We Got the Scoop: The Top Ice Cream Flavor in Every State

Forget song of the summer. What about flavor of the summer? Well, this year, it’s Neapolitan!

Beach.com analyzed search data for all 50 states to find each state’s most popular ice cream flavor. Using a mixed-methods analysis of Google Ads and Trends data spanning the last five years, we got the scoop on over 400 different ice cream flavors. From local favorites to sleeper hits to tried-and-true, our data reveals a nation that is both nostalgic and adventurous when it comes to frozen culinary preferences.

One clear takeaway is that Neapolitan ice cream is the clear American favorite. Almost half the nation appears to be caught in a love triangle between vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. And who is to blame them? It’s so hard to just pick one!

Read on for a full helping of ice cream intel revealing the flavors every state is screaming “gotta have it” for. Or just find out what your neighbors are likely scooping. And if you’re not one to eat dessert before dinner, check out our guide to Florida’s best Michelin restaurants by the coast. Then come back here for a sweet treat! Alright, let’s get to the pint already!

America is head over heels for the vanilla, chocolate and strawberry love triangle. Ranking #1 in 19 states, Neapolitan is clearly the ice cream equivalent of America’s melting pot. The tasty trifecta is also the most Googled nationwide so far this summer.

Below is a map of the most common #1 ranking flavors in the 50 states. However, many states have more than one #1 ranking flavor.

Nine states rank chocolate as the #1 flavor, making it America’s second-favorite choice. Yet since chocolate is part of Neapolitan, it may be the real MVP (most valuable pint) in America.

However, America has some real commitment issues when it comes to picking just one flavor, and no other state is more emblematic of this than Wyoming. With seven flavors tying for #1, Wyoming has a meltdown trying to pick just one. Depending on how you look at it, the state is either paralyzed by indecision or just has excellent taste.

Wyoming is far from the exception, though. Most states can’t pick just one favorite flavor. Only 20 states have a true #1 favorite. Yet even with all that indecision, America’s favorite flavors mostly fall into the same tub. Out of the 421 unique flavors we found, only 39 are #1 favorites across the 50 states.

Some flavor themes also surfaced among the state favorites. With both pumpkin cheesecake and spiced pumpkin flavors tying for #1, Idaho is clearly in its pumpkin era. Those in Illinois and New York are getting a little salty, specifically the flavors of salty caramel pretzel and sea salt honeycomb toffee, both of which are tied for #1. In the northeast, Maine and Vermont are both on a fudge frenzy, and it’s strawberry season in Oklahoma.

Favorite ice cream flavors are like the ribbons and swirls of your favorite pint. They ebb and flow with the passage of time (or rather, your consumption). In other words, things change; our tastes and preferences change. Yet some flavors aren’t so quick to melt away from public favor, sticking around for the long haul; there are certain pints Americans keep coming back to.

Based on estimated search volume, the ice cream flavors with the most Google searches since June 2021 are Blue Moon, Neapolitan, strawberry shortcake and Superman flavors. The flavors with the most Google searches so far this year are strawberry shortcake and Neapolitan.

The three most popular ice cream flavors over the past five years are mango, brownie batter and pistachio. Three flavors that have declined in popularity the most are brown sugar, sea salt caramel and praline ice cream. The three flavors with the most consistent searches overall (neither growing nor declining in popularity) are summer strawberry, salted caramel brownie and Udderly Chocolate (a branded Tillamook flavor).

Wisconsin and West Virginia are out of the blue with their #1 favorite ice cream flavors, literally. The Midwest invention, Blue Moon, ranks #1 in both states. Although its exact origin (and even flavor) is unknown and claimed by several, it is mostly found in Wisconsin and Michigan. And fun fact: it’s one of the flavors that’s part of Superman ice cream.

Blue Moon’s regional cousin and sometimes companion, Superman, ranks #1 in Minnesota and ties with Blue Moon for #1 in Wisconsin. This swirl of blue, red and yellow is also a Midwest invention that evokes a sense of nostalgia, yet also chaos.

Regional flavors reign supreme. States are proud of their local frozen culinary inventions, such as Pennsylvania, with its local love for teaberry ice cream. This flavor is made with the eastern teaberry fruit and is definitely a Pennsylvanian invention. In fact, if you live outside of the Keystone State, good luck finding this flavor. It’s almost entirely limited to Pennsylvania.

Another standout #1 favorite in Texas, Minnesota, New Jersey and Washington is the Blue Bell brand Groom’s Cake flavor. It’s a well-rounded flavor that basically has everything but the kitchen sink. According to Blue Bell, it’s chocolate ice cream with chocolate cake pieces, chocolate-coated strawberry hearts, swirls of strawberry sauce and chocolate icing flavor.

One last unique standout flavor is Bailey’s Irish Cream ice cream, a discontinued Häagen-Dazs flavor, which ranks number one in South Dakota. It was discontinued in 2018, and it appears that South Dakotans haven’t fully come to terms with the loss, clinging to a nostalgic past. However, this may be a case where the customer is right. If a customer base can’t get over the breakup of one of their favorite flavors seven years later, maybe it’s time to bring it back!

If there is one clear takeaway about the most popular ice cream flavors in America, it’s that we have a bit of a Neapolitan complex in this country. You could also say we don’t play flavor-ites. Yet, that’s exactly what we’re about at Beach.com. We know how to chill out and support whatever floats your sundae boat. Whether your travel style is vanilla or full of rocky roads and moose tracks, we have a destination in mind for you.

From the best restaurants in Maine beach towns to the best California beaches for families, backed by data, we’re serving up as many travel flavors as there are ice creams. Our diverse platform palette is sure to serve you the travel destination that is as unforgettable as your favorite scoop of ice cream. Whether your next trip includes a waterfront view or just a waffle cone, this is your invitation to dig in. Better hurry before it starts to melt!

To find each state’s favorite ice cream flavor, we compiled a list of 421 unique flavors from top-selling U.S. brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Häagen‑Dazs, Blue Bell and Breyers, among others. We then used Google Ads Keyword Planner to analyze search interest in each flavor across the 50 states from June 2021 through May 2025, including search volume, trends and recency.

Since Google provides search volume in binned estimates, we applied multiple tie-breaking methods using national-level search data, with a focus on more recent search volumes. We created a composite scoring system across eight metrics and ran several iterations with varying weights to identify consistent #1 flavors in each state. In cases of persistent ties, we prioritized flavors that appeared in fewer states to spotlight regional uniqueness.

Finally, we also used Google Trends data (via pytrends) from June 2020 to May 2025 to identify which flavors are gaining or losing popularity over time.