Most and least sports loving states

 With the FIFA World Cup in full swing and the final less than two weeks away, the non-profit organization SmileHub today released new reports on the Best Charities for Sports & Recreation and the Best States for Sports Lovers in 2026.

To highlight the most sports-loving states, SmileHub compared each of the 50 states based on 20 key metrics. The data set ranges from the number of sports charities per capita to the number of sports-related jobs per capita to the number of sports scholarships per capita.

 

Most Sports-Loving States	Least Sports-Loving States
1. Ohio	41. Oklahoma
2. New York	42. Arkansas
3. Pennsylvania	43. Wyoming
4. California	44. Maine
5. Illinois	45. West Virginia
6. Massachusetts	46. Alabama
7. Indiana	47. New Mexico
8. Colorado	48. Idaho
9. North Carolina	49. Alaska
10. Iowa	50. Hawaii

Key Stats

·       Ohio has the most sports bars per capita – 24.5 times more than Alaska, which has the fewest sports bars.

·       Florida has the most sports clubs per capita – 19.3 times more than Arkansas, which has the fewest sports clubs.

·       California has the most sporting goods stores per capita – 6 times more than North Dakota, which has the fewest stores.

To view the full report and your state’s rank