Holy smokes, this new set of pizza data is really fascinating! Derrick Tung, owner of Paulie Gee’s Logan Square, sent it to me last week and it’s a real doozy. This crew pulled search data and used it to put together a rigorous list of the top 15 pizza cities in the U.S. SPOILER ALERT: New York City didn’t even break the top 20!
Here are some key takeaways from the article, which you should most certainly read in its entirety:
- Detroit is the best pizza city in the U.S. The Motor City boasts the most independent pizza restaurants per capita (6 per 100,000 residents) out of any city on the list.
- Ohio is the best state for pizza.
- Nearly all cities that made the top 15 sit east of the Mississippi River, with most also sitting north of the Mason-Dixon line.
- Pittsburgh has the highest pizzeria density of any city in the U.S., with 15.2 pizzerias per 100,000 residents.
- New York City has the highest density of pizza shops per square mile.
Does this mean we’ll be shifting operations to Detroit or Cleveland? It’s extremely unlikely. But it does show that pizza love goes way beyond the five boroughs we visit on our NYC pizza tours. It has always been our mission to promote ALL pizza by showing the possibilities offered in our fair city. Our favorite emails are the ones from former tour guests who have discovered great places in their own cities thanks to our guidance. If you think it’s impossible to find great pizza in your town, KEEP LOOKING! It’s probably right under your nose.
