What’s America searching for Valentine’s Day?
Valentine’s Day is never just about the roses—or the romance. Each year, every corner of the US lights up Google’s search bar with its own unique hopes, dreams, and sometimes heartbreak. Some are on a mad dash to find the perfect date idea or gift, others are bracing for splits, and a surprising contingent is just looking to binge on “The Bachelor.”
But that’s not all. When it comes to good old-fashioned gifts, Americans are also turning to the internet to settle that age-old question: chocolate or flowers?
This year, Spree sat down to study the top search terms on Google for Valentine’s day. The study was conducted by compiling a list of Valentine’s day terms and analyzing them on Google Trends. The most trending one was the winner for that state.
Let’s take a coast-to-coast (and island-to-island) tour of this year’s Valentine’s Day search trends—both the sweet and the bittersweet.
America’s Dating Strategies: Tinder, Bumble, and More
Before we get into the chocolate-versus-flowers showdown, let’s not forget how many of us are still out there looking for “the one” (or maybe just a fun Valentine’s fling): Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Texas, and Virginia can’t seem to swipe right fast enough; their top Valentine’s Day search is Tinder.
When it comes to skipping the search engines for real life, some folks just cut right to the chase with a practical query:Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee all primarily want “Date Ideas.”
And if you’re not into all this planning or swiping, well...
A massive chunk of Americans prefer to leave the drama to someone else—namely, the contestants on “The Bachelor.”That’s the top Valentine’s Day search for:
DC, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, and Washington.
Nothing says “love is in the air” like living vicariously through televised rose ceremonies.
And, of course, sometimes love doesn’t pan out. For a select group, the big Google question is “Break Up.” This is the top search in: Delaware, Guam, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Maybe it’s the holiday stress, or maybe the relationship just ran its course. Either way, these states and territories are more concerned with walking away than walking down the aisle.
Chocolate vs. Flowers: Which Wins in Your State?
|
State |
Winner |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Flowers |
| Alaska | |
| Arizona | Flowers |
| Arkansas | Flowers |
| California | Flowers |
| Colorado | Flowers |
| Connecticut | Flowers |
| Delaware | |
| District of Columbia | Flowers |
| Florida | Flowers |
| Georgia | Flowers |
| Hawaii | Flowers |
| Idaho | Flowers |
| Illinois | Flowers |
| Indiana | Chocolate |
| Iowa | Flowers |
| Kansas | Chocolate |
| Kentucky | Flowers |
| Louisiana | Flowers |
| Maine | Chocolate |
| Maryland | Flowers |
| Massachusetts | Flowers |
| Michigan | Flowers |
| Minnesota | Flowers |
| Mississippi | Chocolate |
| Missouri | Flowers |
| Montana | Flowers |
| Nebraska | |
| Nevada | Chocolate |
| New Hampshire | Chocolate |
| New Jersey | Flowers |
| New Mexico | Chocolate |
| New York | Flowers |
| North Carolina | Flowers |
| North Dakota | |
| Ohio | Flowers |
| Oklahoma | Chocolate |
| Oregon | Flowers |
| Pennsylvania | Flowers |
| Rhode Island | |
| South Carolina | Flowers |
| South Dakota | |
| Tennessee | Flowers |
| Texas | Flowers |
| Utah | |
| Vermont | Flowers |
| Virginia | Flowers |
| Washington | Flowers |
| West Virginia | Chocolate |
| Wisconsin | Flowers |
| Wyoming |
Now, for the classic Valentine’s debate: Do you go for the heart-shaped box of chocolates or the bouquet of roses? According to search trends comparing “Valentine’s chocolate” and “Valentine’s flowers,” here’s the breakdown:
- Flowers dominate in most of the country, from Alabama to Washington, winning in states like California, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, and many more.
- Chocolate carves out a sweet slice of victory in certain places, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming. In these chocolate-leaning states, the Google search metrics tip toward sweet confections over floral arrangements.
Why does chocolate triumph in some locales and flowers in others? Maybe states with a sweet tooth want that sugar rush, or maybe roses grow easily (or are more culturally popular) in certain regions. Whatever the reason, this rivalry proves that not all Valentine’s Day shopping lists are created equal.
Methodology
For conducted our first study by gathering a list of Valentine’s day related keywords and then analyzing them on Google Trends. The term that was trending the most on Google Trends was the winner for that state. The study duration was January 9-16.
For our second study, we analyzed both “flowers” and “chocolate” from January 9-16. The term that was trending the most for a state became the winner.
About Spree
A Spree is a period of unrestrained activity of a certain kind. This Valentine’s day, your spree might be swiping on Tinder or buying your date flowers. Whatever you decide, we hope you found ideas for Valentine’s day with our study. Looking for something sweet to play? Check out our candy themed games: