Why the Midwest Is America’s Surprising Hotbed of Social Media Influence

Summer is in full swing, and so is influencer culture.

It’s been a decade since the word ‘influencer’ forever changed how America finds out about fitness, fashion, politics, parenting, and pretty much all things pop culture. Trending topics of the summer include Love Island lingo (“the ick,” “grafting,” “crack on”), Neapolitan hair (yes, like the ice cream), and carb cycling—the nutrition fad bringing bread back (we’re not mad at it!). Influencers have evolved from an Instagram fad to a bona fide profession, marketing strategy, and new class of celebrity. Underscoring the ever-growing influence of influencers, TIME released its first-ever Digital Creators List this year, a roll call of the top 100 creators shaping the social sphere and cultural zeitgeist.

In fact, 92% of Americans—and nearly all of Gen Z (98%)—report following at least one influencer category, with food and health influencers topping the list of who they follow most (see Top 10 Categories of Influence). Even Boomers have gotten on board: three-quarters (75%) report following one influencer or more on social media.

• 92% of Americans—and 98% of Gen Zs—follow at least one influencer category, with food and health influence topping the list of who they follow most

Not surprisingly, age and gender play a role in which categories are the most influential among different pockets of the population. Women, for instance, are 3X more likely than men to follow hair and beauty influencers (23% vs. 8%), making hair and beauty the second most influential category among women, right after food. Singles are the top followers of entertainment & pop culture; Millennial men are the most likely to follow technology and gaming; and Boomers are disproportionate fans of politics and pets. And parents emerged as the demographic most likely to follow health and wellness trends (24% vs. 21% overall).

Q: Which categories of social media influencers do you currently follow? 

More surprisingly, however, is geography's significant role in shaping the content that different metropolitan areas seek out online. Take travel, for instance, a hot topic on social media in the summer… unless you are from San Antonio, where just 6% of residents say they follow travel influencers. This compares to 18% of Americans overall, and 26% of people from Indianapolis, the town most tapped into travel inspo. Also interesting: Politics has a higher percentage of followers just outside the capital city than it does in it: 18% of Norfolk residents follow politics on social media vs. 8% of those from Washington, D.C.—perhaps because D.C. residents are tapped out from being at the political epicenter of the country.

Health and wellness has the highest percentage of followers in Honolulu, HI. Generally speaking, warmer weather locations, like Phoenix and Miami, and west coast enclaves like San Francisco, Seattle, and San Diego, had high percentages of health and wellness followers. However, this logic didn’t always hold—warm weather locations like New Orleans and Las Vegas, both home to foodies and fun, stigmas be damned!---were last on the list of cities stoked about health and wellness trends online.

Midwest cities, including Des Moines, Detroit, Chicago, Indianapolis, Columbus, and Cleveland, emerged as having the highest percentage of residents following influencers across multiple categories, making them natural catalysts of social media trends. In fact, 99% of respondents in Des Moines follow influencers, as are 98% of people in Detroit and 97% of Chicagans. 

• Des Moines, nestled in a state known for corn and Caucuses, has the highest concentration of hair & beauty followers

Des Moines, nestled in a state known for corn and caucuses, has the highest concentration of hair & beauty followers—27% of residents follow influencers in these categories vs. 16% of Americans overall. In addition to following more hair and beauty influencers, 50% of people from Des Moines have tried hair supplements, either now or in the past, vs. just 35% of Americans overall; and 44% have tried hair growth medications vs. just 30% of Americans. Des Moines also boasts the third-highest percentage of health and wellness followers after Honolulu and Phoenix, further establishing it as a catalyst for health trends.

Since Des Moines boasts the largest percentage of people following influencers of any U.S. city—and since it was the top city to follow hair and beauty influencers—we dove deeper into the hairstyles Des Moinesians rank highest in. Here’s the rundown.

• Curly hair: 21% name it as a top style vs. 16% of Americans overall

• Pony tail: 13% name it as a top style vs. 10% of Americans overall

• Long layers: 10% name it as a top style vs. 17% of Americans overall

• Classic boy cut: 16% name it as a top style vs. 11% of Americans overall

• Fade: 14% name it as a top style vs. 14% of Americans overall

• Buzz cut: 14% name it as a top style vs. 12% of Americans overall

Beyond Des Moines, Detroit has the highest percentage of lifestyle and parenting followers; Chicago has the largest concentration of foodie and fashionista followers; and Columbus tops the list of people following gamer culture. As previously mentioned, Indianapolis ranked no. 1 in the travel category and is also tied with Cleveland for having the highest percentage of Entertainment and pop Culture followers (see Top Cities of Influence By Category).

New York City, known for setting trends rather than following them, was third to last to say it tapped into influencers to keep up with culture. That said, food (30%), fashion (28%), and sports (26%) still ranked high on New Yorkers’ lists.

These cities are catalysts of trends, with the highest percentage of residents following influencers in each of the top 10 categories of influence. 

Percentages reflect the percentage of residents who say they follow influencers in each category

Food

Chicago: 35%

San Antonio: 32%

Orlando: 31% (t)

Denver: 31% (t)

American Average: 23%

Health & Wellness

Honolulu: 41%

Phoenix: 35%

Des Moines: 34% 

American Average: 21% 

Fitness & Nutrition

Salt Lake City: 36%

New Orleans: 31% (t)

Seattle: 31% (t)

Boston: 30%

American Average: 20%

Sports

Atlanta: 29%

Las Vegas: 28% 

Miami: 27% 

American Average: 20%

Fashion & Style

Chicago: 31%

Providence, RI: 29% 

Los Angeles: 28% (t)

New York: 28% (t)

American Average: 18%

Travel

Indianapolis: 26%

Philadelphia: 25% (t)

Providence, RI: 25% (t)

Portland, OR: 24%

American Average: 18%

Lifestyle

Detroit: 29%

Seattle: 26% (t)

Denver: 26%  (t) 

Omaha: 26%  (t)

Raleigh: 25% (t)

Birmingham: 25% (t)

American Average: 16%

Hair & Beauty

Des Moines: 27%

New York City: 25% 

Birmingham: 24% 

American Average: 16%

Entertainment & Pop Culture

Cleveland: 24% (t)

Indianapolis: 24% (t)

Greenville, SC: 21% (t)

Milwaukee: 21% (t)

Miami: 20% 

American Average: 16%

Animals & Pets

Tampa: 23% (t)

Salt Lake City: 23% (t)

Chicago: 22% 

Providence, RI: 21% (t)

Nashville: 21% (t)

American Average: 15%

Gaming

Columbus: 20%

Little Rock: 19% 

Washington, D.C.: 18% (t)

Nashville: 18% (t)

Baltimore: 18% (t)

Cleveland: 18% (t)

American Average: 14%

Technology

Honolulu: 22%

Boston: 21% (t)

Miami: 21% (t)

Atlanta: 19%

American Average: 13%

Arts & Culture

Sacramento: 16% (t)

Austin: 16% (t)

Pittsburg: 15%

San Francisco: 14%

American Average: 10%

Politics & Activism

Norfolk, VA: 18%

Pittsburg: 13% (t)

Minneapolis: 13% (t)

Houston: 12%

American Average: 8%

Parenting

Detroit: 21%

Little Rock: 16% 

Memphis: 15% (t)

Sacramento: 15% (t)

American Average: 8%

This study is based on a 7,100-person online survey, which included (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 multiple categories. The study was fielded in January 2025.

 Findings were analyzed by 190 demographic and psychographic cuts, including city, region, gender (when we refer to “women” and “men,” we include all people who self-identify as such), 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 data in this study are 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 press@forhims.com.