Americans watch a lot of television, that’s for sure. While baseball has been described as the national pastime, a lot of people watch it on TV. They watch a lot of other things too — cartoons, news, soap operas, reality shows, sitcoms, etc. (Here are the best classic TV shows available to stream.)
24/7 Wall St. has ranked the TV watch time in all 50 States and Washington D.C. The results may be surprising to some. The average time watched per day ranges from a low of just over two hours in Utah to more than four and a half hours in West Virginia. It’s important to note this data was collected before the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a good bet that TV viewing hours climbed across the country during the early months of the crisis, when many people were unexpectedly stuck at home.
There aren’t obvious reasons why people watch twice as much TV in some states as they do in others. At the top of the list is West Virginia and at the bottom is Utah, both fairly rural states with lots of opportunities for outdoor recreation. (These are the 25 best cities for active people.)
Nor are there obvious reasons why people watch what they watch. In the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, for example, the favorite genres are daytime TV, reality TV, and sitcoms, respectively. In Washington, D.C. people like sitcoms. Maybe they need a break from politics. In Washington state, however, they like news. Maybe they can’t get enough.
To identify the states where people watch the most TV, 24/7 Tempo obtained the average TV watch time compiled by Verizonspecials.com, an online retailer of Verizon products and Verizon blog. Average time spent watching TV comes from the 2017 American Time Use Survey, and favorite genre was derived from Verizonspecials.com’s analysis of Google trends data from January 2018 to December 2018. Total population comes from the American Community Survey (ACS) 2019 1-year estimates.
Click here to see the states where people watch the most TV.
Source: johnnya123 / Getty Images
51. Utah
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 13 min, 55 sec
> Favorite genre: Animated Cartoon
> Total population: 3,205,958
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Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
50. Maine
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 17 min, 37 sec
> Favorite genre: Cooking Show
> Total population: 1,344,212
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Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images
49. Vermont
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 19 min, 43 sec
> Favorite genre: Late-Night Talk Show
> Total population: 623,989
Source: volvob12b / Flickr
48. Alaska
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 20 min, 24 sec
> Favorite genre: Soap Opera
> Total population: 731,545
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Source: Planet Unicorn / Getty Images
47. Colorado
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 28 min, 22 sec
> Favorite genre: News
> Total population: 5,758,736
Source: Eric Tessmer / Wikimedia Commons
46. Hawaii
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 32 min, 58 sec
> Favorite genre: News
> Total population: 1,415,872
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Source: culbertson / Getty Images
45. Minnesota
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 33 min, 50 sec
> Favorite genre: Sitcom
> Total population: 5,639,632
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Source: thyegn / iStock via Getty Images
44. Washington
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 35 min, 15 sec
> Favorite genre: News
> Total population: 7,614,893
Source: peeterv / Getty Images
43. Montana
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 36 min, 39 sec
> Favorite genre: News
> Total population: 1,068,778
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Source: SpVVK / Getty Images
42. California
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 39 min, 3 sec
> Favorite genre: News
> Total population: 39,512,223
Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images
41. Wisconsin
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 39 min, 9 sec
> Favorite genre: ESPN
> Total population: 5,822,434
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Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
40. New Hampshire
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 40 min, 22 sec
> Favorite genre: Children’s TV Series
> Total population: 1,359,711
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
39. Connecticut
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 41 min, 3 sec
> Favorite genre: Sitcom
> Total population: 3,565,287
Source: 4nadia / Getty Images
38. Oregon
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 46 min, 23 sec
> Favorite genre: Animated Cartoon
> Total population: 4,217,737
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Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
37. Rhode Island
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 47 min, 26 sec
> Favorite genre: Reality TV
> Total population: 1,059,361
Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images
36. North Carolina
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 50 min, 50 sec
> Favorite genre: Soap Opera
> Total population: 10,488,084
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Source: ferrantraite / Getty Images
35. New Mexico
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 52 min, 6 sec
> Favorite genre: Animated Cartoon
> Total population: 2,096,829
Source: FilippoBacci / Getty Images
34. New York
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 52 min, 31 sec
> Favorite genre: Daytime TV
> Total population: 19,453,561
Source: Davel5957 / Getty Images
33. Maryland
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 53 min, 23 sec
> Favorite genre: Reality TV
> Total population: 6,045,680
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Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
32. Virginia
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 54 min, 3 sec
> Favorite genre: Reality TV
> Total population: 8,535,519
Source: Davel5957 / Getty Images
31. Kansas
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 56 min, 30 sec
> Favorite genre: ESPN
> Total population: 2,913,314
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Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images
30. Tennessee
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 56 min, 36 sec
> Favorite genre: Reality TV
> Total population: 6,829,174
Source: knowlesgallery / Getty Images
29. Idaho
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 56 min, 41 sec
> Favorite genre: Cooking Show
> Total population: 1,787,065
Source: f11photo / iStock via Getty Images
28. Washington, D.C.
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 57 min, 9 sec
> Favorite genre: Sitcom
> Total population: 705,749
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Source: Dreamframer / Getty Images
27. Arizona
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 57 min, 36 sec
> Favorite genre: News
> Total population: 7,278,717
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
26. Massachusetts
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 57 min, 52 sec
> Favorite genre: Children’s TV Series
> Total population: 6,892,503
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Source: Davel5957 / Getty Images
25. Nebraska
> Avg time watched per day: 2 hrs, 59 min, 41 sec
> Favorite genre: ESPN
> Total population: 1,934,408
Source: EunikaSopotnicka / Getty Images
24. South Dakota
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 2 min, 21 sec
> Favorite genre: Children’s TV Series
> Total population: 884,659
Source: pawel.gaul / Getty Images
23. Michigan
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 2 min, 22 sec
> Favorite genre: Sitcom
> Total population: 9,986,857
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Source: f11photo / Getty Images
22. Missouri
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 2 min, 37 sec
> Favorite genre: Sitcom
> Total population: 6,137,428
Source: Davel5957 / Getty Images
21. Indiana
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 4 min, 35 sec
> Favorite genre: Sitcom
> Total population: 6,732,219
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Source: dszc / Getty Images
20. Texas
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 4 min, 35 sec
> Favorite genre: Telenovela
> Total population: 28,995,881
Source: pabradyphoto / Getty Images
19. Iowa
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 7 min, 56 sec
> Favorite genre: ESPN
> Total population: 3,155,070
Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images
18. Illinois
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 8 min, 3 sec
> Favorite genre: Sitcom
> Total population: 12,671,821
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Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
17. Pennsylvania
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 13 min, 50 sec
> Favorite genre: Reality TV
> Total population: 12,801,989
Source: aoldman / Getty Images
16. Wyoming
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 14 min, 32 sec
> Favorite genre: News
> Total population: 578,759
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Source: Davel5957 / Getty Images
15. Ohio
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 19 min, 40 sec
> Favorite genre: ESPN
> Total population: 11,689,100
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
14. New Jersey
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 19 min, 55 sec
> Favorite genre: Reality TV
> Total population: 8,882,190
Source: Davel5957 / Getty Images
13. Kentucky
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 21 min, 29 sec
> Favorite genre: ESPN
> Total population: 4,467,673
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Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
12. Florida
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 21 min, 39 sec
> Favorite genre: Telenovela
> Total population: 21,477,737
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
11. South Carolina
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 22 min, 23 sec
> Favorite genre: Soap Opera
> Total population: 5,148,714
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Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images
10. Arkansas
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 24 min, 52 sec
> Favorite genre: Sitcom
> Total population: 3,017,804
Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images
9. Georgia
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 26 min, 29 sec
> Favorite genre: Reality TV
> Total population: 10,617,423
Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images
8. Alabama
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 27 min, 25 sec
> Favorite genre: Sitcom
> Total population: 4,903,185
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Source: SeanPavonePhoto / Getty Images
7. Mississippi
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 29 min, 20 sec
> Favorite genre: Soap Opera
> Total population: 2,976,149
Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
6. North Dakota
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 34 min, 29 sec
> Favorite genre: Sitcom
> Total population: 762,062
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Source: 4kodiak / Getty Images
5. Nevada
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 34 min, 53 sec
> Favorite genre: Reality TV
> Total population: 3,080,156
Source: DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images
4. Oklahoma
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 36 min, 34 sec
> Favorite genre: Animated Cartoon
> Total population: 3,956,971
3. Louisiana
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 41 min, 20 sec
> Favorite genre: Soap Opera
> Total population: 4,648,794
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Source: mdgmorris / Getty Images
2. Delaware
> Avg time watched per day: 3 hrs, 47 min, 9 sec
> Favorite genre: Reality TV
> Total population: 973,764
Source: Sean Pavone / Getty Images
1. West Virginia
> Avg time watched per day: 4 hrs, 30 min, 54 sec
> Favorite genre: Soap Opera
> Total population: 1,792,147
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