With summer in full swing that means vacations to various places, the beach, the lake and food, food, food! It also means plenty of barbecues, grilling and outdoor eating in the summer warmth. So that begs the question what states eat the most hamburgers and hot dogs? You might be very surprised at the answers.
We came across this very interesting and informative article from 24/7Tempo.com and were quite surprised with what we found out about people’s love for these two staples of summertime eating. So check it out and see just who are the champions of these two truly all American feasts of deliciousness.
So which states eat the most of each?
It’s no secret that we love hot dogs and hamburgers in America. We eat an estimated billion dogs and 50 billion burgers annually. They’re enjoyed all year long, of course, but summer seems to be prime time for these all-American specialties.
On the Fourth of July alone, according to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, 150 million wieners get consumed — enough to stretch between L.A. and Washington D.C. more than five times. Nobody seems to track hamburger numbers for the holiday, but if we eat two-and-a-half times as many burgers as dogs overall, that could put the burger tally around 375 million on the Fourth.
It turns out, though, that not every part of the country enjoys hot dogs and hamburgers equally. That’s what 24/7 Tempo found out when we recently compiled data for U.S. hot dog and hamburger consumption by state.
When it comes to hot dogs, West Virginia out-eats the rest of the country by a wide margin, consuming 481 per capita every year. Having lived and worked there for several years I can believe that.
Second-place Illinois — home of Chicago, the city sometimes described as the hot dog capital of America — manages a mere 317.
Folks apparently just don’t care all that much for franks in Wyoming, however. They account for an annual average of only 149 each, putting them in last place on the dog-eating list.
Two states vie for first-place hamburger consumption — Oklahoma and Nevada, each managing 267 burgers per capita each year. Strangely enough, West Virginia, which eats the most dogs, also eats the fewest burgers, just 171.
Similar anomalies show up for other states. Pennsylvania, for instance, ranks third for hot dogs but seventh from the bottom for burgers. Delaware is 12th highest in dog-eating but fourth lowest for burgers. On the other hand, California, which ties with Texas for third most burgers consumed is 21st lowest on the hot dog chart. As for Florida, they are somewhere in the middle of the pack with both hot dogs and hamburgers.
As far as the favorite toppings for both hot dogs and hamburgers that deserves a whole feature by itself. The extras that people put on both are a far reaching assortment of many kinds of condiments and ideas, some of which make no sense, but hey, it’s their stomach! The one thing I will agree on 100% is…………ketchup belongs on a burger not a hot dog and mustard belongs on a hot dog not a burger. For me personally, on a burger I use ranch dressing rather than ketchup and on a hot dog, yep, always got to be French’s or Gulden’s mustard.
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On a closing note, as for #1 West Virginia if you travel through the state a MUST STOP is in Lesage, W, Va., a few miles outside Huntington, at Hillbilly Hot Dogs. They are without question the best anywhere on the planet. The place is a fun, eye opening collection of quirky “kitsch” down home charm that takes you back into another time and it even has a “Weddin’ Chapel”. It has been featured in the past on the Food Network on several shows. We might do a story on this place in the future. It is truly an institution in hot dog land!
https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/tipsandtricks/these-states-eat-the-most-hot-dogs-and-hamburgers-in-america/ar-AADdUm6?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=U506DHP for even more info.
