True Crime: How Obsessed Is Your State?

By Kit Copson

Last update: October 24, 2024

It’s no secret that the true crime genre can captivate our imaginations like no other. It’s also not hard to find documentaries, books, films and podcasts that dig deep into the most shocking murders, baffling unsolved mysteries and abominable abuse cases. Meanwhile, streaming services and publishers are never short of curious folk who devour this content.  

In light of the recent P. Diddy accusations that have sent the world reeling, our team collected and analyzed search volume data on true crime in each U.S. state to find out which ones are the most and least intrigued by the true crime subject. Without further ado, pop on your monocle and deerstalker cap, and let’s investigate America’s true crime obsession. 

Mapping Our True Crime Obsession in the USA

10 Fascinating True Crime Statistics

1. Washington D.C., the top state for true-crime obsession, has more than double the number of true crime searches per 100,000 people than Massachusetts, the state ranking in second place. The District of Columbia has 8,846.62 true crime-related searches per 100,000 people, while Massachusetts has 4,157.52 searches per 100,000 people. 
2. For the entire United States, the average number of true crime searches per 100,000 people is 3,428.98. 
3. Georgia — the state with the lowest level of interest in true crime — totaled just 2,155.64 searches per 100,000 people. 
4. The top five states in the ranking — Washington D.C., Massachusetts, New York, Nevada and Colorado — have an average of 4,994.48 true crime searches per 100,000 people. 
5. Those who consume true crime content spend on average 3.8 hours per week doing so; however, Gen Z averaged 4.6 hours per week.¹
6. True crime fans were most likely to watch Netflix (62%) for true crime content, followed by YouTube (42%) and Prime Video (36%).¹
7. Women are 2.5 times likelier than men to watch true crime as a means of preparation for being faced with potential dangers.¹
8. Fans report their motivation to watch true crime include curiosity (73%), followed by entertainment (46%), mystery (45%) and storytelling (33%).¹
9. Half of Americans report enjoying true crime content; 13% of this number comprises people who say it’s their favorite genre.²
10. TV shows are the most common medium for consuming true crime content, at 52%, followed by movies at 39%.²

Which States Are the Most or Least Obsessed With True Crime?

This table shows the overall rank from 1 (most obsessed) to 51 (least obsessed) on the far left, and the total true crime search volume in each state per 100,000 persons. It then ranks each state from 1 to 51 based on search data in various categories. 

_{* Searches per 100,00 people **District, not official state}

True Crime: Most and Least Obsessed States

The District of Columbia is the most intrigued by true crime, with the top score across the board for true crime categories. Among the most well-known true crimes, cases that occurred in Washington D.C. include the Freeway Phantom murders (1971-1972) and the D.C. sniper attacks, when two gunmen killed 10 people during a three-week shooting rampage. 

At the bottom of the ranking is Georgia. The state showed the lowest level of interest in three categories: true crime searches, famous murder cases and true crime podcasts and documentaries. However, the search data revealed that Georgia is somewhat more interested in infamous serial killers, especially Jeffrey Dahmer. 

Celebrity Deaths: Most and Least Obsessed States 

Washington D.C. searches for celebrity true crime cases the most, followed by Nevada, Colorado and Arizona. Interestingly, the results show that these states all have one interest in common: OJ Simpson’s death has the highest search volume. The death of Brittany Murphy is the second most searched-for celebrity death in Arizona and Colorado, along with John Lennon’s assassination in the latter. 

Mississippi (ranking 51), South Dakota (50), Alaska (49) and West Virginia (48) are the four states with the least interest in celebrity deaths. However, once again, OJ Simpson’s death is the most searched for across all four of these states, possibly due how recent his death occurred, in 2024, from prostate cancer.

Infamous Serial Killers: Most and Least Obsessed States 

The states with the highest search volume for infamous serial killers are (in order): Washington D.C., Washington state, Utah, Nevada and Illinois. Searches for Jeffrey Dahmer received the highest numbers in all these states, except for Utah, which tied with searches for Ted Bundy. This is unsurprising, given these killers’ notoriety, and it’s possible that the recent Netflix series on Dahmer has stoked even more interest in the case. 

Mississippi is the least obsessed with infamous serial killers, closely followed by Hawaii, Alaska, Arkansas and Louisiana. All states searched for Jeffrey Dahmer the most, then Ted Bundy. This demonstrates that the fascination with these cases perseveres even in states where true crime interest is relatively low. 

Famous Murder Cases: Most and Least Obsessed States 

The states with the most searches for famous murder cases — Washington D.C., Massachusetts, Connecticut, Illinois and New York — search for the OJ Simpson case the most. Other cases that show up frequently are George Floyd’s murder, Scott Peterson and Charles Manson. 

It’s worth noting that Connecticut shows a strong interest in the Jennifer Dulos case; Dulos was a New Canaan, Connecticut resident. 

The bottom five states ranking for interest for famous murder cases are Georgia (51), Alaska (50), Mississippi (49), Hawaii (48) and South Dakota (47). Once again, the OJ Simpson case is the top search, but Charles Manson and murder victim George Floyd also get a lot of interest. 

Unsolved Mysteries and Disappearances: Most and Least Obsessed States

Curiosity about unsolved mysteries and disappearances is strongest again in Washington D.C., followed by North Carolina, Massachusetts, Vermont and Washington. The disappearance of pilot Amelia Earhart is the case with the most searches across the board, but North Carolina has the same search volume for Asha Degree, a young girl who went missing in the state in 2000. 

The bottom five states for unsolved mysteries and disappearances include Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Hawaii and New Mexico. Again, Amelia Earhart is the top search on average, but Mississippi’s highest searches were for the Natalee Holloway case. In Louisiana and Arkansas, Natalee Holloway searches match the number of Amelia Earhart searches; Holloway was from the southern state of Alabama. 

True Crime Movies and Shows: Most and Least Obsessed States 

The five states with the highest search numbers in the true crime movies and shows category are Washington D.C., Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Colorado. ‘Goodfellas’ takes the top spot in this category as the most searched-for movie, but ‘American Nightmare’ and ‘The Act’ were also among the top searches. 

States with the lowest level of interest show more variety in their top searches. While ‘Goodfellas’ is the top search in Virginia (51), Mississippi’s (50) top search is ‘The Act’, as is Alaska’s (49) but tied with ‘Goodfellas.’ In Hawaii (48), ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘American Nightmare’ have an equal number of searches, and South Dakota (47)  favors ‘The Act.’ 

True Crime Podcasts & Documentaries: Most and Least Obsessed States

The states most intrigued by true crime podcasts and documentaries are Washington D.C., (1) New Hampshire (2), Vermont (3), Wyoming (4) and Minnesota (5). ‘Serial Podcast’ is the most searched-for podcast in D.C. and Vermont, but ‘Bear Brook’ is the favorite in New Hampshire, and ‘Scamada’ in Wyoming and Minnesota. 

The states the least obsessed with podcasts and documentaries in this genre are Georgia (51), Mississippi (50), Louisiana (49), Oklahoma (48) and Florida (47). 

Methodology & Sources

To identify which U.S. states are most obsessed with true crime, we analyzed nearly 200 keywords related to various aspects of true crime. These keywords were grouped into seven categories:

1. True Crime Content 
2. Infamous Serial Killers 
3. Famous Murder Cases 
4. Celebrity Cases
5. Unsolved Mysteries & Disappearances
6. True Crime Podcasts & Documentaries
7. Movies, Shows, Documentaries

Data Collection  

We collected search volume data for each keyword across all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The search volumes were normalized to reflect searches per 100,000 people, ensuring that states of different population sizes could be fairly compared. This normalization process allowed us to accurately assess the level of interest in true crime in each state.

Ranking Process

We ranked the states in two key ways:

• Overall Ranking: We combined search volumes from all categories to determine the states most obsessed with true crime content overall.
• Category-Specific Rankings: Each state was also ranked separately for each category, including searches related to Infamous serial killers, celebrity deaths and crimes, and other categories, to showcase the specific aspects of true crime that fascinate each state the most.

Final Output 

Each state’s interest is presented in:

• Overall Ranking: A ranking that reflects the combined interest in all true crime categories.
• Category Rankings: Specific rankings for each category, highlighting which states are most interested in topics such as celebrity deaths, serial killers, and unsolved mysteries.

This methodology offers a comprehensive overview of true crime interest across the U.S., revealing both general and specific trends in crime-related searches.

Final Thoughts

One of this study’s key takeaways is the prevalence of true crime obsession in Northeastern states. This interest may be influenced by the region’s history, culture and literature, which conjures thoughts of events like the Salem Witch Trials, haunted hotspots like the Lizzie Borden house and Hotel Chelsea, and horror authors like Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King. 

It’s also interesting to note that there were patterns in the types of cases people search for the most, whether at the top or the bottom of our true crime rankings — cases that left legacies so dark they’re forever seared into the nation’s memory. 

What do you think of true crime? Do you watch any movies or shows about true crime, or listen to any podcasts? Leave a comment, and thanks for reading!

If you like facts and statistics, check out our other articles:

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FAQ: True Crime

• What Is True Crime?

  True crime is a genre focused on the people and events surrounding a criminal case or unsolved mystery. Common topics explored include murder, serial killers, abuse, financial crimes, disappearances and unsolved mysteries. 

• Why Do People Like True Crime?

  The most common motivations for being interested in true crime include curiosity, entertainment, mystery and storytelling. Some people are intrigued by the psychology of the perpetrator and the events that led to the crime. 

• Why Do Women Like True Crime?

  According to Scott A. Bonn ,Ph.D., at Psychology Today, female consumers of true crime may be looking to learn how to protect themselves and to better understand the motivations of perpetrators.³ 

Sources 

1. Vivint — True Crime Numbers
2. YouGov — Half of Americans Enjoy True Crime
3. PsychologyToday — Why the True Crime Audience Is Predominantly Female