Becoming a vegan can be challenging as you have to make considerable changes in your diet. It is a lifestyle change that takes time to adapt to.
Veganism is rapidly gaining recognition in many parts of the world, including the United States of America. More people are inclined towards a plant-based healthy eating lifestyle with no animal cruelty.
In this article, we bring you the most vegan-populated states in America. We have determined rating factors and gathered the data required to conclude the vegan population by state.
Rating Factors To Determine Vegan Population By State
We used four main factors to determine the vegan population of every state in the country. We measured these indicators, and with the complete data set, we were able to rank all 50 states based on veganism.
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Vegan Population Per Capita
To determine this factor, we analyzed search trends in Google. We measured the average monthly search volume for the search term “vegan restaurants” to determine how many people were looking for this dining option.
After that, we weighed the search volume of each state per 1 million people basis to compare and rank the states accordingly.
Vegan Socializing Groups
Next, we looked at how many vegan socializing groups are scattered across all states to determine how active vegans are in promoting this lifestyle.
We gathered data using Meetup.com and weighted the data per 1 million people.
Specialized Vegan Restaurants And Eateries
The other factor we considered is how many restaurants were dedicated to vegans in each state. For this, we gathered data using Google Maps and websites like Yelp.com.
We gathered data and weighed the number of restaurants against the population to compare and rank each state.
Animal Welfare Societies
As the last factor, we considered the number of societies and groups that were reserved for supporting animal rights. The results showed us how dedicated people in each state were towards protecting animals and animal welfare.
We used Google Maps to find reliable information on the animal welfare groups scattered in every state.
Top 10 Vegan States
Here is the data we gathered to determine the vegan population by state.
- Nevada
- Vegan Population Per Capita: 942 per 1 million people
- Vegan Socializing Groups: 8 per 1 million people
- Vegan Restaurants: 14 per 1 million people
- Animal Welfare Societies: 4 per 1 million people
Nevada stands top in the list of vegan states due to the strong growth in search traffic among the locals of the state.
- California
- Vegan Population Per Capita: 838 per 1 million people
- Vegan Socializing Groups: 6 per 1 million people
- Vegan Restaurants: 11 per 1 million people
- Animal Welfare Societies: 3 per 1 million people
California is closely competing with Nevada in search traffic and the number of vegan restaurants. It also has a considerable number of vegan-related groups.
- Oregon
- Vegan Population Per Capita: 688 per 1 million people
- Vegan Socializing Groups: 5 per 1 million people
- Vegan Restaurants: 16 per 1 million people
- Animal Welfare Societies: 21 per 1 million people
Oregon comes to third place with a considerable number of vegan restaurants and high search volume. However, it needs to improve socializing and organizing vegan groups.
- Hawaii
- Vegan Population Per Capita: 622 per 1 million people
- Vegan Socializing Groups: 18 per 1 million people
- Vegan Restaurants: 19 per 1 million people
- Animal Welfare Societies: 40 per 1 million people
Hawaii seems to have a significant demand for vegan dining options. People are constantly searching for vegan-friendly eateries as a tourist destination, based on the results above.
- New York
- Vegan Population Per Capita: 622 per 1 million people
- Vegan Socializing Groups: 6 per 1 million people
- Vegan Restaurants: 9 per 1 million people
- Animal Welfare Societies: 4 per 1 million people
When researching the popularity of the vegan lifestyle in New York, a significant thing we noticed is that it has a high density of restaurants in certain areas. However, the spread of vegan dining options is not constant across the state.
- New Jersey
- Vegan Population Per Capita: 405 per 1 million people
- Vegan Socializing Groups: 16 per 1 million people
- Vegan Restaurants: 29 per 1 million people
- Animal Welfare Societies: 17 per 1 million people
New Jersey ranks at the top when it comes to vegan dining options, with a high number of restaurants to select from.
- Maryland
- Vegan Population Per Capita: 480 per 1 million people
- Vegan Socializing Groups: 22 per 1 million people
- Vegan Restaurants: 11 per 1 million people
- Animal Welfare Societies: 22 per 1 million people
Maryland is on this list mainly because of its search trends and a high number of vegan restaurants. The state also ranks moderately well for vegan social meet-ups and animal rights and welfare support.
- Arizona
- Vegan Population Per Capita: 742 per 1 million people
- Vegan Socializing Groups: 5 per 1 million people
- Vegan Restaurants: 5 per 1 million people
- Animal Welfare Societies: 16 per 1 million people
Arizona ranks well in terms of search trends related to a vegan lifestyle. However, it needs to have more dining options focused on vegans, which is where it loses its score in this list.
- Massachusetts
- Vegan Population Per Capita: 421 per 1 million people
- Vegan Socializing Groups: 14 per 1 million people
- Vegan Restaurants: 10 per 1 million people
- Animal Welfare Societies: 12 per 1 million people
Massachusetts is a turn-around of Arizona with a low ranking in Google search trends and a higher number of vegan restaurants. The state ranks well among the top contesters regarding vegan dining options available locally.
- Michigan
- Vegan Population Per Capita: 441 per 1 million people
- Vegan Socializing Groups: 4 per 1 million people
- Vegan Restaurants: 9 per 1 million people
- Animal Welfare Societies: 4 per 1 million people
Michigan has a good mix of search trends and vegan restaurants, which has given it a place in this list. It ranks significantly high when you consider the number of animal welfare societies and vegan groups available in the state.
Looking at the list above, it’s evident that Americans are gradually becoming more vegan and want to follow this healthy lifestyle. Shakes lab has put together a list of top vegan meal replacement shakes that are worth trying out if you plan to become vegan.
Here is a full list of all 50 states according to the vegan population.
- Nevada
- California
- Oregon
- Hawaii
- New York
- New Jersey
- Maryland
- Arizona
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Virginia
- Florida
- Rhode Island
- Colorado
- Georgia
- Utah
- Washington
- Vermont
- Illinois
- New Mexico
- Delaware
- Texas
- North Carolina
- Connecticut
- Pennsylvania
- New Hampshire
- Minnesota
- Ohio
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Missouri
- West Virginia
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Indiana
- Wisconsin
- Idaho
- Nebraska
- Kentucky
- Kansas
- Oklahoma
- Iowa
- Montana
- Arkansas
- Mississippi
- Wyoming
- Alabama
- South Dakota
- Alaska
- North Dakota
Summary: Vegan Population By State
Following is a summary of the top 10 states ranked according to the four factors taken into consideration.
Top 10 States According To Vegan Population Per Capita
- Nevada
- California
- Colorado
- Arizona
- Oregon
- Texas
- New York
- Hawaii
- Washington
- Florida
Top 10 States Based On Vegan Socializing Groups
- Delaware
- Rhode Island
- Connecticut
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maryland
- Maine
- Hawaii
- New Jersey
- Massachusetts
Top 10 States Based On The Number Of Vegan Restaurants
- New Jersey
- Hawaii
- Oregon
- Nevada
- California
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Virginia
- Michigan
Top 10 States Based On Animal Welfare Societies
- Delaware
- South Dakota
- North Dakota
- Vermont
- Rhode Island
- New Hampshire
- Wyoming
- Alaska
- Idaho
- West Virginia
Are You Ready To Move Your State To The Top In Terms Of Vegan Population?
It starts with you. If you want to move on to a healthy vegan lifestyle, there are many vegan meal options you can try out.
Believe me, once you move on to a vegan lifestyle, there’s no turning back. You’ll be amazed by the results and how you feel altogether.
