20 U.S. States Most Likely to Go Vegan

Indianapolis, Indiana, March 19th, 2023 – How does the state you live in play a role in how likely you are to go vegan?  The team at Gambling.com has used Google search data, the amount of savings residents of each state would enjoy by buying tofu instead of meat, and the number of vegan meetups and restaurants to come up with a list of the states most likely to go vegan.

Which states are most likely to go vegan?

Graphic from gambling.com

As if we needed another reason to move there, Hawaii came out on top with 20 vegan restaurants and five vegan meetup groups per million residents plus a savings of $5.75 per pound when buying tofu instead of meat. Oregon and California came in second and third, and New York, Washington, and Colorado rounded out the top five.

Here’s the full list:

1. Hawaii
2. Oregon
3. California
4. New York
5. Washington
6. Colorado
7. Florida
8. North Carolina
9. Nevada
10. New Jersey
11. Illinois
12. Maryland
13. Georgia
14. Vermont
15. Tennessee
16. Pennsylvania
17. Massachusetts
18. Arizona
19. Virginia
20. Ohio

But what about the states least likely to go vegan? Wyoming, Arkansas, and West Virginia ended up on the bottom of the list.  Residents in these states save less when not buying meat and have access to many fewer vegan restaurants and meetups.

From gambling.com

What are the most common reasons people stop eating meat?

Of course, there are other reasons to go vegan beyond readily available restaurant options and grocery savings.  A 2020 Gallup poll found that concern about one’s health is the most common reason people eat less meat with 70% of respondents citing it as a major reason, but environmental worries, food safety issues, and animal welfare were also major factors for more than 40% of those polled.

How much has veganism grown nationwide?

It is difficult to get an exact number of people who are vegan in the U.S., but recent studies suggest that vegetarianism and veganism has significantly grown in popularity in the past 5 years.  Polls and surveys in 2018 showed that about 5% of people considered themselves vegan or vegetarian, but new polls are showing that number has doubled to 10%!  And these numbers don’t count the growing number of people who don’t identify as vegetarian or vegan, but who are choosing to eat less meat.  Gallup found that an incredible 1 in 4 people in the U.S. cut back their meat consumption in 2020.

Whichever state you live in, are you inspired to give the plant-based lifestyle a try?  Check out our free 21-Day Vegan Kickstart series!

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