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The Most Popular McDonald‘s Menu Item in Each State, Mapped

Which McDonald‘s items do Americans love the most? Based on this map, the Quarter Pounder reigns supreme.
ByCaLea Johnson|
What‘s your state‘s favorite McDonald‘s menu item?
What‘s your state‘s favorite McDonald‘s menu item? | Coventry Direct

From the McFlurry to the Filet-O-Fish, McDonald’s has released many iconic menu items over the years. It’s no surprise that it’s the second leading restaurant brand worldwide, right behind Starbucks. If you’ve ever wondered which McDonald’s offerings are most popular throughout the U.S,, check out the map below of each state’s favorite menu item.

To create this graphic, researchers at Coventry Direct zeroed in on 25 popular foods from the fast food chain. They then measured each state’s interest in each menu item using Google Trends search data from December 2023 to December 2024. For the purposes of the study, high search volume was equated with high popularity.

Here’s a visual of the results:

most popular mcdonalds menu items per state
The Quarter Pounder is No.1. | Coventry Direct

The clear winner is the Quarter Pounder, with nine states—including Arizona, Texas, and Montana—choosing the item over others. The hefty burger also tops search results in the South and West. Even though competitors have released bigger burgers over the years, the Quarter Pounder hasn’t lost its meaty reputation. In fact, A&W introduced a third-pound burger at the same price as McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s. It flopped because people believed one-fourth was larger than one-third and that they were being overcharged.

The McCrispy takes second, with six states searching for it the most. Illinois, Maryland, and Utah are some states that favor the southern-style fried chicken sandwich. It launched in 2021 during the “chicken sandwich wars,” and has been a popular pick with McDonald’s customers ever since. The McChicken trails right behind the McCrispy. California, Idaho, Missouri, and two other states prefer the classic menu item.

Although many sandwiches appear on the map, they don’t top search results in every part of the country. States like Tennessee and Virginia steered toward McDonald’s hotcakes. Meanwhile, chicken McNuggets won over Michigan and Ohio. Nebraska and Rhode Island were some of the few states that preferred McDonald’s Oreo McFlurry to other items.

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