The generational draw of a firmly pressed burrito full of assorted meats, cheeses and vegetables is undeniable.
It’s of little wonder then the nation’s most populous state would have a kindred connection with the largest burrito chain in the country, with Californians turning their wandering eyes toward the nearest Chipotle whenever a burrito craving kicks in.
Cinco de Mayo is a widely known holiday in the U.S. and Mexico. However, May 5 is also National Chipotle Day, which is a celebration of the chipotle pepper. This fruit is a mainstay in many Mexican dishes and is the namesake of one of the most popular fast food chains in the U.S.
Even in states that may prefer authentic tacos over a more mainstream interpretation, Chipotle has become a fast-food staple.
BetCalifornia.com, home to coverage of California sports betting issues, used consumer data from ScrapeHero to determine how many Chipotle restaurants were in a state per 1 million people, as well as the percentage share of restaurants in the United States.
We also used search data from Google Trends for “Chipotle near me” in the past 90 days to determine relative interest in the chain (score of 100 being the most, 0 the least). Each category was then weighted, and each state ranked accordingly.
States That Love Chipotle
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Where California Ranks Among Chipotle-Crazed States
The Golden State finished seventh nationally on our list, thanks to a mixture of California’s lukewarm search volume and diluted market share.
Overall, California wound up with the lowest search volume of the states that finished in the top 10, at 29, while the 11.7 locations per 1 million residents ranked sixth nationally. Finally, California had the largest percentage of Chipotle locations at 15%, ultimately buoying the state’s ranking on a national level.
Overall, California ranked between No. 6 Virginia and ahead of Texas, while Pennsylvania and New York rounded out the top 10 nationally.
The overall leaders when it came to Chipotle interest were Ohio, Maryland, Arizona, Florida and Illinois.
Author
Christopher Boan is the lead writer at BetCalifornia.com, specializing in sports betting issues in the western United States. He's covered sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
