisco is one of the most polite cities when it comes to customer instructions, with users writing “please” and “thank you” the most. It’s also likely less of an issue, considering San Francisco boasts the country’s highest median household income.

In contrast, residents of Toledo, Ohio, pay the lowest average cost ($2.13) for hidden fees when using Uber Eats. None of the top ten cities with the lowest fees have an average hidden cost that exceeds three dollars. They are indeed lucky!

Washington State’s Hidden Fees: The Highest in the U.S.

Looking at states as a whole, Washington ($7.80) has the priciest average hidden fees on Uber Eats, influenced by Seattle’s minimum wage law. California has the second highest with an average of $6.42. In 2020, Uber and its peers successfully pushed for the passing of Proposition 22, a Californian law that exempts gig workers from being classified as employees. Uber increased its rates in the Golden State to offset the cost of the new benefits it promised workers.

The rights of rideshare workers like Uber Eats drivers are a concern for many across the nation. In Connecticut, the state with the third highest hidden fees (an average of $4.99), drivers have lobbied for better pay, prompting Uber to respond that the resulting increased fares (and, presumably, food delivery fees) would put Connecticut riders and users off Uber entirely.

On average, the hidden fees on an Uber Eats order in Delaware are only $2.31, which is lower than any other state in the US. Delaware is among three states in the United States that do not permit the direct delivery of alcohol to consumers, but lawmakers are working on a bill to change this, allowing alcohol to be purchased along with at least $10 worth of food through apps like Uber Eats.

The map of the United States above highlights the city within each state that has the highest average cost of hidden fees for a popular dish. Seattle is the city in the United States with the highest average of $12.16 in hidden fees added to each order. This is nearly twice the cost that the city with the second-highest cost, San Francisco ($7.35), has to pay.

Among the highest is New York City ($6.24), where Uber Eats adds a New York Courier Fee (an extra $2 per $30 spent) to orders to compensate for a higher minimum wage requirement. Minneapolis, with an average fare of $5.54, is at the top in Minnesota. Uber is threatening to cease operations in the city due to new laws requiring the company to pay its drivers a minimum wage.

A Detailed Look at Hidden Fees for Uber Eats Orders Across the United States

The CouponBirds team analyzed the average cost of Uber Eats’ hidden fees by considering three popular dishes from McDonald’s, Subway, and Chick-fil-A across the United States. The visualization below shows the states with the highest hidden fees for each meal. It considers the total cost of hidden fees and the equivalent percentage cost versus the price of the food.

The most expensive dish to order among the three meals is the 6-inch Garlic Roast Beef Sub from Subway. On average, Uber Eats users in the U.S. have to pay hidden fees equivalent to 37% of the cost of the sandwich. The states of Washington and California have the highest hidden fees across the board.

States with the Highest Hidden Fees for Uber Eats Orders

The next graphic illustrates the distribution of hidden fees for Uber Eats orders across all states. Hidden fees consist of service fees and taxes in most states, but in six others, an additional fee contributes to the total cost. One of the states considering this fee is Maryland, where as of March 2024, lawmakers are thinking about implementing a 50-cent “road impact” fee on rideshare trips and food deliveries. In Oregon, due to the absence of sales tax, service fees account for 96% of the hidden costs of ordering from Uber Eats.

A study by YouGov revealed that 21% of individuals in the U.S. order takeout multiple times per month. We’re not the global biggest lovers of ordering in (looking at you, Taiwan and Thailand), but when the average cost of an Uber Eats delivery in the United States is $33.94, you can see how our taste for takeout affects our finances.

Methodology & Sources

From a list of 164 of the most populous American cities, the CouponBirds team manually gathered online prices and additional ‘taxes and other fees’ for three popular fast food dishes on Uber Eats:

• 6″ Garlic Roast Beef Sub (Subway)
• 3 ct Chick-n-Strips Meal (Chick-fil-A)
• Double Quarter Pounder® with Cheese Meal (McDonald’s)

They then determined the average price paid (USD) in ‘taxes and other fees’ that appear at the checkout stage of the order for each American city and state. Next, the CouponBirds team calculated the average price paid for these fees per dish in each U.S. state.

Taxes and other fees typically include a service fee and taxes. Sometimes, a city and state include a third legislative tax (for instance, the ‘Driver Benefits Fee‘ in California). These types of charges were also included in the calculations for a hidden fee.

This analysis was completed in April 2024.

Save on Your Next Uber Eats Order

Unfortunately, hidden fees are an inevitable part of having your dinner delivered. On Uber Eats, the delivery fee is calculated based on your distance from the restaurant. The service fee is usually 10% of your basket’s cost before any discounts are applied. Other additional local taxes and surcharges might appear during checkout.

If you want to save money on your next takeout order, consider choosing a restaurant closer to your house and compare the delivery fees. Don’t forget to explore any available discounts and promotions. Don’t forget to also tip your hard-working driver!

The post Unveiling Hidden Fees for Uber Eats Orders: A Map of the United States appeared first on Vivid Maps.

There is a certain point where convenience and enjoyment meet and become one. As one academic notes, “eating in has the appeal of the familiar home-related ambiance of socialization and familiarity and does not need extra grooming preparation.” In simpler terms, takeout is the dinner of full-household goblin mode. Complete enjoyment with minimal exertion.

Interestingly, Debrett’s, considered the ultimate “arbiter of modern manners,” deems it acceptable to serve takeout at a dinner party, as long as it is presented “eaten off warmed plates and decanted into suitable china serving dishes.”

Regardless, the expectation is not for takeout to break the bank. However, costs vary depending on your location. For instance, Burger King in Hawaii costs 33.96% more than in Maine, while Taco Bell in Alabama is 21.81% less than the national average, based on analyzed Grubhub prices. To provide a comprehensive overview of value and pricing, NetCredit assessed the relative prices for seven top takeout joints across the United States.

Key Findings:

• Anchorage (AK) and Honolulu (HI) pay over 18% more than the national average for takeout, the highest among U.S. cities.
• Hattiesburg (MS) offers the best value for takeout at -12.14% below the national average.
• Alaska has the highest premium on takeout, at 18.17% above the national average.
• Texas enjoys the best deal, paying -9.58% less than the national average for takeout.

Which U.S. States Pay The Biggest Price Premium For Takeouts and Major Chains?

Alaska boasts the highest markup on examined takeout food, surpassing other U.S. states by a considerable margin. With less than a million acres of farmland, Alaska is known for its notably expensive food, leading to an 18.17% premium on takeout compared to the calculated national average. Despite this added cost, residents in remote areas of Alaska are willing to pay extra, often ranging from $10 to $30, for delivery services like DoorDash or Uber Eats to literally transport their orders home by air.

Katie Burrows, an airline assistant in southwest Alaska, explains, “There’s literally no roads to connect these people to McDonald’s or to KFC or whatever. Paying an expediter or DoorDashing something to our office and paying $20 is really not that expensive compared to going into town.”

The cheapest states tend to be low-cost-of-living areas with strong agricultural or energy sectors, which may contribute to bringing prices down. Restaurants in these states must also factor in competitive pricing since they are represented in high numbers: fifth-cheapest Alabama has the most fast food joints overall, and the cheapest of all, Texas, has the most big-name pizza outlets. States such as these and Tennessee, Mississippi and Utah — the remainder of the five cheapest — lend themselves to the drive-thru experience.

Which U.S. Cities Pay The Biggest Price Premium For Takeouts?

The trio of Anchorage, Honolulu, and Fairbanks, representing the non-contiguous states, claim the top spots as the three most expensive cities for takeout. Supply challenges in these regions contribute to elevated costs. Following closely is Los Angeles, where the average takeout expenses surpass the calculated national average by 17.93%. The combination of relatively high restaurant taxes and an overall elevated cost of living amplifies the price tag for takeaways in Californian cities like LA and San Diego.

In contrast, Texas emerges as the most cost-effective state overall, boasting two cities among the ten cheapest. Remarkably, the cities with the most favorable deals are approximately 6% more economical than even their own state average. Hattiesburg (MS), for instance, is -12.14% cheaper than the calculated national average, outperforming the Mississippi state average, which is -6.60% below the national average. Wheeling (-11.59%) and Parkersburg (-11.52%), both located in West Virginia, demonstrate a parallel trend of offering prices significantly below their respective state averages.

The Price Premium For Burger King Takeout by U.S. State

Established in Florida in 1954, Burger King continues to offer Floridians an advantageous deal on their hamburger and fries. In the Sunshine State, a Whopper, French Fries, and Bacon Double Cheeseburger cost precisely -6% less than the calculated national average for these menu items. For comparison, McDonald’s is only -2.46% cheaper in Florida than in the rest of the country.

On the opposite coast, across the Eastern Pacific, Hawaii faces the highest costs for Burger King, paying 33.96% over the national average, which is 14.75% more than the second-highest, California (19.21%). Even Burger King’s renowned ‘ $1 taco‘ was priced at $1.39 in the Aloha State when it was available.

The Price Premium For KFC Takeout by U.S. State

Utah stands out as the most cost-effective location for KFC, marking the site of Colonel Sanders’ inaugural Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in 1952. Specifically, the Spicy Chicken Sandwich Combo, 8 pc. Chicken Only, and Secret Recipe Fries come at a remarkable -18.22% below the national average for these menu items, presenting a notable -5.43% reduction compared to the second-least expensive state, Texas (-12.79%). The economic accessibility of KFC in mid-century Utah played a pivotal role in its swift success. Professor Laura Gelfand from Utah State University emphasizes, “It was not only affordable, but the Southern roots of the recipe also gave it an intriguing blend of foreign authenticity and warm charm.”

Furthermore, in Kentucky, where Colonel Sanders introduced his renowned chicken, prices are a significant -7.08% under the national average. Conversely, Kentuckians experience a 5.96% higher cost than the national average when opting for chicken at Popeyes.

The Price Premium For McDonald’s Takeout by U.S. State

In Alaska, Massachusetts, and Vermont, regular McDonald’s dishes are notably more expensive than the national average. Earlier this year, Massachusetts gained attention in the fast-food industry for being home to America’s most expensive Big Mac. According to Riley Walz, the creator of the Fast Food Index, the priciest Big Mac, costing $7.89 [U.S.], is found in Lee, Massachusetts. Interestingly, just a few hundred feet away on the other side of the highway at another McDonald’s, the same Big Mac is sold for $1.50 less. In response to this revelation, McDonald’s told Business Insider that “prices are ultimately at the discretion of our franchisees and may vary by restaurant.”

The Price Premium For Pizza Hut Takeout by U.S. State

Pizza Hut displays the narrowest price range from the least to the most expensive offerings in the United States. The cost of a 14” Meat Lover’s Pizza, Veggie Lover’s Pizza, and Pepperoni Lover’s Pizza in Hawaii, standing at 12.68% above the national average, contrasts with Michigan’s pricing, which is notably lower at -12.96% below average, marking a 25.64% difference. A geographical pattern emerges, with four of the five most economical states forming a cross-regional strip from the Rust Belt to the Sunbelt in the mid-East. The eastern states of America, known for their higher concentration of pizza establishments, likely contribute to a more competitive pricing landscape.

For those in Hawaii, opting for a local restaurant might be a wiser choice, especially given that Pizza Hut is comparatively pricier in this location. Notably, even the ‘Hawaiian’ ham and pineapple pizza is not authentically Hawaiian but rather described as “sort of Greek-Canadian,” as highlighted in our recent price comparison analysis between Pizza Hut and Domino’s.

The Price Premium For Popeyes Takeout by U.S. State

Popeyes draws its name from Gene Hackman’s character in The French Connection, though it was initially named something more plant-friendly: Chicken on the Run. The establishment was founded under its original name in Arabi, New Orleans, in 1972. The Southern-style chicken that the region inspired continues to influence national pricing. In Louisiana, the birthplace of Popeyes, the cost of a Spicy Chicken Sandwich Combo, 2 pc. Signature Chicken Combo, and 12 pc. Nuggets are only 0.28% higher than the national average for these items.

The Price Premium For Subway Takeout by U.S. State

Similar to Popeyes, Subway’s foundational pricing is reflected in its home state, Connecticut, where it stands just 0.40% above the national average. However, once you move beyond Connecticut, the pricing landscape for Subway becomes quite diverse. All of Subway’s U.S. establishments are operated by franchisees who have the authority to set local prices and can also choose to exclude their franchise from accepting certain coupons.

Facing substantial challenges in recent years, Subway made the decision to close over 1,000 branches in 2021. Notably, New York experienced a significant loss, with 22% of its Subway locations shutting down in just three years. This reduction in numbers may be a contributing factor to the unexpectedly appealing prices in the state, which are currently approximately -4.67% below the national average.

The Price Premium For Taco Bell Takeout by U.S. State

Taco Bell’s roots are deeply embedded in California, and this influence is reflected in the pricing structure for Californians, who enjoy a reasonable deal with a mere 2.54% premium above the national average. This stands in contrast to the 9.44% extra they pay for Pizza Hut and the 19.21% increase for Burger King. The substantial presence of Taco Bell in California, with 1,748 locations accounting for around 11% of its entire fleet, creates a competitive environment among franchisees, compelling them to price their tacos attractively.

Methology

The NetCredit team’s examination of takeout food pricing is based on data sourced from Grubhub.com, providing insights into the states and cities where residents pay the most for such services.

To conduct this analysis, they compiled menus from various fast-food chains across 260 cities, representing the most populated areas in each state. The focus was on popular items from each chain, specifically:

• McDonald’s: Big Mac, French Fries, 10 pc. Chicken McNuggets, 10 Piece McNuggets.
• Pizza Hut: 14” Meat Lover’s Pizza, 14” Veggie Lover’s Pizza, 14” Pepperoni Lover’s Pizza.
• Subway: B.L.T, Meatball Marinara, Tuna.
• Burger King: Whopper, French Fries, Bacon Double Cheeseburger.
• KFC: Spicy Chicken Sandwich Combo, 8 pc. Chicken Only, Secret Recipe Fries.
• Popeyes: Spicy Chicken Sandwich Combo, 2 pc. Signature Chicken Combo, 12 pc. nuggets.
• Taco Bell: Crunchwrap Supreme, Crunchy Taco Supreme, Burrito Supreme.

The team calculated the average national prices for all items collectively and for each individual chain. By comparing these national averages to the prices within each state and city, they determined the percentage premium for takeout across these chains and for each chain individually.

This analysis is accurate as of October 2023.

The post The U.S. States That Pay the Most for Takeout appeared first on Vivid Maps.

But what are the most prevalent pizza toppings?

How To Cook Recipes put together this guide to the most popular pizza toppings across each state in the United States, based on search data through Google trends (and their search attraction scores).

The most popular pizza topping in the U.S. stays pepperoni, a classic for pizza-lovers all over. Besides pepperoni, other popular toppings are peppers, pineapple, sausage, onions, olives, mushrooms, extra cheese, anchovies, bacon, basil, and tomato.

Top 12 the most popular pizza toppings across the country

1. Pepperoni
   The pepperoni is the most popular topping in 12 U.S. states (Alaska, Delaware, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming). It’s added 36 percent of all pies in the United States. As a result, Americans eat more than 250 million pounds of pepperoni yearly.
2. Pineapple
   Pineapple is the most popular pizza topping in the 10 U.S states (California, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oregon, Utah, and Virginia). Pineapple goes excellently well with bacon, ham, and savory cheese.
3. Bacon
   Bacon is the third most popular pizza topping in the U.S. Bacon pizzas are the most popular in 8 U.S. states (Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Rhode Island, South Dakota).
4. Mushrooms
   Mushrooms are the most popular pizza topping in 4 U.S. states (Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee). It is because they go well with meat and veggie pies, adding additional taste to whatever mouthwatering creation they top.
5. Onions
   Onions are the most popular toppings in Connecticut, Nevada, and Washington. Onions toppings flavor greatly complements both veggie and meat-topped pizzas, adding a subtle crunch and a fresh taste.
6. Sausage
   Sausage toppings are the most popular in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.
   It’s frequently mixed with meatballs, pepperoni, bacon, and black olives.
7. Extra Cheese
   Extra Cheese pizzas are especially popular in states New York and Vermont. Mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan, and provolone are the 4 major pizza cheese types to add a unique flavor.
8. Peppers
   Peppers are the most popular toppings in Louisiana and Maine. The most typical colors of peppers are green, yellow, orange, and red. Brown, white, lavender, and dark purple peppers are used more infrequently. Green peppers are less sweet and a little more bitter than yellow or orange peppers, with the sweetest red peppers.
9. Olives
   Olives are a topic of much debate. You either love them or hate them. But olives are the most popular pizza toppings in Minnesota and North Carolina states.
10. Basil
    The fresh flavor of basil toppings is the most popular in Colorado and Ohio.
11. Anchovies
    Anchovies have a robust salty taste that mixes with everything on the pizza. The greatest lovers of anchovies flavor live in Arizona, and New Mexico states.
12. Tomato
    Surprisingly, tomato is the most popular pizza topping only in Kentucky, according to Google Searches.

U.S. states with their most popular pizza toppings, based on 2021 Google Trends data

The post The Most Popular Pizza Toppings by U.S. State According to Google Search Trends in 2021 appeared first on Vivid Maps.

But how much will it cost to refuel (on caffeine) across the U.S.?

SavingSpot’s World Coffee Index 2021 highlighted the cost of coffee in every country globally, but this time they wanted to shift their focus to the United States exclusively. 

Data on the price of coffee was gathered from Menuwithprice.com by extracting menus and parsing out prices of coffee from nearly 10,000 coffee shops across 2,500 cities in the United States. Prices were extracted from coffee shop menus using regular expressions (RegEx), controlling for alcoholic beverages such as Irish coffee and menu items containing coffee but not hot beverages such as coffee cake. The number of coffee shops in each city was then revised using the count of coffee shops obtained from Yelp Fusion API. Hourly pay was taken as median hourly pay for “All Occupations” from the Occupational Employment series by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. For states, the state’s hourly pay was used, while for cities, the hourly pay estimate was that of the metropolitan area that the city belongs to. Populations of states and cities were collated from the U.S. Census Bureau. Data was collected in September 2021

Highest Concentration of Coffee Shops

According to SavingSpot top cities with the highest concentration of coffee shops per 100,000 people are in the coastal states or are themselves on the shore. Santa Cruz, CA, is a runaway winner with 402 cafes per 100,000 people. Florida’s Sarasota has 282 and two Californian cities Mission Viejo (281) and Santa Barbara (277), which aren’t too far behind.

San Francisco, CA and Olympia, WA – a city close to a known coffee mecca that is Seattle, WA – are also in the top 10, with 166 and 162 places per 100,000 people.

At the state level, the picture looks somewhat different, as the state with the highest number of coffee shops per capita is Hawaii with 41 per 100,000. The closest one is Colorado with 29, followed by the three states on the west coast: California, Oregon, and Washington. These three states are virtually tied at 24 coffee shops per 100,000 people.

Cities with Most and Least Expensive Coffee

Seattle and cities in Washington state have long had a reputation for their coffee culture. Call it snobbish, hipster, or top-class, one thing it seems to be is expensive. Five cities with the most expensive coffee in America are in Washington state, with Seattle in the top spot with $3.92 per cuppa.

The most expensive coffee might be in the Pacific Northwest, but the cheapest is on the East Coast. Harrisburg in Pennsylvania has an average price of $1.18 for a cuppa joe.

Phoenix, AZ, has the second cheapest coffee with an average price of around $1.24. Several midwestern cities are on the 10 cheapest list, but the real surprise entry is Oakland, CA, with $1.37. It’s literally across the bridge from San Francisco, where a cup goes for $2.54.

Cities with Most and Least Affordable Coffee

For how expensive the coffee is in cities in the state of Washington, it appears to be affordable given the average pay in those areas because none of those cities are in the table below.

Compared to the median hourly pay, coffee prices are highest in Albany, NY, Lafayette, LA, and Shreveport, LA – cities with some of the most expensive coffee, where its price reaches up to 20% of what most people make in an hour.

On the other hand, the most affordable coffee is in Oakland, CA. Likely the case of Californian and Bay-Area adjacent salaries outpacing coffee prices, or perhaps coffee culture not being in the advanced/innovative/hipster (delete as appropriate) stages to warrant a high price. Newark, NJ and Trenton, NJ, likely have a similar situation. Being a stone’s throw away from New York City, people’s incomes are relatively high, while the coffee culture, i.e., proliferation of expensive,
artisanal coffee shops haven’t quite reached critical mass.

The Coffee index

States with Cheapest and Most Expensive Coffee

Washington has the most expensive coffee in the nation, and by a lot too. With an average of $3.46 per cup, it’s 30 cents more expensive than Louisiana with $3.10.

The cheapest coffee, however, is in the Midwest. More specifically, in Iowa, where an average cup of coffee would cost you $1.38. Other states in the region put up a strong showing, with Missouri ($1.59), Ohio ($1.68), and Michigan ($1.77) all among the ten states where coffee is cheapest.

New England states also feature strongly with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place occupied by New Hampshire ($1.42), Rhode Island ($1.5), and New Jersey ($1.54).

The map below shows the price of a cup of coffee in U.S. states

States with Most and Least Affordable Coffee

Comparing coffee prices to hourly pay across states, you see the Southern states being among places where coffee is least affordable. In Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, the price of a cup equates to 15% of an hourly wage or higher.

Curiously enough, Washington and Oregon make the list of least affordable states, likely because the state’s hourly pay reflects the earnings of people living in rural and urban areas. At the same time, coffee prices are derived from offerings of coffee shops in big cities.

States with the most affordable coffee are firmly on the East Coast and in the Midwest. The three states where coffee is cheapest compared to typical hourly pay are Rhode Island, New Jersey, and New Hampshire – all places where an average price of coffee is about 7% of hourly pay.

Key Findings

• California is the state with the most coffee shops – 9,615
• The state with the highest number of coffee shops per 100,000 people in Hawaii – 41
• Harrisburg (PA) is the American city with the cheapest coffee – $1.18 per cup.
• Seattle (WA) is the city with the most expensive coffee – $3.92
•  The most affordable coffee is on the East Coast or in the Midwest – New Jersey, Iowa, and Rhode Island are where the average price of coffee is 7% of the hourly pay.

The post The U.S. Coffee Index appeared first on Vivid Maps.

Research agency TOP Data surveyed drinking habits in the United States during the COVID-19. The map below shows the most popular beer brands by the U.S. state. Budweiser takes the cake in nearly half the nation, but several other beers brands stake their claim across the U.S.

The top 5 beers in each U.S. state

Key Findings

• Budweiser is the most prevalent cheap beer across the U.S. by far, listing first in 23 U.S. states.
• Bud Light takes second place as the preferred beer only in 6 U.S. states.
• Though most U.S. states chose larger, long-standing beer brands, small brands like Dever Bee, Dogfish Head, Lone Star, and Spotted Cow pulled through to the first in several U.S. states.

The post The Most Popular Beer Brands In Every State, Mapped appeared first on Vivid Maps.

Panic-buying for toilet paper became a meme in 2020. The baking craze made flour a rare commodity. But at the same time, 2.37 billion people – one in three humans – suffered from food insecurity, unable to afford a balanced and nutritious diet. That’s a rise of 320 million people due to the pandemic. In the US, grocery prices are likely to keep rising.

Meanwhile, in the UK, coronavirus and Brexit have led to a shortage of truck drivers and a shortage of food on the shelves. This is a land where the national security agency believes society is only ever “four meals away from anarchy” – and where prime minister Boris Johnson once said, “I don’t know how much a pint of milk costs – so what?”

But the price of essential groceries does matter – and so does how that cost relates to your income. NetCredit designed a shopping list of staple foods and researched how much it would cost to buy in grocery stores worldwide, plus affordability compared to local wages. And then they did the same for a vegan shopping list, too.

Methodology

NetCredit’s study began by finding a supermarket with an online shop for each country. If it wasn’t possible to find an online shop, the team removed the country from the list. They built a list of 10 essential items for both a non-vegan and vegan shops:

Non-vegan grocery shop
● Breakfast cereal
● Eggs (regular) (12)
● Boneless chicken breast (500g / 1lb)
● 500g (16 oz.) of local cheese
● Vegetable oil (1-liter bottle)
● Loaf of fresh white bread (500g)
● Milk (regular), (1 liter)
● Potato (1kg / 2lb)
● Tomato (1kg / 2lb)
● Banana (1kg / 2lb)
● Canned tuna (140g)
● Water (1.5-liter bottle)

Vegan grocery shop
● Vegan breakfast cereal
● Canned chickpeas
● Frozen vegetable burgers (example: soy patties)
● Vegan cheese
● Coconut oil (500ml)
● Loaf of fresh white bread (500g)
● Soy milk (1 liter)
● Potato (1kg / 2lb)
● Tomato (1kg / 2lb)
● Banana (1kg / 2lb)
● Brown rice (1kg)
● Water (1.5-liter bottle)

Then the team manually searched online to find the prices of the items. If they couldn’t find any items, they chose the closest alternative. The team found the total cost for both lists and converted the price into USD.

Using the Worldbank NetCredit gathered average daily income data for each country and used this to find the affordability percentage.

The Price of a Grocery Shop in Every Country

The Price of a Vegan Grocery Shop in Every Country

Key Findings

• Switzerland has the most expensive essentials globally, costing $52.95 for a regular basket of groceries.
• The cost for the same groceries in Djibouti is $6.89, just 13 percent of the price in Switzerland.
• The United States has the most affordable regular and vegan essentials in the world – in each case, our sample basket of food costs around 12 percent of the average day’s pay.
• The United Arab Emirates has the world’s most expensive vegan menu, costing more than double its non-vegan equivalent.

The post The Cost of Essential Food Around the World appeared first on Vivid Maps.

But every nation has its own unique relationship with the caffeinated drink, meaning consumption and cost vary a lot from country to country.

To find out just how much these costs vary, personal finance experts at SavingSpot conducted comprehensive research to reveal the cheapest and most expensive cities for buying a coffee.

SavingSpot used TripAdvisor to gather the price of an americano (or espresso), a latte, and a cappuccino from five cafés based in the capital city of each country.

Cities without five cafés that had menus were omitted. Researchers then averaged the price of coffee. All costs were sourced from local menus before being converted into US dollars.

The price of coffee around the world

North America

The Coffee scene blew up in the United States when Peet’s Coffee & Tea of Berkeley. California started highlighting the origin of their beans, inspiring the founders of Starbucks of Seattle. Washington. The U.S. has the second most expensive average coffee price ($3.77), but the Bahamas has the priciest, at $3.91 per cup. Honduras, known for its different coffee blends, has the cheapest coffee.

South America

Coffee prices here are generally low, but Chile has the highest overall. A coffee will cost around $3.17 in Santiago. The world’s third-biggest coffee exporter, Colombia, has the lowest coffee price in South America, at $1.27 a cup. In Brazil (the most significant exporter), you can grab one for $1.86.

Europe

The Swiss love a morning coffee with their gipfeli (Swiss German for croissant), but it comes at a cost; a cup of coffee in Switzerland will set you back $5.64 a cup. For the cheapest coffee, Albania is the place to be. In Albania’s “Lokals”, a bar-cafe hybrid, a coffee will cost around $1.21.

Middle East and Central Asia

Arabic coffee is an essential custom of hospitality in Qatari culture, yet there is a hefty price tag on coffee, with a cup costing around $6.79. In Iran, the locals champion tea over coffee, which is only really drunk in cafes. This might be why it has the lowest price globally, only costing $0.46 for a cup.

Asia and Oceania

South Korea’s coffee culture is booming, with the highest density of coffee shops per capita in the world. In one of Seoul’s estimated 18.000 cafes, a coffee will cost on average $7.77 per cup. Nepal has the lowest cost, with an average price of $1.49.

Africa

Africa is known as the home continent of coffee, where it is thought to have come from Ethiopia after a farmer noticed his goats become energized after eating coffee berries. Botswana ($2.47) takes the top spot for the most expensive cup in Africa. Namibia has the lowest-priced coffee, costing $1.76 for a cup.

But the team didn’t stop there, and they also calculated coffee consumption habits around the world based on Statista data, revealing which cities drink and spend the most.

Which countries drink the most coffee?

Cost and consumption of coffee by country

Key Findings:
• In South Korea, you’ll pay the most for a cup of coffee – on average, $7.77 a cup.
• Iran pays the least – In Tehran, expect to pay $0.46 for a cup of coffee.
• Luxembourg is the world’s biggest coffee consumer, with a whopping 11.1 kilos consumed per capita in a year.
• Nepal, India, and Pakistan are the world’s biggest coffee abstainers. Each country drinks less than 0.1 kilos per capita a year.

The post The World Coffee Index 2021 appeared first on Vivid Maps.