The Most Popular Book Genre in Every U.S. State

You must know that I love reading. Reading is essential for kids and adults alike and has many benefits!

When you love books, as I do, I always love to find out what other people are reading. I always love a good book conversation and a book recommendation, even when it is not a genre I usually read.

The great thing about reading is that there are so many books and so many different books. There is something for everyone!

Do you think that you are original in your book choices? I like to think that I am! But it turns out that most people in my state actually read and search for the same type of books that I enjoy!

Do you like the same book genres as the rest of your state?

Fantasy is the most popular book genre in America, a new study has revealed, being the most searched in 11 states.

The study, conducted by online typing tutor Typing.com, analyzed Google Trends data to establish which book genres and titles Americans are the most interested in for each of the 50 states.

The list was then filtered by genre, thus declaring the most popular book genre in the United States.

The Most Popular Genre of Book

 The analysis revealed that fantasy had the highest number of states searching for this book genre, with eleven states loving this genre, including Hawaii, Alaska, Massachusetts, Arizona, and North Carolina.

Specifically, these states were most interested in these books:  The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, Dune by Frank Herbert, and Shadow and Bones by Leigh Bardugo, all of which were turned into movie or TV adaptations recently. 

Thriller books were the second most popular, with 10 American states searching the genre. These states include Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, and Ohio, where the popularity corresponds to that of Jack Reacher by British author Lee Child, from which a movie was adapted in 2012 with Tom Cruise as the title character.

A total of nine states, including California, New York, and New Jersey, searched the most for Horror fiction, making it the third most popular book genre. This genre also owes its popularity to an adaptation, as the most searched Horror book, Fear Street by R. L. Stine, has been recently portrayed on the small screen with a movie on Netflix.

Romance novels are the most popular in four states: Iowa, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. This popularity coincides with the most popular author in each of these states. 

 Other book genres such as Narrative, Literary fiction, and Historical fiction are the most popular in two states (Alabama and Illinois, Florida and Missouri, New Mexico and Washington, respectively). In contrast, Mystery and Science fiction books are popular in only one state each – South Dakota and Vermont.

 A spokesperson by Typing.com commented on the findings: “It is very interesting to see that regardless of the possibility of having movies and TV Series easily at hand every day, many American still enjoy their own company with a good book in hand.

In fact, it is fascinating how the development of different forms of media on platforms like Netflix and Prime Video are often what urges spectators to become readers, purchasing the books from where their favorite movies are from, to expand their knowledge on the topic, quickly discover what comes next in the plot and being able to compare the two, making the most of their experience”.

 

Most Popular Book Genres in America

Genre Total of States
Fantasy 11
Thriller 10
Horror fiction 9
Romance novel 5
Narrative 2
Literary fiction 2
Graphic novel 2
Historical fiction 2
Young adult fiction 2
Fiction 2
Parenting 1
Children 1
Mystery 1
Science fiction 1

 

Most Popular Book Genre By State

State Most Popular Genre
Alabama Narrative
Alaska Fantasy
Arizona Fantasy
Arkansas Fantasy
California Horror
Colorado Horror
Connecticut Fantasy
Delaware Thriller
Florida Literary fiction
Georgia Thriller
Hawaii Fantasy
Idaho Thriller
Illinois Narrative
Indiana Fiction
Iowa Romance novel
Kansas Parenting
Kentucky Horror
Louisiana Thriller
Maine Horror
Maryland Horror
Massachusetts Fantasy
Michigan Graphic novel
Minnesota Fiction
Mississippi Children’s
Missouri Literary fiction
Montana Graphic novel
Nebraska Fantasy
Nevada Romance novel
New Hampshire Fantasy
New Jersey Horror
New Mexico Historical fiction
New York Horror
North Carolina Fantasy
North Dakota Young adult fiction
Ohio Thriller
Oklahoma Thriller
Oregon Horror
Pennsylvania Romance novel
Rhode Island Thriller
South Carolina Horror
South Dakota Mystery
Tennessee Thriller
Texas Thriller
Utah Fantasy
Vermont Science fiction
Virginia Young adult fiction
Washington Historical fiction
West Virginia Fantasy
Wisconsin Romance novel
Wyoming Thriller

 This research was carried out by Typing.com, which provides free online typing courses and educational tools for students and professionals worldwide.

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Hi! I am a millennial mom with a passion for personal finance. I have always been “into” personal finance but got inspired to start my blog after a period of extended unemployment. That experience really changed the way I viewed my relationship with money and the importance of accessible personal finance education.