Sports Streaming Interest in the U.S. by State
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Sports Streaming Interest in the U.S. by State

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data on sports streaming for all 50 American states

Sports Streaming Interest in the U.S.

The global streaming revolution is well underway, and sports streaming is no different.

In 2022, 85% of Americans had a streaming account and 58% had more than one. And with old exclusive cable deals winding down, sports streaming interest has grown from both consumers and providers, including sports leagues, streamers, and cable providers.

This graphic from ExpressVPN provides an overview of sports streaming interest in America by using Google Trends data to examine the most searched-for sports.

Sports Streaming Search Trends

Examining the frequency of streaming sports queries reveals both important sporting events and the effects of COVID-19.

From 2017 to 2021, some of the notable and recurring spikes in sports streaming interest occurred around the following dates:

  • Early January to Mid-February, coinciding with the NFL playoff season and the Superbowl.
  • Early June, coinciding with the NBA and NHL finals playoffs and the UEFA Champion’s League final.
  • Early September, coinciding with the start of the NFL regular season, and cascading into October for the start of the MLB playoffs and NBA and NHL regular seasons.

One major exception? The end of August in 2017 saw the largest spike in searches, likely for the professional boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor. Illegal streams alone reached nearly 3 million viewers.

And of course, interest in 2020 bottomed out in March during the start of the pandemic, picking back up in July once the first sports leagues restarted.

Sports Streaming Popularity by States and Hot Dates

From 2017 to 2021, soccer, basketball, and football saw notable surges in streaming interest.

With football and baseball long considered as America’s favorite pastimes, the uptick for soccer is especially notable. The sport’s popularity in the U.S. has tripled in the last decade, which may continue to climb as the 2026 World Cup will be hosted in North America.

But when looking at the most popular sport in all 50 states by streaming interest, football and basketball came out on top.

StateTop Searched Sport
Alabama🏈 Football
Alaska🏈 Football
Arizona🏀 Basketball
Arkansas🏀 Basketball
California🏀 Basketball
Colorado🏀 Basketball
Connecticut🏀 Basketball
DC🏀 Basketball
Delaware🏀 Basketball
Florida🏈 Football
Georgia🏈 Football
Hawaii🏈 Football
Idaho🏀 Basketball
Illinois🏀 Basketball
Indiana🏀 Basketball
Iowa🏀 Basketball
Kansas🏀 Basketball
Kentucky🏀 Basketball
Louisiana🏈 Football
Maine🏀 Basketball
Maryland🏀 Basketball
Massachusetts🏈 Football
Michigan🏈 Football
Minnesota🏒 Hockey
Mississippi🏈 Football
Missouri🏀 Basketball
Montana🏈 Football
Nebraska🏈 Football
Nevada🏀 Basketball
New Jersey🏀 Basketball
New Mexico🏀 Basketball
New York🏀 Basketball
North Carolina🏀 Basketball
North Dakota🏀 Basketball
Ohio🏈 Football
Oklahoma🏈 Football
Oregon🏈 Football
Pennsylvania🏀 Basketball
Rhode Island🏀 Basketball
South Carolina🏈 Football
South Dakota🏀 Basketball
Tennessee🏈 Football
Texas🏈 Football
Utah🏈 Football
Vermont🏈 Football
Virginia🏀 Basketball
Washington🏀 Basketball
West Virginia🏀 Basketball
Wisconsin🏀 Basketball
Wyoming🏀 Basketball

By number of states, basketball takes the first spot. 30 states including California and much of the Northeastern U.S. searched for NBA streams above other sports, reflecting the rising success of the league.

Football was second, with NFL stream searches leading in 19 states including Texas and Florida. But in terms of overall popularity, searches for NFL streams were still more popular than NBA streams in both 2017 and 2021.

The sole standout was Minnesota, which searched for NHL streams above all other sports.

TV’s Influence on Sports

Another factor to consider in sports streaming interest is the influential effect of other popular content.

For example, search interest for Formula 1 streams spiked alongside the introduction of the Netflix documentary on the sport, Drive to Survive. Likewise, the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit led to record-breaking interest in chess.

And as sports executives know all too well, having overly entertaining or charismatic individuals can also spark attention. Muhammad Ali had an oversize impact on boxing. Tiger Woods causes ratings and attendance for golf events to skyrocket.

What events, or people, will be the next to drive sports streaming interest in the U.S.? And which sport will benefit?

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This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.

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Environment

Mapped: America’s Sinking Cities

25 of the 28 largest U.S. metropolitan areas are sinking each year, with cities in Texas experiencing some of the most severe land subsidence.

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A map showing 28 of the largest American cities by land subsistence rate

Land Subsidence Across U.S. Cities

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Across the U.S., major urban centers are experiencing significant land subsidence, a.k.a the sinking of land.

This map visualizes the average vertical land movement within 28 of the largest U.S. cities from 2015 to 2021, measured in milimeters per year.

Data comes from a 2025 Nature Cities study titled “Land subsidence risk to infrastructure in US metropolises” by Ohenhen, Zhai, Lucy, et al.

Which U.S. City is Sinking the Most?

Below, we show the average vertical land movement within 28 of the largest U.S. cities from 2015 to 2021, measured in millimeters per year.

CityStateVertical land movement (mm/year)
HoustonTexas-5.216
Fort WorthTexas-4.366
DallasTexas-3.846
New YorkNew York-2.430
ChicagoIllinois-2.323
ColumbusOhio-1.934
SeattleWashington-1.847
DetroitMichigan-1.726
DenverColorado-1.714
CharlotteNorth Carolina-1.507
IndianapolisIndiana-1.423
WashingtonDistrict of Columbia-1.283
Oklahoma CityOklahoma-1.283
NashvilleTennessee-1.133
San AntonioTexas-1.099
San DiegoCalifornia-1.076
PortlandOregon-0.922
San FranciscoCalifornia-0.857
PhoenixArizona-0.846
Las VegasNevada-0.841
AustinTexas-0.792
El PasoTexas-0.754
PhiladelphiaPennsylvania-0.735
Los AngelesCalifornia-0.729
BostonMassachusetts-0.478
MemphisTennessee0.006
San JoseCalifornia0.219
JacksonvilleFlorida0.452

A recent study found that 25 of the 28 largest U.S. metropolitan areas are sinking each year, with cities in Texas experiencing some of the most severe land subsidence.

Out of the cities studied, Houston was the city experiencing the most drastic subsidence, sinking 5.216 milimeters per year on average.

This gradual sinking can worsen the impacts of sea-level rise, increase flood risk, and place additional stress on urban infrastructure, particularly in densely developed areas.

The primary cause of this subsidence is groundwater extraction, though other contributing factors include the weight of urban development, oil and gas extraction, and glacial isostatic adjustment—a slow shift in the Earth’s surface due to the long-term melting of ancient ice sheets.

The study authors estimate that a total land area of 17,900 sq. km. is sinking across these 28 cities.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn about sinking cities, check out this graphic by Planet Anomaly that visualizes the fastest-sinking coastal cities.

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