The Top Holiday Gift in Every State

October 25, 2017 by Mike Sauter

Americans spent over $600 billion buying gifts during the holidays last year, and all signs point to this year being even bigger.

The holiday shopping season more or less officially runs from the Friday after Thanksgiving, often referred to as Black Friday, through Christmas. When the season begins, many of this year’s hottest products will be wildly popular across the country – toys like the Fingerlings and Hatchimals, video game consoles like the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, and household products like the Keurig K-cup coffee maker.

E-commerce sites like Amazon.com have increasingly moved to dominate the season. Cyber Monday — the Monday after Thanksgiving in which online stores offer deals of their own — is slowly moving to replace Black Friday. This year, shoppers expect to do roughly 40% of their shopping online, up from a third just two years ago. Online shoppers also will likely spend several hundred dollars more than those who only buy gifts in stores this year.

The growth of e-commerce and the decline of local shopping likely means that what people buy for their friends and loved ones for the holidays is less dependent on what is available at local stores.

Still, there are significant differences in the items Americans shop for during the holiday season from one state to the next. For example, people in Vermont and New Hampshire are many times more likely to consider buying a Keurig as a gift than the residents of Alaska or Wyoming. Residents of Washington state are much more likely to purchase the video game Destiny 2 as a gift than those in Mississippi.

Based on an analysis of the most popular gifted items on Amazon.com and Google’s projected keyword searches for the upcoming holiday shopping season, 24/7 Wall St. identified the top holiday gifts in each state. To avoid repetition, each item is only assigned to one state, and ties were broken based on searches per capita. Items included in this article were selected based solely on the methodology. The article includes affiliate links, and 24/7 Wall St. may get a share of the revenue from sales.

Click here to see the top gift in every state.
Click here to see our methodology.

1. Alabama
> Top holiday gift: Gorilla Duct Tape
> Expected price: $4.97
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.7/5.0

Gorilla duct tape is a mandatory item for weekend warriors because it is heavy duty and double thick.

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2. Alaska
> Top holiday gift: Mega Bloks 80-Piece Big Building Bag, Classic
> Expected price: $19.33
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.7/5.0

The blocks are easy to assemble for little hands and encourage exploration.

3. Arizona
> Top holiday gift: Hydro Flask Stainless Steel Sports Water Bottle
> Expected price: $29.95
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.6/5.0

The flask has double-wall vacuum insulated TempShield technology that the company says keeps liquids hot up to six hours, and cold up to 24 hours.

4. Arkansas
> Top holiday gift: Spalding NBA Basketball
> Expected price: $10.50
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.2/5.0

The street hoop basketball with the name everyone knows is durable and you can get a great grip.

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5. California
> Top holiday gift: NutriBullet High-Speed Blender/Mixer System
> Expected price: $69.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.1/5.0

Make way for smoothies and protein shakes with this mixer. It smashes fruits, vegetables, and superfoods with its 600-watt motor.

 

6. Colorado
> Top holiday gift: Kindle Paperwhite E-reader
> Expected price: $89.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.5/5.0

The industry icon features higher resolution display with twice as many pixels and more than 1 million titles to choose from $2.99 or less.

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7. Connecticut
> Top holiday gift: This Is Us: Season 1
> Expected price: $19.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.8/5.0

The Emmy-nominated series has quickly become a viewer favorite.

8. Delaware
> Top holiday gift: Hatchimals
> Expected price: $9.39
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.4/5.0

There are more than 70 Hatchimals to collect. They hatch when you hold the egg in your hands, rub the heart and when it changes from purple to pink, you know it’s ready to hatch.

9. Florida
> Top holiday gift: Amazon Echo, 2nd Generation
> Expected price: $99.99
> Amazon review, as of October: N/A

The newest generation of the Amazon Echo smart speaker has a new speaker, new design, and is available in six styles.

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10. Georgia
> Top holiday gift: PlayStation 4 Pro 1TB
> Expected price: $399.00
> Amazon review, as of October: N/A

The latest version of PlayStation claims to deliver faster and sharper action for select PS4 games. It is  compatible with every PS4 game.

 

11. Hawaii
> Top holiday gift: Moana [Blu-ray]
> Expected price: $19.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.8/5.0

Moana is the Disney animated story about a teen who embarks on a mission to save her people. The movie features the voice of “The Rock,’’ also known as Dwayne Johnson.

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12. Idaho
> Top holiday gift: Cozmo
> Expected price: $179.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.4/5.0

The Cozmo SDK Beta is a robotics platform for makers, hobbyists, educators, and researchers. New games and upgrades are unlocked the more you play with the item.

13. Illinois
> Top holiday gift: Amazon Echo Show
> Expected price: $229.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.0/5.0

You can view Amazon Video content, see music lyrics, security cameras, photos, weather forecasts, shopping lists, and listen to Audible audiobooks. You can also make hands-free video phone calls.

14. Indiana
> Top holiday gift: Fisher-Price Little People Surprise & Sounds Home
> Expected price: $28.49
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.9/5.0

Children can discover more than 50 sounds, songs and phrases with this playset.

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15. Iowa
> Top holiday gift: Cuisinart 15-Piece Knife Set
> Expected price: $44.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.3/5.0

Cuisinart is a well-regarded knife brand whose carbon stainless steel blades are known for precision and accuracy.

 

16. Kansas
> Top holiday gift: Amazon Echo Dot, 2nd Generation
> Expected price: $49.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.0/5.0

The second generation of Amazon Echo Dot is a hands-free, voice-controlled device that uses digital assistant Alexa to play music, control smart home devices, make calls, send and receive messages, and read the news, among other features.

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17. Kentucky
> Top holiday gift: The Sun and Her Flowers
> Expected price: $10.19
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.5/5.0

This is the second collection of poetry from Rupi Kaur, following “Milk and Honey.’’ This work is a journey about growth and healing, as well as finding and honoring one’s ancestors.

18. Louisiana
> Top holiday gift: Hamilton Beach 10-Cup Food Processor
> Expected price: $29.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.3/5.0

The bowl scraper attachment saves time when chopping or pureeing and works while the processor is on or off.

19. Maine
> Top holiday gift: Crock-Pot Programmable Slow Cooker
> Expected price: $39.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.2/5.0

The culinary stalwart can serve seven or more people. It features digital countdown control that lets you program cook times from 30 minutes up to 20 hours.

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20. Maryland
> Top holiday gift: DEWALT 20v Lithium Drill
> Expected price: $179.00
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.6/5.0

One of the most trusted names in tools, this drill has two speeds for a range of fastening and drilling applications.

 

21. Massachusetts
> Top holiday gift: Nintendo Switch w/ Gray Joy-Con
> Expected price: $299.00
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.5/5.0

The Nintendo Switch is the new video game system from the iconic electronic game maker that operates at home and can be taken on the road.

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22. Michigan
> Top holiday gift: Descendants 2
> Expected price: $15.96
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.5/5.0

The Disney animated feature brings back The Villain Kids in a new adventure.

23. Minnesota
> Top holiday gift: Steam Gift Card – $50
> Expected price: $50.00
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.5/5.0

The Steam gift card provides access to thousands of games, automatic game updates and other perks.

24. Mississippi
> Top holiday gift: Fire TV Stick
> Expected price: $39.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.5/5.0

This is the next generation of the Amazon Fire Stick, a small device the size of a flash drive that plugs into a TV’s HDMI port. It now has the Alexa Voice Remote and enables any TV to stream content over WiFi such as Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, and Pandora.

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25. Missouri
> Top holiday gift: Anova
> Expected price: $149.00
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.4/5.0

Anova Precision Cooker brings the brings sous vide cooking procedure into the home. The cooker is attached to a pot, you add water, drop in ingredients in a sealed bag or glass jar, then press start.

 

26. Montana
> Top holiday gift: 3M Particulate Respirator, 20-Pack
> Expected price: $13.87
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.4/5.0

The mask is designed to provide both comfort and safety as it defends from potentially dangerous airborne particles. The nose clip aims to provide a tight seal and allow for easy breathing.

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27. Nebraska
> Top holiday gift: The Vietnam War: A Film By Ken Burns
> Expected price: $58.57
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.4/5.0

The latest documentary series from acclaimed director Ken Burns delves into one of the most controversial and misunderstood conflicts in American history: the Vietnam War.

28. Nevada
> Top holiday gift: Fujifilm INSTAX Mini Instant Film Twin Pack
> Expected price: $12.49
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.5/5.0

The film is designed to be easily inserted into Fujifilm’s Instax mini cameras to instantly print wallet-sized photos.

29. New Hampshire
> Top holiday gift: Xbox One S 500GB
> Expected price: $244.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 3.9/5.0

XBox One S 500GB Console has full game downloads of Minecraft for Xbox One and Windows 10, Xbox wireless controller, HDMI cable (4K capable), power cable and 14-day Xbox Live Gold Trial. You can watch 4K Blu-ray movies or stream Netflix and Amazon Prime in 4K Ultra HD.

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30. New Jersey
> Top holiday gift: FIFA 18 for PlayStation 4
> Expected price: $61.75
> Amazon review, as of October: 3.4/5.0

Those playing the FIFA 18 Standard Edition – PlayStation 4 may experience real-world player movements powered by a new animation system that features world-class players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and other European soccer stars.

 

31. New Mexico
> Top holiday gift: The Shack [DVD]
> Expected price: $11.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.6/5.0

The movie, based on the best-selling novel, shows a father’s journey as he learns about loss and forgiveness.

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32. New York
> Top holiday gift: Ninja Professional Blender
> Expected price: $79.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.4/5.0

The Ninja Professional Blender can make smoothies in seconds with 1000 watts of performance power.

33. North Carolina
> Top holiday gift: iBaby Monitor
> Expected price: $134.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 3.3/5.0

The iBaby Monitor offers audio and video options and can even play lullabies and read bedtime stories to babies.

34. North Dakota
> Top holiday gift: Beauty And The Beast
> Expected price: $17.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.7/5.0

Disney brought one of its beloved classic animated films back with a live action reboot.

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35. Ohio
> Top holiday gift: Exploding Kittens: A Card Game
> Expected price: $19.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.5/5.0

Once one of the most popular Kickstarter campaigns ever, Exploding Kittens is now a massively popular family-friendly card game.

 

36. Oklahoma
> Top holiday gift: Black & Decker 20-Volt Lithium-Ion Drill Set
> Expected price: $84.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.3/5.0

The all-in-one drill set has 68 hand tools and accessories to help tackle any project around the house.

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37. Oregon
> Top holiday gift: Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Programmable Pressure Cooker
> Expected price: $99.00
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.6/5.0

Instant Pot DUO V3 6 Qt 7-in-1 multi-use programmable pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, steamer, sauté, yogurt maker, and warmer. The microprocessor monitors pressure, temperature, keeps time, and adjusts heating intensity and duration.

38. Pennsylvania
> Top holiday gift: Amazon Fire Tablet
> Expected price: $49.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.1/5.0

The newest version of Amazon’s Fire Tablet is lighter, has a longer-lasting battery and an improved display.

39. Rhode Island
> Top holiday gift: Fingerlings
> Expected price: $32.00
> Amazon review, as of October: 3.5/5.0

Fingerlings – Interactive Baby Monkey – Zoe (turquoise with purple hair) are toys that respond to sound, motion, and touch with blinking eyes, head turns, and monkey chatter.

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40. South Carolina
> Top holiday gift: Razor A Kick Scooter
> Expected price: $27.98
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.7/5.0

Razor scooters have been a Christmas mainstay since they debuted in 2000 and won the Toy Industry Association’s Toy of the Year award.

 

41. South Dakota
> Top holiday gift: Cards Against Humanity
> Expected price: $25.00
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.8/5.0

Known as “The party game for horrible people,” Cards Against Humanity toes the line between hilarious and offensive.

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42. Tennessee
> Top holiday gift: Rubbermaid 42-Piece Food Storage Containers
> Expected price: $16.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.6/5.0

The microwave- and dishwasher-safe food storage containers can help you organize your fridge and keep food fresh.

43. Texas
> Top holiday gift: Tile Mate
> Expected price: $24.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.0/5.0

The Tile Mate aims to end the endless search for car keys and cell phone. The Bluetooth tracker lets you ring your missing things.

44. Utah
> Top holiday gift: Super Mario Odyssey
> Expected price: $59.98
> Amazon review, as of October: N/A

Super Mario Odyssey – Nintendo Switch features the timeless game character Mario that has been drawing raves from reviewers who laud its capture abilities, the Joy-Con controls, and the way each stage contains discoveries and surprises.

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45. Vermont
> Top holiday gift: Keurig K55 K-Cup Coffee Maker
> Expected price: $92.96
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.0/5.0

The Keurig K55 single serve programmable K-cup pod coffee maker comes from the company that redefined caffeine intake. The item includes four K-cup pods and a water filter handle, plus two water filters.

 

46. Virginia
> Top holiday gift: Hidden Figures
> Expected price: $11.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.9/5.0

The true story of the African-American women who helped NASA get to the moon became an Oscar-nominated film.

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47. Washington
> Top holiday gift: Destiny 2 for Xbox One
> Expected price: $48.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.1/5.0

Destiny 2- Xbox One Standard Edition is the sequel to the hit game Destiny. The object is to reunite humanity’s heroes to defeat the unforgiving Red Legion to recapture their home.

48. West Virginia
> Top holiday gift: Call of Duty: WWII for Xbox One
> Expected price: $59.96
> Amazon review, as of October: N/A

Going back to its roots, the latest installation to the massively popular Call of Duty franchise returns to Europe.

49. Wisconsin
> Top holiday gift: Himalayan Hand Carved Salt Lamp
> Expected price: $19.99
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.5/5.0

The lamp, made of 100% Himalayan salt, will cast a warm, orange glow all around your room.

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50. Wyoming
> Top holiday gift: Aroma Housewares Digital Rice-Cooker
> Expected price: $42.84
> Amazon review, as of October: 4.0/5.0

The digital dinner assistant can make up to eight cups of white or brown rice and the delay timer gives you the option of planning your meal up to 15 hours in advance.

Methodology:

To determine the top holiday gifts in every state, 24/7 wall St. reviewed Amazon.com’s list of the most commonly gifted items on the site. 24/7 Wall St. then compiled a list of search keywords from the most popular items in categories that people generally purchase gifts from, such as books, electronics, video games, toys and games, and more. We then used Google’s Keyword Planner to determine forecasted search volume from October 25 through December 25 in every state. By using 2016 state population figures from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2016 current population survey, we calculated the number of searches per person for each item in every state. To identify the top holiday gift in every state, we considered each state’s gift with the most searches per capita. Each gift could only be assigned to one state, and ties were broken based on total searches per capita. The current price listed for each item is as of October 24, and is expected to change.

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