While millions scroll endlessly through short videos and tagged snapshots, a quieter digital map is forming beneath the surface, one shaped not by algorithms, but by geography.
A new ranking has revealed which American states are most active, visible, and commercially positioned on social media. The results show a striking divide between tech-saturated coasts and the offline corners of the country.
New York leads the list. Scoring 78.1 out of 100, it edges out every other state in terms of hashtag traffic and visibility. On Instagram alone, more than 138 million posts reference the Empire State. When adjusted for population, that equals over 700,000 posts per 100,000 residents. No other state comes close to that density of content.
Hawaii follows close behind, with a score of 77.2. It’s not just tourists driving its digital footprint. The state has the highest influencer-per-capita ratio in the country, 0.21 per 100,000 residents. Influencers born in Hawaii are not fringe creators; they sit at the top of their categories globally. Combined with a huge amount of visual content per capita, the state punches well above its population size.
California, in third place at 72.0, has quantity on its side. It hosts 38 of the top 200 influencers examined in the report, more than any other state. However, due to its size, its per capita performance is weaker than both New York and Hawaii. Still, its massive ecosystem of content creators, media firms, and marketing agencies keeps it firmly in the lead pack.
The analysis, concocted by video editing firm VidPros, used five separate indicators that is the number of major influencers born in each state, volume of Google searches related to social media, number of Instagram and TikTok posts under state hashtags, and the number of digital marketing agencies. Each was assigned a weight before states were scored on a 100-point scale.
The rest of the top ten includes Massachusetts (70.9), Connecticut (70.1), New Jersey (68.5), Florida (64.7), Nevada (61.5), Virginia (61.4), and Utah (59.7). Most are clustered along the East Coast or in tourism-heavy regions. These are states where content tends to circulate widely, often blending influencer marketing with travel and lifestyle appeal.
But further down the list, the numbers shift dramatically.
Alaska, in last place, scored only 15.7. South Dakota followed with 16.9, then West Virginia (17.8), Mississippi (19.2), and North Dakota (20.4). These bottom states share certain traits: sparse populations, fewer marketing firms, low influencer visibility, and little national exposure through content. In Alaska, the number of major influencers born in-state was effectively zero. Instagram posts tagged with #Alaska trail far behind even mid-tier states like Kansas or Nebraska.
Even among states with similar populations, the digital gap is wide. Wyoming, for instance, scored 55.0, over three times higher than Alaska. Its performance was driven by steady per-capita content output and a slightly higher count of influencer activity. Similarly, New Hampshire, a state with modest size, still landed at 57.0 thanks to strong hashtag performance.
All in all, 72 percent of Americans now use social media regularly, according to census-linked data in the report. The average daily screen time related to social platforms stands at just over two hours. These habits translate into economic scale. Influencer marketing is forecast to hit six billion dollars in 2025, while broader social commerce is set to exceed $90 billion. These aren’t background numbers, they reflect the real business value behind everyday scrolling.
The results suggest that social media success isn’t just about population. It’s about density, culture, and visibility. States that show up often in visual content, attract creator attention, and maintain a creative workforce tend to score higher. Others, with fewer digital touchpoints or weaker online economies, remain mostly unseen in the feed-driven world.
In short, some states are building the digital future. Others are still catching up.
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A new ranking has revealed which American states are most active, visible, and commercially positioned on social media. The results show a striking divide between tech-saturated coasts and the offline corners of the country.
New York leads the list. Scoring 78.1 out of 100, it edges out every other state in terms of hashtag traffic and visibility. On Instagram alone, more than 138 million posts reference the Empire State. When adjusted for population, that equals over 700,000 posts per 100,000 residents. No other state comes close to that density of content.
Hawaii follows close behind, with a score of 77.2. It’s not just tourists driving its digital footprint. The state has the highest influencer-per-capita ratio in the country, 0.21 per 100,000 residents. Influencers born in Hawaii are not fringe creators; they sit at the top of their categories globally. Combined with a huge amount of visual content per capita, the state punches well above its population size.
California, in third place at 72.0, has quantity on its side. It hosts 38 of the top 200 influencers examined in the report, more than any other state. However, due to its size, its per capita performance is weaker than both New York and Hawaii. Still, its massive ecosystem of content creators, media firms, and marketing agencies keeps it firmly in the lead pack.
The analysis, concocted by video editing firm VidPros, used five separate indicators that is the number of major influencers born in each state, volume of Google searches related to social media, number of Instagram and TikTok posts under state hashtags, and the number of digital marketing agencies. Each was assigned a weight before states were scored on a 100-point scale.
The rest of the top ten includes Massachusetts (70.9), Connecticut (70.1), New Jersey (68.5), Florida (64.7), Nevada (61.5), Virginia (61.4), and Utah (59.7). Most are clustered along the East Coast or in tourism-heavy regions. These are states where content tends to circulate widely, often blending influencer marketing with travel and lifestyle appeal.
But further down the list, the numbers shift dramatically.
Alaska, in last place, scored only 15.7. South Dakota followed with 16.9, then West Virginia (17.8), Mississippi (19.2), and North Dakota (20.4). These bottom states share certain traits: sparse populations, fewer marketing firms, low influencer visibility, and little national exposure through content. In Alaska, the number of major influencers born in-state was effectively zero. Instagram posts tagged with #Alaska trail far behind even mid-tier states like Kansas or Nebraska.
Even among states with similar populations, the digital gap is wide. Wyoming, for instance, scored 55.0, over three times higher than Alaska. Its performance was driven by steady per-capita content output and a slightly higher count of influencer activity. Similarly, New Hampshire, a state with modest size, still landed at 57.0 thanks to strong hashtag performance.
All in all, 72 percent of Americans now use social media regularly, according to census-linked data in the report. The average daily screen time related to social platforms stands at just over two hours. These habits translate into economic scale. Influencer marketing is forecast to hit six billion dollars in 2025, while broader social commerce is set to exceed $90 billion. These aren’t background numbers, they reflect the real business value behind everyday scrolling.
From Posts to Popularity: Which U.S. States Influence Your Social Media Feed
| Rank | State | Score - Out Of 100 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | 78.1 |
| 2 | Hawaii | 77.2 |
| 3 | California | 72 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 70.9 |
| 5 | Connecticut | 70.1 |
| 6 | New Jersey | 68.5 |
| 7 | Florida | 64.7 |
| 8 | Nevada | 61.5 |
| 9 | Virginia | 61.4 |
| 10 | Utah | 59.7 |
| 11 | Oregon | 59.5 |
| 12 | Maryland | 58.8 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | 57 |
| 14 | North Carolina | 55.2 |
| 15 | Wyoming | 55 |
| 16 | Washington | 54.9 |
| 17 | Colorado | 53.2 |
| 18 | Texas | 52.6 |
| 19 | Arizona | 50.4 |
| 20 | Illinois | 50.3 |
| 21 | Ohio | 47.6 |
| 22 | Delaware | 47 |
| 23 | Georgia | 46 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | 45.8 |
| 25 | Tennessee | 45.1 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | 44.5 |
| 27 | Michigan | 43.9 |
| 28 | Minnesota | 42.9 |
| 29 | Kansas | 40.9 |
| 30 | Louisiana | 40.3 |
| 31 | Nebraska | 39.6 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | 39.1 |
| 33 | Indiana | 37.2 |
| 34 | Vermont | 36.9 |
| 35 | Kentucky | 36.8 |
| 36 | Maine | 32.7 |
| 37 | South Carolina | 29.9 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | 29.5 |
| 39 | Alabama | 28 |
| 40 | Missouri | 28 |
| 41 | Idaho | 26.8 |
| 42 | Iowa | 25.9 |
| 43 | Arkansas | 23.5 |
| 44 | New Mexico | 23.1 |
| 45 | Montana | 22.4 |
| 46 | North Dakota | 20.4 |
| 47 | Mississippi | 19.2 |
| 48 | West Virginia | 17.8 |
| 49 | South Dakota | 16.9 |
| 50 | Alaska | 15.7 |
The results suggest that social media success isn’t just about population. It’s about density, culture, and visibility. States that show up often in visual content, attract creator attention, and maintain a creative workforce tend to score higher. Others, with fewer digital touchpoints or weaker online economies, remain mostly unseen in the feed-driven world.
In short, some states are building the digital future. Others are still catching up.
Read next:
• Study Shows Human Behavior Undermines AI’s Medical Accuracy Outside Test Settings
• Where in the World Are LinkedIn Users Most Likely to Call Themselves CEOs?
