The bagel has had a long and interesting journey to the cultural significance it holds today. Beginning as a Jewish delicacy, before traveling to the US in the late 1800s, the bagel is now a staple of American diets.

On TikTok, #bagel has seen over one billion views, so it’s pretty clear how much love there is for this food, not just in the US. We know Americans are crazy about bagels, but how many are we actually eating? And is New York really the bagel capital of the US?

To delve into the bagel phenomenon, we surveyed nearly 2,000 Americans who eat bagels to find out which states eat them the most, which bagel and cream cheese flavors are most favored, and how most people take their bagels.

How often do Americans eat bagels?

Our research revealed that almost 80% of Americans enjoy bagels at least once a month, with many eating them much more often.

Let’s look at this split a little closer. It turns out there's quite an even divide among how frequently people eat bagels. Approximately 15% opt for a monthly bagel fix, while a slightly smaller percentage, 14.7%, enjoy one weekly. A further 13.2% of Americans prefer to eat their bagels once every 2-3 weeks.

However, the standouts are the hardcore bagel fans, making up 7.3% of respondents, who reported that they eat a bagel every single day. If we apply that to the entire population, that would mean a staggering 24 million people in the US are eating bagels at least once a day!

The states that eat the most bagels

It’s hard to imagine the bagel without thinking about New York. The Northeast is well known for having the ‘bagel capitals’ of the US, but is this actually true? We wanted to find out where across the country eats the most bagels.

According to our survey, the average American eats 85 bagels per year. That’s a lot of dough! But how does this differ by location?

Surprisingly, Hawaiians eat the most bagels out of anywhere else in the US, enjoying around 142 per year, equivalent to three eaten each week. Utah comes next, eating 128 on average each year, followed by Kansas and Maryland, who both get through 120 each year. 

It might come as a surprise that New York and New Jersey aren’t in the top five for the most bagels eaten, considering they’re often known as the bagel capitals of the US. However, New York does rank in sixth place, with 111 eaten per person on average each year. 

In terms of age, 25-34 year olds are particularly big bagel fans, eating 102 each year, the most of all age groups, followed closely by 35-44 year olds who eat an average of 101. 

Interestingly, bagels are much more popular among men compared to women, as on average, they’ll eat 40% more per year (105 compared to 75). 

Popular bagel preferences

From breakfast to dinner, to sweet or savory - bagels are very versatile. But out of the dozens of popular variations, which come out on top?

The most popular kinds of bagel

We took 18 popular bagel flavors and asked respondents to pick their favorite options.

Cinnamon raisin is crowned America’s favorite bagel, with 27.8% of respondents picking it as a top choice. Often eaten for breakfast, this sweet bagel typically has vanilla extract, sugar, cinnamon and raisins added to the dough, making for a tasty morning treat. It seems that sweet flavors are a popular choice, as cinnamon raisin is closely followed by the famed blueberry bagel (27.3%). 

Sometimes less is more, proved by America’s love for the plain bagel, the third favorite overall. Just over a quarter (26.4%) of all respondents voted for a classic ‘no frills’ bagel as their all-time favorite. 

The iconic ‘everything’ bagel — typically topped with garlic and onion flakes, poppy seeds and sesame seeds — interestingly only ranks fourth (25.5%).

Favorite cream cheese flavors

Cream cheese has been a traditional filling associated with bagels for decades. But which cream cheese flavor is the nation’s favorite?

Once again, people prefer to keep it simple. Plain cream cheese, voted for by nearly 40% of respondents, is the favorite in the US. This flavor is also the top choice in 24 out of the 43 states analyzed.

Perhaps surprisingly, strawberry cream cheese ranks second, with 34.5% of votes, followed by garlic and herb (averaging 22.5%).

Most popular bagel order

Our research revealed that cream cheese is the most popular filling by a landslide. Not only do 57% of respondents prefer to keep it simple, but it’s also the top choice in 42 of the 43 analyzed states. The only exception is Delaware, where respondents named bacon, egg and cheese as their top choice.

Take a closer look at the top bagel filling choices:

How each state takes their bagels

One thing’s for sure, Americans can be very particular about their bagels. Everyone has their favorite kind of bagel, preferred fillings and even their favorite bagel shops, which can start lengthy debates among many bagel-lovers.

So, how do the majority of the US like their bagels, and how does this differ between states?

How much are we willing to spend on bagels?

We’re clearly a nation of bagel lovers, but how much are we willing to spend on our favorite doughy delight?

We posed this question to our survey respondents, revealing that the average person is willing to spend $4.71 for a bagel sandwich. Considering the average American also eats 85 bagels a year, that could add up to a tidy $400 average annual spend (that is if you were to buy a bagel each time). 

But bagel love isn't equal across the country. Digging a little deeper into the data, we found that Hawaiians could be spending the most on bagels each year. Residents here eat around 142 bagels per year and are willing to spend around

$6.40 on a bagel sandwich. Now, if they were to buy a sandwich each time, they could be splashing out around $909 per year. 

On the other hand, Iowa is the most frugal bagel state. According to our survey, Iowans are willing to pay an average of $4.30 for a bagel sandwich, and consume only 25.2 bagels a year. This means they could be spending just $108 per year.

Methodology

Survey of 2,000 Americans aged 20+ was conducted in March 2024. An additional survey was conducted to determine how much Americans are willing to spend on their bagels (2,000 Americans were surveyed in March 2024). Montana, Alaska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, Wyoming, and Vermont removed due to lack of data.

Play Online Casino Games with Betway

When it comes to casino games, Betway Casino offers only the best titles, this includes popular games that everyone is talking about. Whether it be online slots or online table games options, we offer the top titles so that you can enjoy gambling games with unique features and immersive gameplay.