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Mapped: The Most Popular Book Genre in Each U.S. State
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Key Takeaways
- Romance is the most searched book genre in the country, the top choice in 22 states.
- Poetry ties with Fiction for second place, the preference in 9 states each.
Wondering how reading habits and preferences differ depending on location?
Cloudwards, a software and security comparison service website, tracked Google Trends data between March 15th 2024–25 to determine what book genre residents in each state searched for the most.
Naturally, search data is primarily an indicator of curiosity and may not correlate with purchasing intent.
What Each U.S. State is Reading
Romance is the most searched book genre in the country, the top choice for 22 states.
| States | State Code | Most Popular Genre |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | AL | Fiction |
| Alaska | AK | Poetry |
| Arizona | AZ | Romance |
| Arkansas | AR | Fiction |
| California | CA | Mystery |
| Colorado | CO | Romance |
| Connecticut | CT | Romance |
| Delaware | DE | Fiction |
| District of Columbia | DC | Fiction |
| Florida | FL | Romance |
| Georgia | GA | Romance |
| Hawaii | HI | Fiction |
| Idaho | ID | Poetry |
| Illinois | IL | Romance |
| Indiana | IN | Romance |
| Iowa | IA | Family |
| Kansas | KS | Romance |
| Kentucky | KY | Romance |
| Louisiana | LA | Romance |
| Maine | ME | Poetry |
| Maryland | MD | Romance |
| Massachusetts | MA | History |
| Michigan | MI | Fantasy |
| Minnesota | MN | Romance |
| Mississippi | MS | Family |
| Missouri | MO | Romance |
| Montana | MT | Fiction |
| Nebraska | NE | Poetry |
| Nevada | NV | Romance |
| New Hampshire | NH | Poetry |
| New Jersey | NJ | Fantasy |
| New Mexico | NM | Poetry |
| New York | NY | Romance |
| North Carolina | NC | Fantasy |
| North Dakota | ND | Romance |
| Ohio | OH | Fantasy |
| Oklahoma | OK | Romance |
| Oregon | OR | Romance |
| Pennsylvania | PA | Poetry |
| Rhode Island | RI | Poetry |
| South Carolina | SC | Family |
| South Dakota | SD | Fiction |
| Tennessee | TN | Romance |
| Texas | TX | Fantasy |
| Utah | UT | Romance |
| Vermont | VT | Poetry |
| Virginia | VA | Romance |
| Washington | WA | Fantasy |
| West Virginia | WV | Fiction |
| Wisconsin | WI | Romance |
| Wyoming | WY | Fiction |
Surprisingly, Poetry ties with Fiction for second place, the preference in 9 states each.
Fantasy (which includes science fiction) is another popular choice: the most searched category in six states.
These six are as far apart as possible, from Washington and New Jersey on each coast, to Michigan and Ohio in the Midwest, to Texas and North Carolina down south.
The Rise of Romantasy
Book genres are fickle things: more a guideline than a category set in stone.
And often genres combine to give rise to new ones.
Take, for example, “Romantasy,” a combination of romance and fantasy.
In the last few years this sub-genre has taken off, a key preference for both younger adults and older women. Famous examples include Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros and A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.
Book TikTok (BookTok) has become a critical marketing platform for authors of this genre, and the entire fiction market has benefitted from its success.
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