Cities With the Fewest Pizza Places
DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images 15. Flint, Michigan > Pizzerias per 100K: 3.3 > Population: 332,190 Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images 14. San Antonio, Texas > Pizzerias per 100K: 3.2 > Population: 2,049,293 Sean Pavone / Getty…
Pizza is an American staple and there are pizzerias all over the country. However, some cities have more pizza places than others — and some have fewer. 24/7 Tempo has compiled a list of the cities with the fewest pizza places, using data from Yelp API and the US Census Bureau. There are several possible reasons why a city might have relatively few pizza places, including poverty, urban blight, demographics and related food preferences, as well as more popular alternatives.
Our list is headed by Detroit, Michigan and St. Louis, Missouri, both cities with a host of economic challenges. Detroit, in particular, isn’t just short of pizzerias — it has long been associated with urban blight and migration to the suburbs, although it has been making a comeback in recent years. There are other rust-belt states whose cities have suffered from deindustrialization and decay on our list, including Ohio, with four entries.
There are also several cities in California, Florida, and Texas on our list. These are states with large and growing Hispanic populations. Even if they don’t have so many pizzerias they probably have plenty of other great fast-food options, including arepas, burritos, and tacos. (If that’s your preference, this is the best Mexican restaurant in every state.)
Honolulu, Hawaii also features on our list, possibly because of its large Asian population. Whatever the reason the Aloha State has some great dishes that it calls its own — often incorporating local seafood. (These are the best seafood restaurants in America according to Yelp.)
Click here for the American cities with fewest pizza places
Methodology
To identify the cities with the fewest pizza places, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the number of pizza places per 100K from the Pizza Index 2021 for 259 cities around the country. The number of pizzerias was derived from the Yelp API. Total population used to adjust for pizzerias per 100K population was from the US Census Bureau.
50. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
> Pizzerias per 100K: 5.4
> Population: 570,308
49. Antioch, California
> Pizzerias per 100K: 5.3
> Population: 302,419
48. Little Rock, Arkansas
> Pizzerias per 100K: 5.2
> Population: 439,815
47. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
> Pizzerias per 100K: 5.2
> Population: 972,943
46. Jacksonville, Florida
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.9
> Population: 1,181,496
45. Charleston, South Carolina
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.8
> Population: 628,377
44. Birmingham, Alabama
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.7
> Population: 739,573
43. Wichita, Kansas
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.6
> Population: 482,249
42. Columbus, Georgia
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.6
> Population: 261,445
41. Hartford, Connecticut
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.6
> Population: 905,152
40. Columbia, South Carolina
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.6
> Population: 560,041
39. Stockton, California
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.5
> Population: 397,264
38. Allentown, Pennsylvania
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.5
> Population: 683,794
37. Toledo, Ohio
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.4
> Population: 482,111
36. Omaha, Nebraska
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.4
> Population: 847,819
35. Fresno, California
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.4
> Population: 703,498
34. Sarasota, Florida
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.3
> Population: 722,243
33. Dayton, Ohio
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.3
> Population: 718,353
32. Augusta, Georgia
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.3
> Population: 390,809
31. Buffalo, New York
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.2
> Population: 914,341
30. Tulsa, Oklahoma
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.2
> Population: 671,033
29. Salt Lake City, Utah
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.2
> Population: 1,098,526
28. Indianapolis, Indiana
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.2
> Population: 1,588,961
27. Tucson, Arizona
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.1
> Population: 888,486
26. Akron, Ohio
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.1
> Population: 565,208
25. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.0
> Population: 1,365,787
24. Providence, Rhode Island
> Pizzerias per 100K: 4.0
> Population: 1,203,230
23. Chattanooga, Tennessee
> Pizzerias per 100K: 3.9
> Population: 415,501
22. Bridgeport, Connecticut
> Pizzerias per 100K: 3.9
> Population: 924,449
21. Kansas City, Missouri
> Pizzerias per 100K: 3.9
> Population: 1,636,715
20. Fort Worth, Texas
> Pizzerias per 100K: 3.8
> Population: 909,585
19. Minneapolis, Minnesota
> Pizzerias per 100K: 3.7
> Population: 2,977,172
18. Cleveland, Ohio
> Pizzerias per 100K: 3.5
> Population: 1,710,093
17. Miami, Florida
> Pizzerias per 100K: 3.4
> Population: 6,445,545
16. Tampa, Florida
> Pizzerias per 100K: 3.3
> Population: 2,908,063
15. Flint, Michigan
> Pizzerias per 100K: 3.3
> Population: 332,190
14. San Antonio, Texas
> Pizzerias per 100K: 3.2
> Population: 2,049,293
13. Houston, Texas
> Pizzerias per 100K: 3.2
> Population: 5,464,251
12. Virginia Beach, Virginia
> Pizzerias per 100K: 3.0
> Population: 1,478,868
11. Atlanta, Georgia
> Pizzerias per 100K: 2.8
> Population: 5,449,398
10. Honolulu, Hawaii
> Pizzerias per 100K: 2.7
> Population: 820,987
9. El Paso, Texas
> Pizzerias per 100K: 2.5
> Population: 843,386
8. Mission Viejo, California
> Pizzerias per 100K: 2.5
> Population: 590,249
7. Phoenix, Arizona
> Pizzerias per 100K: 2.4
> Population: 4,219,697
6. Springfield, Massachusetts
> Pizzerias per 100K: 2.4
> Population: 623,401
5. Dallas, Texas
> Pizzerias per 100K: 2.2
> Population: 5,743,938
4. Sacramento, California
> Pizzerias per 100K: 2.1
> Population: 1,898,019
3. Concord, California
> Pizzerias per 100K: 2.1
> Population: 652,308
2. St. Louis, Missouri
> Pizzerias per 100K: 1.4
> Population: 2,024,074
1. Detroit, Michigan
> Pizzerias per 100K: 0.9
> Population: 3,506,126
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Sarah Burns is an editor and writer at 24/7 Wall St. She previously worked at AOL and MSN. She began her career in book publishing at Viking Press/Penguin Books and has been writing and editing general and financial news stories for the last 15 years.
In addition to 24/7 Wall St. and 24/7 Tempo, her stories have appeared in USA Today, MSN, MarketWatch, Business Insider, and Yahoo Finance.
Sarah has edited numerous travel and garden books. She teaches urban farming in New York City public schools and is an instructor at the New York Botanical Garden. She graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine with a bachelor’s degree in English. She is based in New York City.
