Heartland rocker John Mellencamp sang about the comforts and confines of growing up in a small town (he hails from Seymour, Indiana, population 21,569). Celebrities from small communities might recognize themselves in his lyrics. They might be from Small Town, USA, but that didn’t prevent these stars from thinking big. (These are the best American small towns for the arts.)
To determine the most famous American celebrities born in small towns, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on fame, based on metrics drawn from Wikipedia pages, from the June 2022 paper “A cross-verified database of notable people, 3500BC-2018AD.” published in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Data.
Of the 50 celebrities on the list, 36 are actors and eight are singers. The remainder are a film director, a comedian, a martial arts expert, a former NBA star, a writer, and an Olympic champion turned reality-show performer. They come from places like Canandaigua, New York; Meadville, Pennsylvania; Kalispell, Montana; Duncan, Oklahoma; and Tappahannock, Virginia.
Eight of the celebrities hail from small towns in New York, the state represented the most on the list. Texas and Pennsylvania each boast five, and Oklahoma, New Jersey, and Minnesota have three apiece.
While our list is evenly divided between men and women, eight of the top 10 celebrities are female. Based on the number of pageviews, Taylor Swift tops the list with 8.1 million, well ahead of actors Jennifer Connelly and Jennifer Lawrence. However, Swift is not the top person on our list; that distinction goes to another pop princess.
Here is a list of the most famous American celebrities born in small towns.
Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
50. Kristen Wiig
> Visibility score: 34.4
> Birthplace: Canandaigua, New York
> Population, 2021: 10,563
> Birth year: 1973
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
49. Lionel Richie
> Visibility score: 34.5
> Birthplace: Tuskegee, Alabama
> Population, 2021: 9,125
> Birth year: 1949
Source: Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Getty Images
48. John Malkovich
> Visibility score: 34.7
> Birthplace: Christopher, Illinois
> Population, 2021: 2,459
> Birth year: 1953
Source: Vincent Laforet / Getty Images
47. Larry Bird
> Visibility score: 34.7
> Birthplace: West Baden Springs, Indiana
> Population, 2021: 485
> Birth year: 1956
46. Jason Momoa
> Visibility score: 34.7
> Birthplace: Nanakuli, Hawaii
> Population, 2021: 12,587
> Birth year: 1979
Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
45. John Carpenter
> Visibility score: 34.7
> Birthplace: Carthage, New York
> Population, 2021: 3,398
> Birth year: 1948
44. Dan Brown
> Visibility score: 34.8
> Birthplace: Exeter, New Hampshire
> Population, 2021: 9,908
> Birth year: 1964
Source: David Livingston / Getty Images
43. Jeff Goldblum
> Visibility score: 34.8
> Birthplace: West Homestead, Pennsylvania
> Population, 2021: 1,826
> Birth year: 1952
Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
42. Carrie Underwood
> Visibility score: 34.8
> Birthplace: Checotah, Oklahoma
> Population, 2021: 3,034
> Birth year: 1983
Source: Michael Buckner / Staff / Getty Images
41. Matthew Perry
> Visibility score: 34.9
> Birthplace: Williamstown, Massachusetts
> Population, 2021: 4,565
> Birth year: 1969
Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
40. Viola Davis
> Visibility score: 34.9
> Birthplace: St. Matthews, South Carolina
> Population, 2021: 2,038
> Birth year: 1965
Source: Tim P. Whitby / Getty Images
39. Ron Howard
> Visibility score: 34.9
> Birthplace: Duncan, Oklahoma
> Population, 2021: 22,664
> Birth year: 1954
Source: John Phillips / Getty Images
38. Frances McDormand
> Visibility score: 34.9
> Birthplace: Gibson City, Illinois
> Population, 2021: 3,593
> Birth year: 1957
Source: Christopher Polk / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
37. Michael Keaton
> Visibility score: 35.0
> Birthplace: Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
> Population, 2021: 5,539
> Birth year: 1951
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
36. Casey Affleck
> Visibility score: 35.0
> Birthplace: Falmouth, Massachusetts
> Population, 2021: 3,895
> Birth year: 1975
Source: Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
35. Sarah Jessica Parker
> Visibility score: 35.1
> Birthplace: Nelsonville, Ohio
> Population, 2021: 4,319
> Birth year: 1965
Source: Slaven Vlasic / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
34. Glenn Close
> Visibility score: 35.1
> Birthplace: Greenwich, Connecticut
> Population, 2021: 13,978
> Birth year: 1947
Source: Emma McIntyre / Getty Images
33. Jessica Biel
> Visibility score: 35.2
> Birthplace: Ely, Minnesota
> Population, 2021: 3,280
> Birth year: 1982
32. Brock Lesnar
> Visibility score: 35.2
> Birthplace: Webster, South Dakota
> Population, 2021: 1,772
> Birth year: 1977
Source: Brandon Bell / Getty Images News via Getty Images
31. Willie Nelson
> Visibility score: 35.2
> Birthplace: Abbott, Texas
> Population, 2021: 300
> Birth year: 1933
Source: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
30. Peter Dinklage
> Visibility score: 35.2
> Birthplace: Morristown, New Jersey
> Population, 2021: 20,003
> Birth year: 1969
Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
29. Jason Bateman
> Visibility score: 35.2
> Birthplace: Rye, New York
> Population, 2021: 16,459
> Birth year: 1969
Source: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
28. Donald Glover
> Visibility score: 35.3
> Birthplace: Edwards AFB, California
> Population, 2021: 2,721
> Birth year: 1983
Source: Christopher Polk / Getty Images
27. Tommy Lee Jones
> Visibility score: 35.3
> Birthplace: San Saba, Texas
> Population, 2021: 3,121
> Birth year: 1946
Source: Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
26. Emma Roberts
> Visibility score: 35.3
> Birthplace: Rhinebeck, New York
> Population, 2021: 2,684
> Birth year: 1991
Source: Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic, Inc via Getty Images
25. Renée Zellweger
> Visibility score: 35.3
> Birthplace: Katy, Texas
> Population, 2021: 21,926
> Birth year: 1969
Source: Jemal Countess / Getty Images
24. Jennifer Connelly
> Visibility score: 35.4
> Birthplace: Cairo, New York
> Population, 2021: 1,195
> Birth year: 1970
Source: Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images
23. Sharon Stone
> Visibility score: 35.4
> Birthplace: Meadville, Pennsylvania
> Population, 2021: 12,999
> Birth year: 1958
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
22. Caitlyn Jenner
> Visibility score: 35.5
> Birthplace: Mount Kisco, New York
> Population, 2021: 10,904
> Birth year: 1949
Source: Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
21. Channing Tatum
> Visibility score: 35.5
> Birthplace: Cullman, Alabama
> Population, 2021: 17,892
> Birth year: 1980
Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images
20. Jessica Lange
> Visibility score: 35.5
> Birthplace: Cloquet, Minnesota
> Population, 2021: 12,563
> Birth year: 1949
Source: Presley Ann / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
19. Dakota Fanning
> Visibility score: 35.5
> Birthplace: Conyers, Georgia
> Population, 2021: 17,101
> Birth year: 1994
Source: Adam Pretty / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
18. Michelle Williams
> Visibility score: 35.6
> Birthplace: Kalispell, Montana
> Population, 2021: 24,260
> Birth year: 1980
Source: Jason Kempin / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
17. Jamie Foxx
> Visibility score: 35.6
> Birthplace: Terrell, Texas
> Population, 2021: 17,083
> Birth year: 1967
Source: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
16. Pink (Alecia Beth Moore)
> Visibility score: 35.7
> Birthplace: Doylestown, Pennsylvania
> Population, 2021: 8,275
> Birth year: 1979
Source: Rich Polk / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
15. Kristen Bell
> Visibility score: 35.7
> Birthplace: Huntington Woods, Michigan
> Population, 2021: 6,382
> Birth year: 1980
Source: Mark Sagliocco / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
14. Alec Baldwin
> Visibility score: 35.7
> Birthplace: Amityville, New York
> Population, 2021: 9,542
> Birth year: 1958
Source: Jerry Markland / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
13. Chuck Norris
> Visibility score: 35.8
> Birthplace: Ryan, Oklahoma
> Population, 2021: 765
> Birth year: 1940
Source: Steve Granitz / WireImage via Getty Images
12. Matthew McConaughey
> Visibility score: 36.0
> Birthplace: Uvalde, Texas
> Population, 2021: 15,374
> Birth year: 1969
Source: Jason Merritt/TERM / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
11. Chris Brown
> Visibility score: 36.1
> Birthplace: Tappahannock, Virginia
> Population, 2021: 1,945
> Birth year: 1989
Source: Stuart C. Wilson / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
10. Kirsten Dunst
> Visibility score: 36.1
> Birthplace: Point Pleasant, New Jersey
> Population, 2021: 18,839
> Birth year: 1982
Source: Ian Gavan / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
9. Dolly Parton
> Visibility score: 36.2
> Birthplace: Pittman Center, Tennessee
> Population, 2021: 654
> Birth year: 1946
Source: Steve Jennings / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
8. Oprah Winfrey
> Visibility score: 36.2
> Birthplace: Kosciusko, Mississippi
> Population, 2021: 7,128
> Birth year: 1954
Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
7. Chris Pratt
> Visibility score: 36.5
> Birthplace: Virginia, Minnesota
> Population, 2021: 8,444
> Birth year: 1979
Source: Allen Berezovsky / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
6. Jack Nicholson
> Visibility score: 36.8
> Birthplace: Neptune City, New Jersey
> Population, 2021: 4,637
> Birth year: 1937
Source: Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
5. Jennifer Lawrence
> Visibility score: 37.7
> Birthplace: Indian Hills, Kentucky
> Population, 2021: 2,878
> Birth year: 1990
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
4. Mariah Carey
> Visibility score: 37.8
> Birthplace: Huntington, New York
> Population, 2021: 19,397
> Birth year: 1970
Source: Christopher Polk / Getty Images
3. Meryl Streep
> Visibility score: 38.0
> Birthplace: Summit, New Jersey
> Population, 2021: 22,598
> Birth year: 1949
Source: Amy Sussman / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
2. Taylor Swift
> Visibility score: 38.1
> Birthplace: West Reading, Pennsylvania
> Population, 2021: 4,496
> Birth year: 1989
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
1. Britney Spears
> Visibility score: 38.2
> Birthplace: McComb, Mississippi
> Population, 2021: 12,400
> Birth year: 1981
Methodology
To determine the most famous celebrities from small towns, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on fame from the June 2022 paper “A cross-verified database of notable people, 3500BC-2018AD,” published in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Data. Celebrities born in cities, towns, villages, and Census-designated places with fewer than 25,000 residents were ranked based on a visibility index composed of five factors: the number of different editions of an individual’s Wikipedia page; the length in words of an individual’s WIkipedia page; the average number of pageviews for an individual’s Wikipedia page from 2015 to 2018; the number of standard biographical data points (birth date, gender, and domain of influence) included in an individual’s Wikipedia page; and the number of external links on an individual’s Wikipedia page. Only living celebrities in cultural or sports-related domains of influence were considered. Birthplace data was matched to Census place geographies using shapefile boundary definitions for 2022. Data on population is from the Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey and is five-year data.
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