Fantasy football is steadily growing in the United States. Per the Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association, 20 percent of American adults played fantasy sports in 2022, with more than half of those (54 percent) participating in season-long fantasy football. There were an estimated 62.5 million American fantasy sports players in 2022, a dramatic increase from the 41.5 million Americans that took part in 2014, and the measly 19.4 million that played back in 2007. Two-thirds of those 62.5 million players were male. With daily fantasy sports (DFS) contests growing in popularity alongside the established season-long formats, fantasy football is projected to continue its trend of growth in 2023.
After taking a look at the overarching numbers, we're ready to dive into the state by state demographics of fantasy football players. Read on to find out which state has the most fantasy football managers, which states consume the most fantasy content, which have the best or worst managers, and which states have the highest-stakes fantasy football leagues.
Most Fantasy Football Managers
California has nearly 12 percent of the United States' population, with just under 40 million people. Even with a lower fantasy football participation rate than some of the fantasy hotbeds across the country, the Golden State still accounts for roughly 10 percent of the United States' fantasy football players, which is the most of any state. Texas, Florida, and New York follow California, both in terms of overall population and number of fantasy football managers.
Highest Interest In Fantasy Football
Based on Google Trends data, Minnesota is the most fantasy football-obsessed state, followed closely by its neighbor Wisconsin. Given that information, Wisconsin is a fitting home base for RotoWire. These two upper Midwestern states had the highest search interest in fantasy football-related topics, such as fantasy websites and player rankings. Washington, D.C. isn't a state, but search trends from that area suggest an interest in fantasy football that rivals those of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Before you get too upset about your taxes going to government workers who spend much of their day googling fantasy football, keep in mind that they aren't alone, as people checking their fantasy football teams or conducting research when they're supposed to be working accounts for a staggering $17 billion in productivity losses annually across the United States.
Minnesotans have plenty to be excited about when it comes to fantasy football in 2023, as Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson is the consensus No. 1 overall pick in PPR formats. Meanwhile, Wisconsin's obsession with fantasy football explains why Christian Watson's being drafted as a top-25 wide receiver after a 41-catch rookie season, even after Aaron Rodgers' departure from the Packers.
States With Best and Worst Fantasy Football Managers
This category and the next one concerning league buy-ins are both based on self-reported data from a survey of 2,200 fantasy football players divided by fanbase, so take these results with a grain of salt. The best fantasy managers according to this survey were Cardinals fans (Arizona), who reported an average finish of 3.64th place out of 12. The only other fanbase with a score better than 4.00 was the Chargers (California), who finished in 3.76th place on average. Interestingly, fans of Los Angeles' other team, the Rams, were significantly less successful, with an average finish of 4.91 out of 12.
On the other end of the spectrum were Ravens fans (Maryland), who finished in 6.54th. The next-lowest finish belonged to Buccaneers fans (Florida) at 5.88. Whether it was due to successful fantasy football managers being more willing to participate or survey responders inflating their finish, there was a clear bias toward better finishes in the survey data. A truly accurate distribution of finishes between 1st and 12th place should lead to an average finish of 6.5. Even accounting for scenarios in which two managers who finish tied for 8th both report 8th place, having just one fanbase with an average finish worse than 6th out of 12th is unrealistic.
The above caveat doesn't affect the relative results, though. Based on those, the best fantasy football managers in 2022 came from Arizona, while the worst were from Maryland, assuming NFL team fandom was largely tied to geographic location.
Highest and Lowest League Buy-ins
In addition to average finish, fantasy football players were also asked about their league buy-in. Unsurprisingly, those in areas with higher cost of living also tended to play in higher-stakes fantasy football leagues. The highest average buy-in belonged to Jaguars fans (Florida) at $75.59, followed closely by the Jets (New York/New Jersey) at $72.42. No other fanbase broke $60, with the Texans ($58.44), Giants ($55.94), Buccaneers ($54.43) and Chargers ($51.20) all coming in over $50.
The lowest-stakes leagues were played by Titans fans (Tennessee) at $23.38, followed by the Vikings ($27.43), Bears ($27.89), Cardinals ($28.00) and Cowboys ($29.86). Interestingly, Minnesota's rabid interest in fantasy football comes despite relatively low amounts of money being at stake, while Arizonans' success in fantasy last year netted them less money compared to the vast majority of states.
Considering league buy-in totals were set prior to the start of the 2022 NFL season, while average finish was determined at the end of the season, it doesn't seem like NFL team success led to more fantasy success, as having lower-quality football to watch from your favorite team may have resulted in a higher commitment to your fantasy team. Prior to the 2022 season, the Jets and Jaguars had both been perennial bottom-feeders in recent years, so those fanbases ponied up the most money for fantasy leagues last season. With the Cardinals struggling in 2022, that fanbase shifted its focus to fantasy success and earned the best average finish.
