America's Favorite Pie Isn't Apple: See the Winners in Each State

Apple pie has long been a staple of American culture. However, our recent survey on Americans’ favorite pie for Thanksgiving found that 77 percent of respondents call a variety other than apple pie as their go-to. This made us wonder, Are we still “as American as apple pie?” 

77% of Americans name a pie other than apple pie as their favorite for Thanksgiving

As for the overall pie winner, pumpkin takes the cake (err, pie), beating apple pie as America’s favorite by a narrow margin (24 percent versus 23 percent). Sweet potato pie, chocolate cream pie, pecan pie, and key lime pie rounded out the list of top pies (see American Pie Chart). Also notable, though, is that pie preference varies greatly by region.

While generational differences play a role in pie preference — notably, baby boomers are 50 percent more likely than members of Gen Z to name pumpkin pie as their favorite (30 percent versus 20 percent) — geography is the biggest indicator of which pie is most likely to end up on your Thanksgiving table. Here are the five biggest regional differences in pie preference, along with the top pie in every state (see Favorite Thanksgiving Pie in Every State). 

1. Most “American as Apple Pie”: Delaware

Delaware has the highest percentage of apple pie lovers in America, with 35 percent naming the variety as their favorite  — Idaho came in second place (34 percent), followed by Montana (33 percent). Comparatively, just 23 percent of Americans overall named apple pie as their favorite. 

Within much of the Mid-Atlantic region and New England, apple pie holds strong, tying back to the region’s historic orchards and colonial roots. Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Vermont are also all apple pie lovers. 

What does Delaware not love? Pumpkin pie. Only 15 percent name pumpkin as their favorite Thanksgiving pie, placing the state second for pumpkin pie lovers. (Alabama was last with only 9 percent naming pumpkin as their top pie.) 

2. Biggest Pie Lovers: Mississippi

Fewer than one percent (0.9 percent) of people from Mississippi say they don’t like pie, making it the state with the highest percentage of pie lovers in America. Overall, 4 percent of Americans indicate they don’t like pie on Thanksgiving, with Iowa having the highest percentage of non-pie lovers (8 percent). 

So what’s Mississippi’s favorite pie? The population is torn. About the same percentage of Mississippians like apple pie (21 percent) as do pumpkin pie (20 percent), sweet potato pie (19 percent), and chocolate cream pie (18 percent), highlighting their diverse pie palate.

3. Most Counterculture (About Pie): North Dakota

North Dakota stands out for a few reasons regarding pie results: It’s the state with residents least likely to name apple pie as a favorite (15 percent for the state versus 23 percent overall for Americans). People from North Dakota are also most likely to love pecan pie (18 percent say it’s a favorite), which falls relatively low on America’s favorite pie list (just 10 percent overall call it a favorite). The state’s favorite pie overall is sweet potato pie (22 percent). 

Notably, North Dakota’s southern sister state, South Dakota, has a similar pie profile. South Dakota residents have a strong preference for pecan pie and relatively low interest in apple pie. But the state similarities stop with sweet potato pie, which South Dakota ranks as second to last.

4. Biggest Regional Surprise: Wyoming

Though being home to the Florida Keys, only 6 percent of Floridians named key lime pie as their favorite, which is below the national average. Surprisingly, Wyoming had the highest percentage of people who named key lime pie as their favorite for Thanksgiving. 

Furthermore, more than twice as many people from Wyoming say key lime pie is their favorite compared to Americans overall (15 percent versus 7 percent). Wyoming is also the only state in the U.S. where chocolate cream pie tops its Thanksgiving pie list.

5. A Tale of Two Pies: Tennessee

Nashville and Memphis are just 3 hours away from each other, but their pie preferences couldn’t be more different. In Nashville, it’s all about apple pie, with 31 percent of respondents naming it as their favorite Thanksgiving pie. In Memphis, however, half as many name apple as a favorite (17 percent). Instead, Memphis residents favor pumpkin pie, with 35 percent naming it as their top pie, which is the second-highest rate of pumpkin pie lovers of any city in the U.S. (Minneapolis has the most pumpkin pie fans). Nashville, on the other hand, isn’t as into pumpkin pie, with only 18 percent saying it’s their top pie. 

Favorites aside, nearly all of America loves Thanksgiving pie. While we may not agree on football, politics, or which Taylor Swift album is the best, 96 percent of Americans agree that pie is awesome. (And for the 4 percent that don’t like pie — who are you people?). America is as American as all the pies. 

If you are looking to trim back this Thanksgiving, but you still want to leave room for the most important course (pie), here are some suggestions on how you can have your pie and eat it, too.

1. Make Healthier Sides

Save room for pie by switching out a few ingredients in your favorite sides. You can easily make stuffing less… stuffing, up your veggie profile, and reserve the sweet stuff for the pie (looking at you, canned cranberries).

2. Eat Clean Before the Big Day

Take a proactive approach and follow a cleaner diet the week prior to Thanksgiving. Skip the sweets and cocktails, load up on fruits and veggies, drink lots of water, and buy local, organic foods. 

3. Take a Trot

Start a new holiday tradition with a Thanksgiving Day hike, walk, or ‘turkey trot.’ Find a race in your state, or just go on a leisurely walk with friends or family to burn some extra calories to help offset your pie.

Only seven states left the pumpkin-or-apple pie trend, with six states choosing sweet potato pie as their Thanksgiving go-to (Alabama, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, and North Dakota), and one state—Wyoming—choosing chocolate cream. 

1. Alabama: Sweet potato pie

2. Alaska: Pumpkin pie

3. Arizona: Pumpkin pie

4. Arkansas: Apple pie

5. California: Apple pie

6. Colorado: Pumpkin pie

7. Connecticut: Apple pie

8. Delaware: Apple pie

9. Florida: Apple pie

10. Georgia: Apple pie

11. Hawaii: Sweet potato pie

12. Idaho: Apple pie

13. Illinois: Pumpkin pie

14. Indiana: Pumpkin pie

15. Iowa: Pumpkin pie

16. Kansas: Pumpkin pie

17. Kentucky: Apple pie, Pumpkin pie (tied)

18. Louisiana: Apple pie

19. Maine: Sweet potato pie

20. Maryland: Apple pie

21. Massachusetts: Pumpkin pie

22. Michigan: Sweet potato pie

23. Minnesota: Pumpkin pie

24. Mississippi: Apple pie

25. Missouri: Pumpkin pie

26. Montana: Apple pie

27. Nebraska: Pumpkin pie

28. Nevada: Pumpkin pie

29. New Hampshire: Apple pie, Pumpkin pie (tied)

30. New Jersey: Apple pie

31. New Mexico: Pumpkin pie

32. New York: Pumpkin pie

33. North Carolina: Sweet potato pie

34. North Dakota: Sweet potato pie

35. Ohio: Pumpkin pie

36. Oklahoma: Pumpkin pie

37. Oregon: Pumpkin pie

38. Pennsylvania: Pumpkin pie

39. Rhode Island: Pumpkin pie

40. South Carolina: Pumpkin pie

41. South Dakota: Pumpkin pie

42. Tennessee: Pumpkin pie

43. Texas: Apple pie

44. Utah: Pumpkin pie

45. Vermont: Apple pie

46. Virginia: Apple pie

47. Washington: Apple pie

48. West Virginia: Apple pie

49. Wisconsin: Pumpkin pie

50. Wyoming: Chocolate cream pie

Results come from an August 2025 online survey of 6,985 people. Participants include approximately (1) 5,000 18-to-65-year-old respondents in the top 50 metropolitan areas (100 respondents per city); (2) 5,000 18-65-year-old respondents in each of the 50 states (100 respondents per state); and (3) a nationally representative sample of 500 18-to-65-year-old respondents to contextualize results. These three categories are not mutually exclusive; some respondents fall within more than one category. 

Findings were analyzed by more than 150 demographic and psychographic cuts. These include city, region, self-identified gender, age, race and ethnicity, relationship status, parenting status, sexual orientation (heterosexual, bisexual, gay, lesbian, pansexual, asexual, queer, etc.), fandoms (music, sports, etc.), and fitness and diet preferences, among other areas of interest. 

All study data captured originate from this source, unless otherwise noted. Independent research firm, Culture Co-op, conducted and analyzed research and findings.

Questions about our study? Contact us at [email protected].